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Kingfisher Notables


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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

Attractions and Upcoming Events

Abraham Jefferson Seay

Born in Virginia on November 28, 1832

Kingfisher, OK Famous People

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

Dalton Cabin

In 1889, the parents of the Dalton gang - Adaline Younger Dalton and James Lewis Dalton - planned to move to Oklahoma. Mr. Dalton died on the way, leaving Adaline with three young children to raise: Nancy, Leona, and Simon. An older, feeble-minded son named Charles Benjamin accompanied them.

Kingfisher, OK Pioneer History

Land Office Building/ Post Office

This was the United States Land Office site for filing claims at the opening of "Old Oklahoma," April 22, 1889, and also at the opening of the Cheyenne and Arapaho lands on April 19, 1892. J.C. Roberts was the first Register, and J.V. Admire, the first Receiver.

Kingfisher, OK Historic Buildings

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 Notables near Kingfisher, OK

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 ...