100 Oklahoma Outlaws

According to the books 100 Oklahoma Outlaws, Gangsters, and Lawmen: 1839-1939 by Dan Anderson with Laurence J. Yadon and More Oklahoma Renegades by Ken Butler one of the most violent outlaws to step foot in the town of Catoosa, Oklahoma was Robert “Bob” W. Rogers.

Bob Rogers was killed on Friday, March 15, 1895 by a posse that surrounded him at his father’s home in Horseshoe Mound. Rogers had lead a four-year criminal career by stealing horses and cattle, robbing banks and trains, and committing murder.

Although his father, Frank Rogers, tried to talk him into surrender Bob was an outlaw that did not give up.  The posse surrounding the Rogers’s home was lead by Deputy U.S. Marshall W.C. McDaniel. In a gunfight that lasted several minutes Bob had managed to shoot and kill McDaniel.

The remaining members of the posse were determined to bring an end to this outlaw and at their next chance they fired several rounds into Bob Rogers. Citizens in the Northeastern area of Oklahoma were relieved that this outlaw was put to rest.

Bob, the eldest son of Frank Rogers, was born on January 13, 1873 according to his tombstone. The earliest known record of his criminal career is from November 10, 1891 when he was arrested and transported to the jail in Fort Smith for assault with intent to kill. A few days later Bob was released on bond.

Bob Rogers was a fan of Bob Dalton and the Dalton gang who were known as big-money train bandits. During the summer of 1892 Rogers established the Rogers gang with members Bob Stiteler, Willis Brown, “Dynamite Jack” Turner, and “Kiowa” Turner.

Their first criminal action was to steal horses in Oklahoma and sell those horses in Arkansas. Deputy U.S. Marshall Hickman “Heck” Bruner along with a posse found and arrested the Rogers gang. The gang members were transported to jail at Fort Smith and charged with theft. But for whatever reason those charges were dismissed and the gang was set free.

They returned home.

Bob Rogers committed the horse thieving possibly as an attempt to emulate the criminal activities of Bob Dalton. Later that year on Tuesday, November 3, 1892 the actions of Bob Rogers would demonstrate that he was no common horse thief but a cold-blooded, murdering psychopath.

Deputy Constable Jess W. Elliott was a seasoned attorney and a dedicated peace officer from Vinita, Oklahoma. The youthful Bob Rogers possibly appeared to be nothing more than a obnoxious hell-raiser in the small ranch town of Catoosa, Oklahoma.

During the afternoon Elliott had fulfilled his responsibilities by delivering legal papers in Catoosa. Before he began his ride back home to Vinita he stopped by the town saloon in Catoosa. Both Elliott and Rogers were there guzzling on hard liquor.

For reasons unknown the two men exchanged words and insults. Elliott possibly never saw it coming when Rogers attacked like a wild man and knocked Elliott down. While down Rogers struck the unconscious Elliott with rapid fire punches. Patrons observing this unmerciful beating pulled the hostile Rogers off the the lawman. Rogers was forced to leave the saloon.

Elliott regained consciousness and some patrons tended to his wounds. Although Elliott’s face was bruised and swollen from the attack he felt recovered and decided to get on his horse and go home.

Rogers held a grudge against Elliott. A short distance out of town Elliott was once again caught off guard by Rogers.

Bob Rogers hid in an area along a path that lead to Vinita. According to More Oklahoma Renegades by Ken Butler,”Rogers jumped from his hiding place…grabbed the horse’s reins and pulled the startled constable from the saddle.” Rogers then pulled a knife and slit Elliott’s throat.

A traveler heading into town spotted Elliott whom was bleeding so severely it was only a matter of moments before he died. Rogers left the scene. The traveler reported the incident in Catoosa. Some townsfolk established a camp near the corpse of Elliott.

The legal authorities had to be informed and the body would not be removed until a U.S. Marshall could assess the crime scene. A dispatch was sent to Deputy U.S. Marshall John Taylor. There appeared to be no other reason for Rogers to return to the scene of the crime.

