Kingfisher Notables

Small towns like Kingfisher have been the homes of many of the men and women who shaped and changed America. Here is just a sampling of men and women who were born or lived in Kingfisher and made their mark on the town or the country.

J.V. Admire (d. 1911) - He came to Kingfisher in 1889 to be receiver of monies at the U.S. Land Office. He ran the Kingfisher Free Press from 1891 to 1908. In 1891 he was recommended by Oklahoma republicans to be the first Territorial Governor, though President Harrison chose someone else.

Sam Walton (d. 1992) - the founder of the Wal-Mart chain was born in Kingfisher and lived here until he was four years old, when he moved to Missouri.

R.A. Young - The founder of the TG&Y chain opened his first store in Kingfisher in 1927.

Don Blanding (d. 1957) - One of the most popular poets of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s was born in Kingfisher in 1894 but moved shortly thereafter to Enid and then to Lawton where he grew up. He eventually moved to Hawaii where he made his fame.

Apostle Paul Sykes (d. 1929) - This famous local Black preacher ran the Straight Gate Church. For years he would go to the train station and sing for money to keep his church going. He sang "Old Ark's a Moverin, Moverin Right Along, Chillun."

Mollie Shepherd (d. 1985) - Born in Montana, this Native American of the Cheyenne Tribe came to Kingfisher and became famous for writing an Indian News Column in the Kingfisher Times and Free Press that was syndicated all over the United States.

Joseph Danne (d. 1959) - He made his name as the breeder of Triumph and Super Triumph Wheat. As late as 1969, 59 percent of the wheat grown in Oklahoma was Danne Wheat.

Rev. J.H. Parker (d. 1915) - This New Englander came to Kingfisher in 1889 and organized the Congregational Church. In 1895, he founded Kingfisher College which lasted until 1924.

Mary Agnes Thompson (d. 1959) - This Kingfisher native made her name as a storyteller selling stories and articles to national magazines, including the Saturday Evening Post. One of her stories was made into a movie.

Dick Yeager (d. 1895) - Yeager was one of Oklahoma Territory's most notorious outlaws, preying upon people west of Hennessey and often hiding in the Gloss Mountains near Fairview. He was wounded and captured east of Hennessey and taken to Enid where he subsequently died. His rifle is on display at the museum.

Come visit us in Kingfisher, Oklahoma