Jones & Plummer Trail Museum

05/28/2026

Samuel Hall's latest book is now available at the Jones & Plummer Trail Museum. Mr. Hall grew up in Forgan, Oklahoma and always wanted to travel to Africa. The book is a memoir of faith, trust and discovery.

05/27/2026

Preserving Memories in Beaver County

Throughout history people have found many ways to remember loved ones that have moved or passed away. One of those was hair artwork. The story below by Joyce Hendricks Keel contains examples of such traditions.

Moving to Beaver County before statehood was quite an adventure for Herbert Andrew Sprague (a native of Maine) and Minnie Alice Nelson Sprague (born in Missouri). Married in 1899 in Missouri, the couple had five children before moving into Oklahoma Territory near Hydro, Caddo County in 1902. (Another child, Herbert Andrew Nelson Sprague was born in Hydro.) Herbert filed for a homestead in Beaver County and began to prove up his claim in 1904. Due to unexpected illnesses in his family, they did not complete the permanent move until March of 1906.

Among the treasured items traveling with them to Beaver County were two things entrusted to my care: Minnie's autograph book and the hair picture.

Because travel was difficult, moving to another community often meant leaving behind friends and relatives one might never see again. Minnie Sprague's Autograph book contains over sixty messages left by friends and relatives and must have provided treasured memories for many years. There are messages from Minnie's brothers, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, and dozens of friends.

In the mid-1800s hair art was quite the fashion in many homes. Sharing a lock of hair was a gentle reminder of loved ones both present and those who had passed. The art of creating floral designs was passed from family member to family member. I believe this design was made from the hair taken from family members of Minnie's (including Nelsons and Bledsoes). It was brought to Beaver County as a way of remembering those left behind. The heirloom was passed from Minnie Sprague to Alice Sprague Hendricks, then to Herbert Hendricks, and at his death, to me, Joyce Hendricks Keel. I believe its permanent home should be with the Beaver County Historical Society and the Jones and Plummer Trail Museum.

05/20/2026

The Oldest Weekly Newspaper in Oklahoma

The Beaver-Herald Democrat, Beaver, OK, is recognized as the oldest weekly newspaper in Oklahoma. The paper was started in the summer of 1887 as the Territorial Advocate. The founders and publishers were two men known only as Estes and Eldridge. Since the newspaper was located in No Man's Land, it was not subject to any laws.

Only three or four issues were published before the paper was sold to George Payne. In 1892, the paper was sold to J.C. Hodge who changed the name to Beaver Advocate. In January of 1896, W.I. Drummond and I.S. Drummond published the first issue of the Beaver Herald. The paper announced its policy as Republican, but not radical enough to "scratch all the Democrats and Populists off the subscription list."

The newspaper had several more owners. In 1902, Miss Maude O. Thomas purchased the paper and ran it for the next twenty-one years. Miss Thomas was the first woman to become an active member of the Oklahoma Press and the National Press Association. In 1923, A.L. Kimball purchased the Beaver-Herald. During this time several of the county's newspapers consolidated with the Beaver Herald and formed the present-day Herald-Democrat.

In October 1944, Willis and Merlee Lansden bought the paper. In March 1966, the office was moved to the present location. The current owners are Brent and Christi Lansden and Joe Lansden.

The Herald-Democrat is the only weekly newspaper in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

05/01/2026

THANK YOU, BEAVER SCHOOLS, FOR BRINGING THE 4th, 5th, AND 6th GRADES TO THE MUSEUM YESTERDAY.

04/25/2026

THE ONE-ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE CAME TO LIFE WITH THE BALKO 3rd GRADERS.
WELCOME CLASS OF 2035!

04/17/2026

Jack Reddick
December 30, 1942-April 10, 2026
Thank you for your service, Mr. Reddick

03/26/2026

The Jones & Plummer Trail Museum now has the new Dust Bowl book for sale from the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society.

03/21/2026

Ditch Valley
At the turn of the century, No Man’s Land was opened to homesteaders; one area they settled in was a shallow valley, which is now located on the county line between Beaver County and Harper County and about three miles south of the Kansas state line. The valley was very dry and barren from lack of yearly rainfall.
In 1885, the bottom and sides of an irrigation ditch were discovered. Some believe that an Indian village, located close to the ditch, was the first to use irrigation in the area. The settlers soon devised a similar method to divert water from the Cimarron River to irrigate crops and water the livestock.
The farmers organized the Settler’s Milling Canal and Reservoir Company in 1893, and between 1893 and 1905, they began digging an irrigation ditch. With the use of mules and horse-drawn slips and pure manpower, the ditch soon became a reality. It was completed in 1905. It is approximately fourteen miles in length and twelve feet wide. At one point, the men had to cut through a hill that was twenty feet high for a distance of five hundred feet. After completion, the farmers could irrigate between three and six thousand acres of land. Some of the crops planted were alfalfa, wheat, oats, and maize. During the Dust Bowl and drought in the 1930s, the ditch helped ensure the survival of many farms.
A shallow valley, a dry and barren place where settlers carved out homes for themselves and for future generations. The Old Settler’s Ditch, now known respectfully as Ditch Valley, is a daily reminder of the determination and hard work of the people who settled in No Man’s Land.
The company reorganized in 1927 as the Settler’s Ditch, Reservoir, and Irrigation Company, or the Old Settler’s Irrigation Ditch. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in Beaver County in 1983.

02/25/2026

DOUGLAS AVENUE

In 1886 a group of promoters from Wichita, Kansas heard about a large number of settlers streaming into the Strip, or No Man's Land. Since a post office had been established in the sandhills in 1883 and later moved to the James Lane Trading Post in 1884, the men thought this would be an ideal location for a town site.
The promoters arranged a deal with James Lane, the postmaster, to give them two blocks of lots where they wanted to locate the new town, in exchange for his squatter rights to the land as a homestead. On April 8, 1886, they completed a survey for a town site of 640 acres.
They returned to Wichita and proceeded to advertise the new town in newspapers across the country and send out thousands of booklets. In no time at all, immigrants were flooding the new town of Beaver City in No Man's Land.
The promoters hurried to Washington, D.C., to get a title to the town, only to discover that the government had no jurisdiction in No Man's Land. No federal laws could be enforced, and there were no courts for enforcing laws or for prosecution.
The fact that a title could not be secured didn't deter the settlement of the town. In fact, settlers came by the thousands to claim a squatter right to occupancy.
The town plat showed the first two business streets would be named Douglas Avenue and Main Street after two major business streets in Wichita, Kansas. Businesses grew on the two streets by leaps and bounds.

It is said that "God made the West for those who have no fear." That was very true for the settlers that came to No Man's Land!

02/21/2026

Peggy Morrison

Larry Owens
June 29, 1942 - February 12, 2026
Thank you for your service.

02/21/2026

Larry Owens
June 29, 1942 - February 12, 2026
Thank you for your service.