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Kingfisher, Oklahoma

From the start the settlers of Oklahoma made provisions for eduction. The proceeds form sections six and thirty-six of each township were reserved for schools. There were country schools every three miles with names like Pleasant Valley, Good Hope, or in this case Gant.

Gant School was named for Edgar B. Gant on whose homestead four miles north and four west of Kingfisher the school was located.

Construction of the original school building Cost $100. The furniture consisted of a wood heating stove and homemade benches and tables which served as desks and chairs. The school did not have a uniform set of books. Each pupil used what they had at home so class was taught from a variety of books from several different states.

School patrons hauled wood for heating fuel from the north side of the Cimarron River. The older boys cut the wood into suitable lengths. The first teacher was Miss Nannie March, niece of Territorial Governor A.J. Seay. She earned $25 per month and out of this she paid someone five cents to make fires in the school stove each morning.

The first term began on the first Monday in 1894 and lasted for three months. In 1899 the term was extended to four months. In 1902, voters passed an $800 bond issue to build the second school house which opened on December 24, 1902. This is the building now on display on the museum grounds.

The school had a yard fence of a single strand of heavy wire drawn through holes in the posts. A stile was added later. A cinder walk outlined with bricks kept people out of the mud. The coal house holding corn cobs and coal for morning fires sat in back of the school.

Oklahoma was being settled just as the United States was beginning the shift from a rural to an urban nation. School consolidation did not occur here as quickly as it did on the east coast. The last school term at the Gant School was 1939-1940.

Attractions and Upcoming Events

Oklahoma Park

Take the kids on a train ride through Oklahoma Park, past the Municipal Golf Course and almost to the front door of the Vernie Snow Aquatic Center. Besides being located between the Vernie Snow Aquatic Center and Kingfisher's 18

Kingfisher, OK Recreation

Outdoor Sculptures

This sculpture on Main Street is on display for all to admire and to reflect on the history and contributions of those who gave of themselves for the growth of our cities and our country. "The Farmer - He Feeds the World" - Sculptor, Tasso Pitsiri Located above the sculpture is "

Kingfisher, OK Arts

Kingfisher Municipal Golf Course

The Kingfisher Municipal Golf Course is located less than 1 mile east of the city's center on Broadway. The 18

Kingfisher, OK Golf Courses

Governor Seay Mansion

The Seay Mansion is a monument to a dream, a dream that Kingfisher would be the new capitol of Oklahoma Territory; a dream that never came true. Abraham Jefferson Seay, the second Territorial Governor of Oklahoma from 1892 to 1893, built the three-story mansion named, "Horizon Hill,"

Kingfisher, OK Museums

Chisholm Trail Museum

The Chisholm Trail Museum, named for Jesse Chisholm, is situated directly on the Chisholm Trail and presents artifacts from the historic Chisholm cattle trail. See, first hand, items and their history and Kingfisher's place within.

Native American Artifacts

Kingfisher, OK Museums

Things to do near Kingfisher, OK

Kaw Lake ORV Area

Kaw Lake's off-road vehicle area is located just across OK-11 from the Sarge Creek Cove Recreation area. The terrain is heavi...