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Kingfisher, Oklahoma

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.

They first lived in a dugout on the bank of Kingfisher Creek, a few miles north of Kingfisher. In 1892, Adaline or Ben exercised their homestead right and received land ten miles west of their original home. Ben lived on this farm, and Adaline remained on their original land.

In 1909 Adaline traded the improvements and leasing rights to this first farm and assumed a mortgage on land just north of the Gould Bridge, some seven miles east of Dover. Adaline and Simon moved to this location. Nannie and Eva May had already married, and Leona moved to Kingfisher about this time. This third homeplace for Mrs. Dalton is the one preserved on the grounds of the Chisholm Trail Museum.

Adaline lived here by herself until she moved to Kingfisher in 1919, where she lived with Leona until her death in 1925.

Leona made her living as a seamstress until her death in 1964. She was the last of the Dalton brothers and sisters to die. Today, seven Daltons are buried in the Kingfisher Cemetery, though only one, Emmet, was a member of the Dalton gang.

The Dalton Gang

The Dalton Brothers - Robert (Bob), Grafton (Graf), and Emmet Dalton - made a name for themselves in the west in only two short years. Their first robbery was in February, 1891, in Alila, California, and their last was in Coffeyville, Kansas, on October 5, 1892. In Coffeyville they tried to rob two banks at once, resulting in bob's and Graf's death. Emmet was severely wounded and later jailed. The three brothers never lived in this cabin.

Attractions and Upcoming Events

Cole Cabin

A more ordinary settler family was that of Samuel and Dorothy Cole. They built this cabin southeast of Hennessey in 1890. It was built of oak logs cut on the farm and hauled to the building site in a wagon drawn by a yoke of oxen.

Kingfisher, OK Pioneer History

Vernie Snow Aquatic Center

"Kingfisher's indoor swimming facility..." is FUN! FUN! FUN! all year round and offers swimming and aerobic programs. What could be more fun than renting The Vernie Snow Aquatic Center for events such as birthday parties, receptions or other private events.

Kingfisher, OK Fun Centers

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

Gant School House

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.

Kingfisher, OK Historic Schoolhouses

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

Things to do near Kingfisher, OK

University Lake Municipal Golf Course

University Lake Municipal Golf Course near Phillips University is a 9-hole hilly layout. Open at 8 am on weekdays and 7 am on...