Attractions, History, and Oddities in Poteau, Wister, Heavener, and surrounding areas.
Here are some fascinating mini- stories from the early days of Poteau:September 29, 1910: What promised to be one of the worst fires in the history of Poteau broke out in one of the sand rooms at the handle factory last night at nine o'clock. But, for the prompt
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Some notes on the Steamboats that used to travel up and down the Poteau and Arkansas Rivers:There were steamboat landings at Skullyville, Tamaha, Webbers Falls, and Nevins Ferry. Nevins was up at the mouth of the Grand and Verdigris rivers.When the boats whistled for the landing the whole village
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Before the Chamber of Commerce existed, Poteau had the Men's Business League of Poteau. During the early 1900s, they would produce many advertisements in the hopes that they would draw new people to the city. This is one of their advertisements:Where the city of Poteau, Okla., now
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Through the years, we have had numerous photos sent to us from a variety of different sources. Many of the photos are easily identifiable, however, there are a lot of them that are photos of people throughout the Poteau area.Your help in identifying the people in these photos
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The Judkin-Forbes in Poteau has a long and somewhat seedy history.The story begins with the Flener House. The Flener House was Poteau's first and most affluent hotel. Located on the north corner of Fleener and Broadway, Melvin Fleener established a small section house there during the
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In the late 17th century, the French explorer Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle boldly claimed all of the land drained by Mississippi River for France. The area was named "La Louisiane" in honor of his King, Louis XIV. Even though the Spanish were the first to explore the area
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Downtown Street NamesHave you ever wondered where some of Poteau’s street names came from? Here’s a short list of some of the more interesting street names.Early Poteau (1885-1900)Beard Avenue: Named after Walter Beard. Mr. Beard had a blacksmith shop located on the southern corner of Beard and Broadway. His large
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The Murder of Buck DavisBuck Davis was a pillar of the Poteau Switch community. He was instrumental in bringing people to the area, first with his ferry business and then in his assistance to the St. Louis and San Francisco railroad workers. Even through his success, his life was filled
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By the 1920's, most of the outlaw days of Poteau was over. Still, there was a criminal undercurrent that ran through town that centered around whiskey and guns. These stories provide a glimpse into those days of prohibition and the jazz age.Jailbreak!On May 30, 1920, while in Haskell County, Cole
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Throughout the years, many U.S. Presidents have visited LeFlore County. Prior to Sen. Kerr, most of these visits were part of their campaign trails. Senator Robert S. Kerr helped make Poteau a destination point for the presidents with this political influence. Even through the 1990's, that influence remained. While there
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