Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park - Foyil, Oklahoma, USA
N 36° 26.244 W 095° 26.909
15S E 280529 N 4035250
The Worlds largest Concrete Totem Pole, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Ed Galloway’s Totem pole Park, has been drawing visitors off the Route 66 corridor since 1948 Located in Foyil, Oklahoma.
Waymark Code: WMN711
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 01/08/2015
Views: 13
The National Park Service - Feature Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park, on their limited list of Route 66 attractions. Ed Galloway's Residence and Smokehouse, are also part of the National Park Service, Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. The World's Largest Concrete Totem Pole, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
From the National Park Website:
"Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park is the oldest and largest example of a folk art environment in Oklahoma; its construction lasting from 1937 to 1961. Totem Pole Park contains the original, highly decorated creations of Galloway, one of Oklahoma’s premier folk artists and significant in the “visionary art” movement. The park is located just 3.5 miles off the Mother Road. All of the art objects are made of stone or concrete, reinforced with steel rebar and wood. Galloway incised and carved the objects in bas-relief and applied paint to decorations that generally include representational and figurative images of birds and Native Americans of Northwest Coast/Alaska and Plains cultures arranged facing the four cardinal directions.
Nathan Edward Galloway was born in 1880 in Springfield, Missouri and began wood carving as a boy. He became proficient in woodworking and blacksmithing and obtained employment at Sand Springs Home, teaching manual arts to orphan boys. In 1937, he retired to live on the property now known as the Totem Pole Park. He constructed a vernacular Craftsman residence, a smokehouse, and a workshop (which no longer exists). He began to make violins, furniture, and decorative wall art. Galloway became interested in Native Americans and found inspiration in post cards and National Geographic magazines to construct totem poles in the park.
Between 1937 and 1948, he created a 90-foot tall main totem pole heavily carved with bas-relief designs, the largest art object on the property. This totem pole is made of red sandstone framed with steel and wood with a thick concrete skin and sits on a large three-dimensional turtle. The turtle forms the base and is carved from a broad, flat outcrop of sandstone in place on the site. The totem pole is hollow and ascends nine “floors,” with the ground floor measuring nine feet in diameter. The plastered interior depicts painted murals of mountain-and-lake scenes and bird totems. Native American shields and arrow points line the tops of the murals. At the very top, the cone is open to the sky." Text Source: (visit link)
Free Admission:
Weekday Hours: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Weekend Hours: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park (added 1999 - - #99000354)
Also known as Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park Historic District
OK 28A, 3.5 mi. E of US 66 , Foyil
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Person
Architect, builder, or engineer: Galloway, Nathan Edward
Historic Person: Galloway, Nathan Edward
Significant Year: 1948, 1937
Area of Significance: Art
Period of Significance: 1950-1974, 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Work Of Art (Sculpture, Carving, Rock Art)
Current Function: Recreation And Culture
Current Sub-function: Work Of Art (Sculpture, Carving, Rock Art)
Street address:
21300 E Highway 28A, Chelsea, OK 74016
County / Borough / Parish: Rogers county
Year listed: 1999
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Folk Art
Periods of significance: 1925-1949 & 1950-1974,
Historic function: Work of Art - Folk Art
Current function: Recreation and Culture - Tourist Attraction.
Privately owned?: yes
Hours of operation: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 2: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.