If you’re visiting Oklahoma or passing through on a road trip, make time for some of the Sooner State’s most notorious ghost towns like Ingalls, Texola, and Picher! They may no longer be the thriving boomtowns or outlaw destinations they once were, but each has a story to tell—plus you’ll drive through some of the most scenic parts of the 46th state.

Oklahoma got its nickname the “Sooner State” back in the late 19th century after all the “land runs” that occurred when early settlers claimed territory prior to, or much sooner to, when the land officially opened for settling. With a wild-west free-for-all like that, along with oil booms and tornadoes, it’s no wonder many of these towns came and went, leaving

Oklahoma

peppered with ghost towns.

But before you traverse down the beaten path and bust into a rundown saloon, you’ll want to make sure you’re armed with a quality car insurance policy to protect you and your getaway car.

Use the car insurance super app, Jerry, to take care of all your automotive needs so you can explore Oklahoma’s ghost towns sooner than later.

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Ingalls

Rusted frame of a vehicle full of bullet holes.

What is the story of Ingalls?

Founded in 1889 after the land rush into the

Unassigned Lands

, Ingalls was a fairly quiet town with a population of just 150. The town’s sleepy appeal, however, made it an ideal safe haven for the notorious outlaws of the waning years of the Old West era… that is until 1893 at the Battle of Ingalls—the most infamous shootout in state history.

U.S. Marshals had learned that Bill Doolin and his cronies, collectively known as the Wild Bunch, were taking refuge in the tiny town in between their bank robberies, train robberies, and other classic outlaw-ey activities of the time.

When law enforcement arrived to bring Doolin and his crew to long-overdue justice, they were met with violent resistance. Gunfire erupted in the streets, then into the saloon, then back in the streets, and later into a nearby barn where sticks of dynamite accompanied the flurry of bullets.

When it was all said and done, three U.S. Marshals lay dead along with two townspeople. No one from the Wild Bunch was killed, and all but one of them escaped. The Doolin gang may have won the Battle of Ingalls, but they would go on to lose the war. In the years after the deadly shootout, all the Ingalls outlaws had been killed by lawmen with the exception of one who was sentenced to a lengthy prison term.

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What makes Ingalls special?

Today, Ingalls is no longer a criminal safe haven. It’s hallowed ground with a monument erected to commemorate the lives lost back on that bloody September day in 1893. When you get to Ingalls, don’t expect a fancy tour guide or a quaint little gift shop. Ingalls is a barebones do-it-yourself kind of ghost town.

Walk through what remains of this hauntingly quiet ghost town, and check out the R.M. Saloon where the gunfire escalated, then wander over to the Livery Barn where the outlaws got the upper hand on the Marshals.

If following the path of the shootout isn’t eerie enough for you, then meander through the Ingalls Cemetery with headstones dating back to 1893.

On a lighter note you can also check out the Wilson General Store, just don’t expect a souvenir as Wilson’s has been closed for the last century!

Finally, before you go, spend a moment at the monument in honor of the brave lawmen who died in the line of fire pursuing some of the most notorious outlaws of the time.

Pro Tip: Plan your visit to Ingalls on September 1 to witness the annual Battle of Ingalls reenactment. Be sure to contact a local to confirm when and if the reenactment is happening.

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How to Visit Ingalls

Ingalls is in eastern Payne County, Oklahoma, about eight miles east of Stillwater.

To get to Ingalls from Stillwater, head East on OK-51/E 6th Ave toward South Lewis St. then turn right on Doolin Drive. Yep, that’s Doolin Drive as in Bill Dollin of the Wild Bunch.

Now unless you befriend one of the locals, don’t plan on staying overnight in Ingalls. Your best bet is to stay in Stillwater or just plan to spend the afternoon in the quiet ghost town before heading to your next destination.

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Texola

Grassy fields surround what once was an agricultural hot-spot.

What is the story of Texola?

Founded in the early 1900s during the railway expansions out west, Texola is the westernmost town in Oklahoma situated along Historic U.S.

Route 66

. This once bustling farm community is the last town before entering Texas, hence the name Texola. It previously went by Texokla and Texoma. Why they overlooked OKtexas, we may never know.

Part of the reason for the frequent name changes is its unique location on the

100th Meridian

which led to the town being surveyed eight different times, meaning some early residents lived in both Oklahoma and Texas never having moved!

By 1909, the local agricultural area supported Texola’s cotton gins along with its corn and grist mill. The town’s population would peak at 581 in 1930 with the addition of two more cotton gins. But then came the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, which drove people out of Texola. In 1940 the population had dwindled to 337. By 1990, it had just 45 people, and, today, this ghost town’s population is down to just under ten souls.

