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Foss
Some 15 miles
west of
Clinton,
Oklahoma is yet another town
that "bit the dust” at the hands of Superhighway I-40. Foss got its start in the late 1890s when people began to populate the
valley of Turkey Creek. However, when a flash flood occurred on
May 2, 1902, it pretty much wiped out the town, washing buildings away
and drowning several people.
Not tempting Mother
Nature again, the surviving residents moved out of the creek bottom to
higher ground and the new town was called Foss. The fertile farmland surrounding the area attracted many early
settlers and Foss grew to a population of almost 1000 people by 1905. Soon all manner of businesses sprang up including two banks and three
cotton gins. Stone buildings replaced earlier frame structures,
a school system was organized, and several churches were built. By 1912,
Foss
had an electric plant, two hotels and an opera house.
After the
town’s initial rapid growth it stabilized at about 500 people. However, in the 1920's the town began to struggle as the nearby rail
centers of
Clinton and
Elk City began to absorb much
of the town’s former trade.
Later, the depression and the Dust Bowl of
the 1930’s created further migration from the area. Still, the
small town hung on and in the 1950's saw a revival due to the
increased use of the Air Force Installation at nearby Burns Flat. However, the base closed at about the same time that
Foss was bypassed by I-40 and those few remaining people began to leave. Finally, in September, 1977, the one bank left open in
Foss closed
its doors forever.
Today, Foss is but
a reminder of its former past. The ruins of Kobel’s Gas Station,
which also served as a café and bus station, still remain. An
1894 church building and a pioneer jail are also left standing. But of the rest of the town, there are only foundations, where
buildings once stood and vacant sidewalks, lining ghostly blocks that
will never be used again.
Nearby is
the Foss State Park, just some ten
miles north of Foss. The 1750-acre park and 8,800-acre lake features 120 campsites with hiking
trails, a swimming beach, boating, water skiing and fishing.
Canute, Oklahoma
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Route
66 Signs 
