Oklahoma Magazine

With its enduring, endearing 2,400 miles of continuous roadway from Chicago to the Pacific Ocean, Route 66 has earned its place as a national treasure. The inspiration for Nat King Cole’s 1946 hit song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” and John Steinbeck’s classic, Grapes of Wrath, today’s quirky roadside art and attractions, spectrum of […]

Behind the Coleman Theatre’s gold-leaf trim,  and one-ton crystal chandelier rests a scrappy, never-say-die ruffian. In 1929, George Coleman built the $600,000, 1,600-seat cinematic palace as a gift to the town where he amassed his mining fortune. After hosting legends like Will Rogers, however, the theater fell into neglect and faced demolition. Local volunteers rallied […]

Of Oklahoma’s fire departments, around 81% are fully volunteer, primarily because many towns can’t afford full-time staff. Volunteer-heavy departments are more common in rural areas where wildfires often ignite. Tuttle originally had an all-volunteer fire department that has gradually transitioned into a combo of full-time staff and volunteers. A Tuttle native whose family is fr...

Honored as a top authentic American experience by Time Magazine, the world’s first action figure museum began in a Pauls Valley basement.  Founder Kevin Stark promised his parents he’d clean up said basement if he could move his toys downstairs from the bedroom he shared with his two brothers. “As a kid, I was creating […]

As far back as Ptolemy in A.D. 150, astronomers have sought a closer look at the cosmos. The famed astronomer named twelve constellations that became the zodiac, and forty-eight constellations in all, visible during different seasons throughout the year. The night sky has surely fascinated observers for centuries, but the tools used to explore it […]