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What makes Texola special?

The ghost town’s unofficial motto is “There Is No Place Like Texola.” On top of that, it earned the nickname, “Beerola.” This tiny town also got a shoutout in John Steinbeck’s 1939 classic novel The Grapes of Wrath.

Aside from those cool tidbits, there are a lot of abandoned structures worth exploring.

Start with the abandoned one-room jail that once locked up the local delinquents.

There’s also Magnolia Service Station which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Just don’t plan on filling up your tank because this gas station hung up it’s pumps for good back in the 1960s.

Once you got your fix of abandoned structures then be sure to dine at the Tumbleweed Grill. This cozy restaurant is located at the historic Water Hole #2 building, which makes it the oldest structure along Historic U.S. Route 66 to operate as a restaurant.

Not that long ago you could have followed up your meal with a nightcap at the Texola Bar, but the old watering hole has since been abandoned. Still worth checking out though. You can’t miss it—it’s the building that in large block letters says “No Place Like Texola” across nearly its exterior wall.

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How to Visit Texola

Texola is located in Beckham County in the Great Plains Country of Oklahoma just about one mile east of the Texas state line. Just don’t expect to take Route 66 all the way because Texola was part of the last stretch of old road in Oklahoma to lose its U.S. Route 66 designation to superhighway Interstate-40 (I-40). But this special ghost town can be easily accessed from 1-40 off of Exit 1.

There aren’t any hotels or motels in Texola but there is Double D RV Park, an affordable and fully-equipped RV park/campground located just off of Exit 1.

The best time to visit is in late spring or early fall to avoid the hot summers and cold winters!

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Picher

View of a field and a road on a foggy morning in rural Oklahoma.

What is the story of Picher?

At its peak, Pincher was referred to as “the buckle of the mining belt,” today it’s known as the most toxic town in America!

Incorporated around the time the United States declared war on Germany in 1917 during World War I, this Route 66 adjacent town was once the national epicenter of zinc and lead mining, producing over half of all the lead in ammunition fired from the Great War. The town’s impact on the war effort continued through World War II as well. Business continued to boom, making Picher—which at its peak had a population of nearly 10,000—a great American city to raise a family.

But the toll of extracting ore from the earth for decades with little regulation, led to a growing presence of toxic waste in Pincher, fast-tracking this once-thriving boomtown to a full-on ghost town. By the time mining operations had ceased in the 1970s, the damage was irreversible with sinkholes, cave-ins, and contaminated water plaguing the town.

Decades later in 2008, Picher would face the wrath of a violent EF4 tornado that leveled much of the town. At that point, most of the 1600 people living in Picher took a government buyout and permanently relocated, however, about a handful of holdouts—the self-proclaimed “chat rats”—remained in the battered ghost town.

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What makes Picher special?

For starters, you have to admire the pivotal role this small town played in the victories in World War I and World War II, along with the resilience of the people of Picher in the ensuing decades as they confronted environmental catastrophe. Many of the environmental regulations in place today resulted from the lack of oversight in Picher.

Once you get to exploring what’s left of Picher, you’ll notice it’s one of the more apocalyptic-looking ghost towns because much of the abandoned structures and rusted-out cars, along with a chilling amount of left-behind children’s toys and dolls scattered about, are more familiar in this 21st-century world compared to the ghost towns of the wild west.

On a much lighter and brighter note, this ghost town comes back to life one day a year during the annual

Coming Home for Christmas Parade

hosted by the Picher-Cardin School Reunion Committee on the first Saturday of December. The festive event which started in 2015 attracts nearly 1000 attendees to the once-thriving town.

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How to visit Picher?

Picher is located in northeastern Oklahoma in Ottawa County and is accessible via Interstate 44 and US 69.

Just remember Picher is a toxic wasteland, so have other activities on your agenda for the day as you won’t want to spend too much time here!

If you’re officially creeped out and are reconsidering a Picher stop, fear not! There are quite a few documentaries and exposées you can watch about Picher, most notably episode two from season two of the History Channel series Life After People entitled “

Toxic Revenge

.”

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Why you need good car insurance

The only thing scarier than visiting a ghost town is driving there without insurance! And when you’re on a road trip like that, it’s extra important to make sure you have all the coverage you need.

So before you hit the road, check out

Jerry

. Jerry is the one-stop-shop super app for all your automotive needs, especially when it comes to finding the right car insurance policy. In just seconds, Jerry provides you with quotes from top insurance providers and sends them directly to your phone. Once you select your policy, Jerry will handle all the paperwork saving you time and money!

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