Ozark Trail Obelisk - Langston, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 56.531 W 097° 14.817
14S E 658121 N 3978955
What do you do if you're calmly driving down a country road and suddenly an obelisk is in the road, in the middle of an intersection?? You get out, of course, to see what that's all about!!
Waymark Code: WMWT37
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 10/09/2017
Views: 8
In the early 1900s, automobile travel was beginning to take people from town to town and from state to state. To facilitate this, and aid travelers in getting from one place to another, the Ozark Trail Association began a loose network of road segments, maintained by local communities, that they named The Ozark Trail. It ran from St. Louis, MO through Oklahoma to El Paso, TX and on to Santa Fe, NM. This group of roadways operated until the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1925 established Route 66 in this region, with parts of the Ozark Trail becoming portions of Route 66.
At first the Association painted the green “OT” with two green stripes along the route, on houses, telephone poles, or rocks. Then in 1913, the idea was brought forward to construct obelisks along the route to help travelers. The obelisks were 15-20 ft. tall and had cities and mileage distances painted on them. Originally, there were 21 obelisks constructed along the route, seven of which remain today. Two of those seven are in Oklahoma - this being one, with another located near Stroud. As an historical monument, this one is painted white with the names of the towns nearby painted on the corresponding side, and it stands in the center of the intersection of Indian Meridian Road and Washington Avenue (Highway 74).
A nearby historical marker indicates that this monument is located on the Indian Meridian. In 1870, the Oklahoma Indian Territory was surveyed beginning from a point known as the Initial Point. It was at the intersection of the East-West running Base Line in southern Oklahoma, and the North-South Indian Meridian line.
The website linked below is about the other obelisk located in Oklahoma, but it gives a nice story of the obelisks in general.
Date Created/Placed: 1922
Address:
Indian Meridian Road @ W. Washington Avenue
Langston, OK
Height: 15 ft.
Illuminated: no
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Give a narrative of your experience. What did you think of the obelisk? Did you learn anything? Photos are always welcome too. Please no virtual visits.