The small ghost town of Skedee marked its stamp on Sooner soil shortly after the Land Run of 1893. It was officially established as a town with a post office in 1902 by the railroad company for steam engines to stop off and get water from Crystal Creek. The track ran until the bridge at Crystal Creek washed out in 1957. Skedee saw the peak of its population in the 1910 census with 289 residents, but unfortunately those numbers dropped in every census after that. What’s left today is not much more than a few dozen residents, dilapidated buildings and memories of the once-thriving town.
Skedee was home to Colonel Ellsworth Waters, self-proclaimed best auctioneer in the world. In 1926 he built a statue in the middle of town square, standing 25 ft. high, representing himself and an Osage Indian Chief shaking hands.
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The monument still stands today in the middle of the intersection and reads, “BOND OF FRIENDSHIP.” And further down: “WELCOME TO SKEDEE.”
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The brick school in town, built in 1916, replaced the wooden building built in 1906. These children are standing in front of their new school building.
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The school building still stands today.
Oklahoma Ghost Towns/Youtube
Skedee had a hotel called Cottage Hotel.
Oklahoma Ghost Towns/Youtube
Oklahoma Ghost Towns/Youtube
Oklahoma Ghost Towns/Youtube
Skedee also had a large railroad yard. The locomotive shown below was the largest in the world at the time. This photo was taken in Skedee on its inaugural run to Iowa.
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Watch the video below to see more ‘then and now’ footage of Skedee:
Oklahoma Ghost Towns/Youtube
Do you have any stories about Skedee to share? If you enjoy ghost towns, click here to see more in Oklahoma.
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