The Western Oklahoma Historical Society Strives to Perpetuate the History, Study, and Appreciation of Western Oklahoma.
About Us
Learn about our organization and how you too can participate to promote and preserve western Oklahoma history.
Historic Places
Explore the rich history of western Oklahoma by learning about and visiting all its historic places.
Visit the National Route 66 and Old Town Museum Complex
The Elk City Route 66 and Old Town Museum Complex allows you to take a nostalgic journey down the Mother Road, Route 66, and immerse yourself in western Oklahoma’s rich pioneer history.
Preserving and Promoting Western Oklahoma History
As a nonprofit organization, the Western Oklahoma Historical Society concentrates its efforts on preserving artifacts related to western Oklahoma and promoting interest in the study and research of the area. The organization concentrates on all of western Oklahoma but specifically on Beckham and Roger Mills Counties. The National Route 66 Museum and Old Town Museum complex is the largest history museum in western Oklahoma, and as such, much of the Society’s work focuses on that. Over the years, the Western Oklahoma Historical Society has helped to fund several additions to the museum including the Farm and Ranch Museum, the Blacksmith Shop, the General Store, and the Education Building.
In addition, WOHS hosts an annual flea market in Ackley Park the first weekend of October and an ongoing art show in the Education Building featuring western Oklahoma artists. Each year, the Society also honors individuals from western Oklahoma who have made significant contributions to the area by inducting them into the Western Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
The Latest News and Events
A Farmer Goes to War
by Judy Haught In early 1942, the world was at war. While the United States had declared war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Lee Clem had other pressing matters on his mind. As a Leedey farmer with aging parents, he felt his place was at home. Nevertheless, the U. S.… Read More »A Farmer Goes to War
Clyde S. Heckrodt: A Man for His Time
by Judy Haught and Stan Heckrodt The Great Depression and World War II forged a generation of men seasoned by hardship and steeped in patriotism. Clyde Stanley Heckrodt was such a man. Born January 23, 1917 in Steffenville, Missouri, Clyde Heckrodt came of age in the midst of the worst economic disaster in the history… Read More »Clyde S. Heckrodt: A Man for His Time
My Recollections of Growing Up on Route 66
by Mary Fern Carpenter If I could turn back time, it would be to 1948 when I was five years old and my parents (George and Lucy Stansberry) and I moved back to Elk City, Oklahoma. My dad had been born in Elk City in 1912, but he and Mom had moved to Hermosa Beach,… Read More »My Recollections of Growing Up on Route 66
1915 Elk City Yearbook
Elk City School in 1915
National Route 66 Museum/Art Complex Photos
Photos by Donnie Jordan, Western Oklahoma Historical Society Board Member
WOHS Planning Flea Market
Western Oklahoma Historical Society is busy planning for the 50th Annual Route 66 Flea Market to be held October 6-8, 2023.