More Oklahoma Renegades

Bob Rogers killed a lawmen and by daylight Rogers would be wanted–dead or alive.

As folks settled around a campfire Rogers returned. While on horseback Rogers leapt over the fire startling the campers. Frightened by the return of this maniac the campers fled. Rogers dismounted and began to kick

and hit the corpse of Elliott.

Perhaps Rogers was looking for something Elliott had because Rogers spent some time looking through the papers and belongings Elliott had on his person. Rogers finally left.

Marshall Taylor arrived and then took the mutilated body of Elliott to Vinita where Elliott was buried in a cemetery south of the town.

Bob Rogers was a now wanted outlaw was would be described as “ill-tempered, quick-fisted, and mentally demented.” His criminal career would last another three years. Rogers and his gang would terrorize by

robbing and killing in Northeastern Oklahoma and areas of Kansas before his demise on March 15, 1895.

Bob Rogers would never be a glorified outlaw like his hero Bob Dalton.

Blue Whale (Credit: Wikimedia)

Catoosa is the most unique small town in the Northeastern area of Oklahoma.

Better than malls, movies, or museums it provides  history and attractions that make great stories for folklore.

No article about attractions in Catoosa can begin without an introduction to the most popular roadside attraction near the town–The Blue Whale.

The Blue Whale is known worldwide and is probably one of the most professionally photographed and published images in the media. On occasion I come across a book, particularly books about historic Route 66, that have a picture of the Blue Whale.

Wikipedia reported on the Blue Whale:

The Blue Whale of Catoosa is a waterfront structure, located just east of the town of Catoosa, Oklahoma, and it has become one of the most recognizable attractions on old Route 66. Hugh Davis built the Blue Whale in the early 1970s as a surprise anniversary gift to his wife Zelta, who collected whale figurines. The Blue Whale and its pond became a favorite swimming hole for both locals and travelers along Route 66 alike.

The Road Wanderer wrote:

Hugh was an entrepreneur in the grand old tradition of those roadside attraction proprietors of old. Over the years his park became a destination in itself. His property not only included this fanciful blue whale, but picnic tables, concessions, a couple of boats and a wonderful zoo housed in a wooden ark. The zoo was once a favorite field trip for the local school kids. Blaine Davis, Hugh’s son, recalls giving tours of the zoo when he was only six years old!

Oklahoma Route 66 provided a detailed history of the Blue Whale:

Hugh S. Davis was a man who adored animals. In his youth, Hugh inched his way through Africa with wildlife wunderkinds Martin and Osa Johnson. In his prime, Hugh stood front-and-ferocious-center as director of Tulsa’s Mohawk Zoo. Hugh’s bride, Zelta, shared her husband’s love of things untamed. She joined Hugh on the Chautauqua lecture circuit—wrapping reptiles around her waist while he espoused the beauty of beasts. Eventually, Zelta talked Hugh into installing an alligator farm near their home—on property that fronted Route 66. When Hugh left the Mohawk Zoo—and began spending more time around the house—he opted to drop the gators and shape a pond on the property into a pretty waterpark.

An author at Roadside America who grew up in Catoosa wrote:

I swam there a couple of times when I was 11 or 12 years old. It was great fun jumping off the tail, which seemed quite tall at the time.

A writer for Legends of America complemented:

Just beyond the bridges you will come to the site of Catoosa’s famous Blue Whale; an absolute must stop for  Route 66 travelers.

Read more about the Blue Whale of Catoosa:
Blue Whale of Catoosa
Catoosa and the Blue Whale
Catoosa Oklahoma attraction:  Blue Whale
Route 66 and the Blue Whale

Two Wheel Oklahoma

Keetonville, Oklahoma is near my hometown of Catoosa, Oklahoma and I have had an interest–perhaps an obsession–with the beautiful yet mysterious Keetonville Hill ever since I heard about the legend of the Cry Baby Bridge when I was a teenager.

However, what has caught my attention about Keetonville recently is that there is a new show called, “Two Wheel Oklahoma,” which recorded a portion of a show in Keetonville.

