Pawhuska - Ponca City, Oklahoma

July 5 - 7, 2023:

I arrive in Ponca City in mid afternoon as I had a late start leaving Pawhuska.  I decide that it’s time for me to get cleaned up and have a good quiet nights sleep so I get a motel room for the night.  Also for some unknown reason, I have pulled something in my lower back and it is killing me.  At the Motel there is a hot tub which I immediately use which helps slightly, coupled with aspirin and a heating patch.  Overnight, the back pain remains but when I walk it diminishes somewhat, I can deal with this. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponca_City,_Oklahoma 

In the morning, I start by visiting the Pioneer Woman Statue and Museum and Statue where they have exhibits focused on pioneer women of note, and a large focus on recent women who have been successful in the TV news arena.  There was also an interesting exhibit and all types of medicines in the past promising to cure everything which lead to the creation of the FDA.  Also an exhibit on women’s and mens undergarments designed to improve or accentuate your shape such as corsets. 

The Statue

The Cherokee Land Strip run

Geraldyn Cobb

Wanda Jackson

Laura Crews

I did not know that boys also worn such garments

I used to have that look without a corset

That's just weird looking

 Next I attempt a short ride to the site of the famous 101 Ranch.  A closed road due to bridge construction cancels that idea initially, but I will return on an alternate path latter, see below. 

Next it's back to the historic downtown area where I find a couple of great murals and a huge grain elevator complex that is an amazingly good photo scene.  I then walk around several blocks, seeing the restored Poncan Theater, I push on the front door and it opens to my surprise, but no one seemed to be there, I shot a quick photo and left ?

There are several good murals and many very attractive turn of the century (1900 century for people of my age) buildings.  This was a very prominent town back in the early to mid 1900’s with a booming oil industry and the powerful had no problems building a great Court House, City Hall , Library, Schools etc.

 

This Grain Elevator was immense and to my eyes beautiful  

Mural on building next to rail tracks

Another part of the above mural

Looking down the tracks

Across the street another huge old mural

It depicts history of the famous 101 Ranch

Informative sign on the 101 Ranch

Interesting building and paint job on van

The Poncan Theater

The upper architectural elements are great

Old Chandler and Cleveland car dealer sign

Very nice old Coca-Cola sign

The old Ponca Railroad depot

Beautiful Ponca City Hall

B.S. Barnes Founder of Ponca City

Extra nice Library

 My second attempt to get to the 101 Ranch was successful.  There isn’t much left of the former ranch site, which is mow owned by the 101 Ranch Old Timers Association who has put up historical signs, although they are in dire need of updating.  There was once a huge house here, a state of the art advanced house that they called the “White House”. It was surrounded by all sorts of building to support the ranch, which was mostly self sufficient since it far removed.  It ended up encompassing 100,000 acres which was mostly acquired from original Indian land.  The Ranch was owned by Col. George Miller and operated by his three sons, George, Joe and Zack.  It began as a cattle ranch and with many productive oil wells.  It seems that they were decent souls who felt compassion for the Indians and made sure that they didn’t have to go hungry, they provided food and supplies as needed. 

https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=MI029 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_Brothers_101_Ranch

They were very friendly with Chief White Eagle of the Ponca tribe and when he died they built a hill top monument to him with an eagle sculpture.  

Oddly, the chief is not buried here, only a number of black ranch employees ?

Eventually, the brothers decided to do their own version of a Wild West Cowboy and Indian show which became an event similar to the Pawnee Bill and the Buffalo Bill shows.  This show operated from1905 - 1932 and traveled the US and the world.

These photos are tough to read, but if you double click on them you can get a more  enlarged view. 

These silos and the small building is about all that is left today

It once was a palace on the frontier visited by many dignitaries and celebrities

A recenty built sign out front

The original Ranch House known as the "White House"

Part of the floor tiles remains

Bill Pickett was a beloved black ranch cowboy and wild west show performer 

The Horse Barn

The Power House

The Dairy Barn

Even a Cotton Gin

A refinery !

Bill Pickett starred in the in the Bull Dogger movie

The ranch eventually went bankrupt in1936 and was taken over by the government for use as a depression resettlement program.  It then came under the ownership of the Federal Farm Security Administration who sold the house contents for salvage value at auction and then demolished the house. 

Attempts in Ponca to find some night life, like a bar or a brew pub is frustrating. I find this to be the case in most small to medium towns and cities in Oklahoma.  But I have noticed in late afternoon many people leaving convenance stores with a 6 or a 12 pack of beer to take home, maybe that's better, keeps them off the streets ?

Next stop is a slight dip south to Pawnee, OK to visit the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum, I’m hooked on these hokey Cowboy and Indian Shows.