in search of Carter Nine, Oklahoma (multiple photographs)

[Daniel Kalal]

Carter Nine, Oklahoma is the unlikely name of a town in the Osage Nation.  At least it shows on old maps and by Garmin and Microsoft Streets.  Tellingly, It is not shown on current Olahoma maps.  I would guess by its name that it dates from the oil boom years.  In any event, my goal was to find Carter Nine.


between Silverdale and Maple City, Kansas


Maple City, Kansas


Carter Nine, Oklahoma should be over by those trees


Garmin identifies it as a point on the road.  But, that can't be right.


taking the oil service road to a likely clump of trees


This is it!  Very little is left.


A storm cellar, but the house is gone (as is the town)


Pawhuska, Oklahoma


Along Oklahoma Highway 11.  If you see flowers, you've probably found the foundation of an old homestead.  The house is gone.


I believe these are pecan trees.


The Cimarron River


The Sunday meal at the Noble House Restaurant in Watonga, Oklahoma


Cost?  $7.95 (includes peach cobler and iced tea)


near Jefferson, Oklahoma


back in Kansas

[bluedogok]

I have a book called Ghost Towns of Oklahoma by John W. Morris. I got to meet him when he was working on the book. It only has one reference to Carter Nine on page 7.

Minerals. Oklahoma has been an exceedingly wealthy state as far as mineral wealth is concerned. The discovery of such minerals as petroleum, zinc, gold, coal, and others caused boom towns which almost always eventually became ghost towns. Petroleum has been found in many parts of the state. During the first half of the twentieth century oil boom towns were common; thus, during the last half of the century oil ghost towns were just as common. Such places as Pershing, Carter Nine, Ramsey. Sabo, Pooleville, Watchorn, Empire. and Roxana, along with countless others, were well known for various activities. One oil boom town, Wamego, boomed and died within a sixty-day period, even though it is said to have attained a maximum population of over one thousand.

On Two Wheeled Texans there was a ride last year to find the infamous Chicken Ranch near LaGrange (TWT - Where is the Chicken Ranch?) which was the basis of the book/movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The above link has some pics of the remains and ride story.

[bluedogok]

There were many of those "oil company towns" during the boom/bust cycles in all areas that had oil, especially Oklahoma and Texas. Out in West Texas where my wife grew up there are many of them, some are still around although a fraction of what they used to be.

[jay547]

I have a book called Ghost Towns of Oklahoma by John W. Morris.

i have that book too. i like that kind of stuff. i take my g/f on rides and show her all the old abandoned one-room school houses around here. she's lived in tulsa all her life and has never seen anything like that.


cool report daniel.

[pearsonm]

Random thought/memories:

I remember the cool stone homes built from the stone cutter in Silverdale and the road that leads to Kaw Lake. The road to Maple City has some nice curves that cross Grouse Creek and snakes between the hills.

I mostly rode east of 18 on my way to 11 thru Pawhuska and on to Skiatook. Pawhuska has a rowdy biker rally every fall. There’s a decent BBQ joint on the west side of town. I believe your pecan trees are just north of Skiatook.

I remember exploring Foraker, where the pavement ends just before the park. I also visited Pearsonia, although not by bike. I remember the park signs warning not to piss off the buffalo. I think its Shidler where there's a radio station or music hall at the south end of downtown. Most maps show the road crossing Kaw Lake north of Webb City. However, as I found out late one night while trying find a shortcut in order to outrun a thunderstorm, those maps are wrong.

Another road in that general area I was always fond of was 10 between 99 and Copan which isn’t far from Elgin.

I regret not taking photos like you.

[bikerscape]

Though Google, I found this:

Carter Nine was an oil company town in Osage county, 22 miles Northwest of Pawhuska, the county seat. It was established on 14 August 1928. The name was a combination of the name of the Carter Oil company which owned the oil and the land description, Section 9-Township 26N-Range 6E. The town was closed early in 1969.

(no reference was given)

Interesting.   Google Earth does pinpoint it.

[bahwolf]

Daniel, you should contact James Pratt at http://rideok.com. Your Carter Nine story would make a nice article for the magazine.