Two Wheel Oklahoma states the following about their show:

Two Wheel Oklahoma is a television program featuring the unique destinations and backroads of Oklahoma. Brad Mathison and Rex Brown are your hosts for this scenic tour of life off the beaten path.

Co-hosts: Rex and Brad Oh… and they ride motorcycles to get there.

To date four episodes of T.W.O. have been produced. On October 3, 2009 these pilot episodes began airing on KMYT-41 in Tulsa.

Episode 2: OK 20 features the segment on Keetonville, Oklahoma. Nice to know that others out there have an interest in this great area of Keetonville even if the interests are slightly different.

There are thousands, if not millions, of Cry Baby Bridges and stories throughout the United States of America. Most of these stories are about old wooden bridges on country roads with minimal traffic. A common element of the story is an unwed mother who disposes of her baby on the bridge to keep from being shamed by the community. Another common theme is about a mother and baby who die in a tragedy on the bridge.

The stories serve as a way for young adults to entertain themselves late at night by parking on an old bridge and telling a spooky tale. I did not realize how many people are actually interested in Cry Baby Bridges. Although there are some duplicates a Google search submission contains nearly 500,000 results. This indicates that the Cry Baby Bridge story interests people, which may be good for my story.

Anyway, what I have listed here is a link to a YouTube video of some clever yet amateur film makers that made a video in the tradition of The Blair Witch Project. There is some loud screams on this video, so if you are in a public place use caution with the speaker volume.

The story is about a Bigfoot sighting in Keetonville, Oklahoma. There are two elements in that story which have fascinated me for several years: Bigfoot and the Keetonville Bridge.

My interest in Bigfoot started at an early age. I saw a picture from the Patterson-Gimlin film of a Bigfoot on a tabloid cover. I later saw a few episodes on the Six-Million Dollar Man television show which had a Bigfoot character. I also saw the movies The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972) and Harry and the Hendersons (1987) which were about Bigfoot. Over the years I have viewed some other low budget films about Bigfoot.

After The Georgia Bigfoot Body Hoax in 2008 I was ready to put a story together about a Bigfoot mystery. The other element which is a critical piece to my story is the Keetonville Bridge.

Keetonville is a small town in Oklahoma between Tulsa, Owasso, Catoosa, and Claremore. There is a road called Keetonville road which is the main street in Keetonville. That road curves up, down and through the hills of Keetonville. It is the old truss bridge on this road that has fascinated me since high school.

The first time I saw this bridge was when a friend of mine had told me an urban legend about Cry Baby Bridge. I know now that almost every town throughout the United States has a story about a Cry Baby Bridge. The Keetonville Bridge was the topic of the Cry Baby Bridge urban legend in the Tulsa area. The area around the Keetonville Bridge and the Keetonville road is beautiful and peaceful. It is a country area with a few homes, a few farms and a lot of fields, trees and space. It is a perfect place for something to hide which makes a great place for a mystery.

A few years ago I had thought of a story about some campers in Keetonville encountering a Bigfoot but I could not get the story to work right. I started doing research about Bigfoot sightings in Oklahoma. I discovered Oklahoma has had only a few sightings and most of those sightings were around the Kiamichi Mountains. I, of course, wanted to write a story that took place in Keetonville which is near my home town of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Perhaps if I make bundles of money in the future I can afford a lengthy visit to the Kiamichi Mountains and write another Bigfoot story. Interestingly (and I hope to attend someday) Honobia, Oklahoma, which is in the Kiamichi area nicknamed ‘Bigfoot Country’, has a Bigfoot Festival each October.

So despite the fact that Keetonville has probably never had an actual Bigfoot sighting that is where my story takes place. The good news for my story, though, is that there really is a Boggy Creek that flows through Keetonville.

I will admit that Boggy is a common name for creeks and there are several Boggy Creeks throughout the United States. The most famous of all the Boggy Creeks is in Fouke, Arkansas. To learn more about Bigfoot online, read the information provided by Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigfoot.