Stroud, Oklahoma - Hell Raising in the 19th Century

OKLAHOMA LEGENDS

Hell Raising Stroud, Oklahoma

Stroud, Oklahoma in 1907

Founded in 1892 and named for trader James Stroud, this small town began by selling whiskey to the many cowboys and travelers escaping nearby "dry” Indian Territory. Thirsty for a drink, the town soon boasted nine saloons and became a wild "hell-raising” town, as cattlemen relaxed after days on the range with their herds. Stroud’s wild party days soon came to an end when Oklahoma Statehood forced the town "dry” in 1907.

Though its wild party days might have been over, Stroud had not yet seen the end of its Wild West days. On March 27, 1915, Stroud became the victim of one of the last outlaw robberies in Oklahoma, when Cherokee Bad Boy, Henry Starr, chose two of the towns banks for a historic double daylight heist.

Henry Starr when still a young man.This image available for photographic prints and downloads HERE!

Henry Starr, along with six other men, decided to rob two banks at the same time, much as the Dalton Gang had unsuccessfully tried to do in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1892. The Stroud Oklahoma robbery would prove almost as disastrous for Henry Starr. Proceeding to rob the Stroud National Bank and the First National Bank, word of the holdup spread quickly and the citizens took up arms against the bandits. Henry and another outlaw named Lewis Estes were wounded and captured in the gun battle. The rest of the gang escaped with $5815, thus pulling off a double daylight bank robbery.

Starr was tried and sentenced for the robbery and transferred to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester. However, just four years later he was paroled. In February, 1921, Henry died as he had lived, in a violent manner, after having been shot during a robbery in Harrison, Arkansas.

Finally, Stroud settled down to a sleepy little town that made its living primarily from agriculture and oil. However, when Route 66 came through town, Stroud responded like hundreds of other small towns, with services popping up which provided all manner of amenities to the many travelers of the Mother Road.

One such business that still thrives today is the Rock Café, a Route 66 icon. The café, an inspiration of a man named Roy Rieves, began in 1936. After Roy had saved his money for most of his life, he spent his retirement by starting the popular restaurant when he bought several business lots skirting the city limits of Stroud.

At the time, Route 66 was finishing pavement in a nationwide effort to connect the east coast to the west coast and business was booming along the highway. Roy built the café almost single-handedly over the next three years, using the very rocks removed from the old road while paving Route 66.

Finally finished, the Rock Café opened on August 4, 1939, run by Miss Thelma Holloway and was an instant success. Before long, the café became a Greyhound bus stop, bringing even more travelers into the successful restaurant.

Though Roy retained ownership of the building, he never ran the café, which had a series of managers over the years until 1959 when Mamie Mayfield began to run the restaurant. Keeping the café open 24 hours a day, Mamie ran the business for almost 25 years. However, by the early 1980's business had declined badly with the coming of the Turner Turnpike and Mamie was nearing the age of 70. Finally in 1983, she closed the Rock Café.

The Rock Cafe still caters to travelers along Route 66

today, May, 2004, Kathy Weiser

The Rock Cafe burned in May, 2008, photo by Eric Jones,

September, 2008.

Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Rock Cafe was revived in 1993 by Dawn Welch and is still serving home cooking to Route 66 travelers today. The only hiccup in its long tenure was from May 2008 to May 2009, when a fire gutted the structure except for its rock walls. However, Welch hired a historically minded contractor who rebuilt the restaurant, better than ever.

Welch also served as the inspiration to the Sally Carrera character in the 2006 Disney-Pixar animated movie "Cars." A crew from Pixar, researching Route 66 for the film in 2001, stopped for dinner at the Rock Cafe and met Welch.

While in Stroud, you can also see the Skyliner Motel at 717 N Main Street (Route 66) as well as a number of historical buildings including the Graham Hotel at Main and 2^nd Avenue, the Hotel Lincoln at 232 Main, and the James W. Stroud House at 110 East 2^nd Avenue.

Nearby, Stroud Lake offers camping, boat ramps, swimming and riding trails. Stroud Lake is three miles north of Stroud on Highway 99, then three miles east on the Lake Road.

Davenport

Just about seven more miles down the highway you will come to the small town of Davenport, first settled in the second great land run in 1891. The town saw another rush in 1924 when oil was discovered but has primarily remained a quiet community over the years. Davenport’s Main Street is still lined with brick made from a local brick plant that ceased operations in the 1930's. While in this quaint little town, grave a bite to eat at Dan’s Bar-b-que or Gar Wooly’s 66 Café.

The Skyliner Motel on Route 66 in Stroud, Oklahoma,

May, 2004, Kathy Weiser.

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