By T.S. Akers
On the morning of November 3, 1832, the writer Washington Irving and his party crossed the North Canadian River near natural falls in present day Pottawatomie County.[1] Irving’s journey across the Indian Territory was published in 1835 as A Tour on the Prairies. Those familiar with the North Canadian River today may be quick to remark that there are no natural falls on its course, but the Indian Territory that Washington Irving experienced was often vastly different from what we call Oklahoma today. Irving also encountered herds of bison and Carolina parakeets; the parakeets are now extinct, and the bison were nearly made so as well.
Following the creation of the Oklahoma Territory in 1890, the Sac and Fox Reservation was established on September 22, 1891, situated on the edge of the Indian Territory. A town was also platted in the area in 1891, just one mile east of the Muscogee Nation and one mile north of the Seminole Nation. The town was christened Keokuk Falls for Chief Moses Keokuk of the Sac and Fox Nation. Because of Keokuk Falls location at the entrance of the Muscogee and Seminole Nations, it was ideal for moving alcohol into the “dry” Indian Territory. A floating bridge quickly replaced a ferry in order to cross the North Canadian at the falls, which were two or three feet in height.[2]
Keokuk Falls quickly became infamous as one of the “liquor towns” on the Oklahoma Territory border. In addition to the various establishments that would typically come to occupy a town, Keokuk Falls also had three hotels, two distilleries, and seven saloons. The first saloon to open was the Black Dog, which was followed by the Red Front, and an intense rivalry developed between the two. Keokuk Falls soon began to be known as the home of the “seven deadly saloons.” The rivalry between the first two saloons grew so violent that it resulted in several deaths in 1904 and the closing of four of the other saloons.[3] Referring to Keokuk Falls in 1905, The Shawnee News said, “That portion of Pottawatomie County is credited with more murders, assaults, and unwarranted assassinations than any other place in Oklahoma.”[4]
Whilst the town of Keokuk Falls had no church, it apparently boasted anywhere from four to six preachers, clearly hoping to save the residents’ souls. There were also ten doctors, who must have been in demand. Although there was no lawman, the town did have a justice of the peace. It is also noted that there was a “coffin factory” in Keokuk Falls, presumably necessitated by the violence.[5] For all its problems, some of the better citizens of Keokuk Falls were clearly trying to improve the community as a Masonic Lodge was granted a dispensation to operate on February 3, 1900. What became Keokuk Lodge No. 50, AF&AM was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma Territory the following year.[6] Seeking an end to the lawlessness, a group of Keokuk Fall’s leading citizens appealed to territorial governor T.B. Ferguson in 1905. The governor directed the Attorney General to take charge of the grand jury at Tecumseh and prosecute those engaging in the unruliness. The threat of the law likely had little impact on the unsavory elements at Keokuk Falls; the governor’s additional threat of sending the National Guard may have been a little weightier.[7]
A thirty-five-year-old physician named Harvey D. Owen was among the citizens who appealed to the governor for help in Pottawatomie County.[8] Owen had been born in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1870.[9] He married Susan Pauline McGehee on November 13, 1899, whilst residing in Greenwood, Arkansas.[10] By February of 1901, the Owens had moved to Keokuk Falls where Dr. Owen had joined the newly established Keokuk Masonic Lodge.[11] Dr. Owen served as Worshipful Master of Keokuk Lodge No. 50 in 1904.[12] He took the degrees of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry at Guthrie in April of 1905.[13]
From a series of letters between Dr. Owen and his sister in Lebanon, Tennessee, we gain a glimpse of what life in Keokuk Falls was like for the better citizens. Writing in February of 1903, Dr. Owen mentioned that his son Herman was growing fast and in good health. Then a warden of Keokuk Lodge No. 50, Dr. Owen also described having just returned from a week-long trip to the annual communication of the grand lodge in Guthrie, where he visited the territorial Legislative Hall and the Carnegie Library. He went on to ask his sister if she would like to come live in Oklahoma, adding, “This country suits me a great deal.”[14]
In January of 1904, sending Christmas greetings, Dr. Owen discussed some of the hardships on the frontier. He stated he had intended to write sooner and send a Christmas gift, but “owing to late crops and short collections” had not been able to do so. Dr. Owen indicated the cotton crop was late in 1903, with much of it being gathered after Christmas. Providing insight into what Christmas in the Oklahoma Territory was like, he said the family had to go ten miles downriver to find a Christmas tree, which was purchased from an Indian, as cedars were scarce. Clearly a loving father, Dr. Owen says of Herman:
In his January of 1904 letter, Dr. Owen also mentioned that the family might travel to St. Louis for the world’s fair, formally known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, which was to open in April. The family did indeed visit the world’s fair and Dr. Owen remarked upon it in a December of 1904 letter. Of particular interest to Dr. Owen was the recreation of Jerusalem, which he said they entered through the Damascus Gate. He also added “The Boer War was good.”[17] The Second Boer War had only just concluded in 1902 and the fair featured the Anglo-Boer War Concession, described as the “the greatest and most realistic military spectacle known in the history of the world.” The concession included a British army encampment, native villages, and a fifteen-acre arena where two-to-three-hour battles were reenacted.[18] Again, Dr. Owen mentioned that his “collections” were late and was unable to send a Christmas gift owing to this. He also, for the first and only time, mentions some discontent with Keokuk Falls, stating, “We have some thought of moving but don't know yet.”[19] This thought of moving could have been precipitated by the violence in Pottawatomie County. As previously noted, 1904 was a particularly bad year and in just five months Dr. Owen and others sought help to bring an end to the violence from the territorial governor.
When Dr. Owen took the degrees of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, he received a patent, or certificate, indicating that he was a Master of the Royal Secret of the 32nd Degree, the date he was made so, and the Scottish Rite Valley he was a member of. With these credentials, Dr. Owen could prove himself to be a Scottish Rite Mason and seek Masonic aid as such. Additionally, Dr. Owen was provided with a second patent for his wife, stating that her husband was a Scottish Rite Mason, and thus entitling her to Masonic aid should she require it. Unfortunately, Dr. Owen’s time in Keokuk Falls was brief; he died on October 3, 1906, from pneumonia. Just ten days later, Susan Pauline gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Donnell.[20] Now a widow, Mrs. Owen undoubtedly did not expect to require her Scottish Rite wives’ patent so soon. She met and married John H. Nelson in 1908, a widower who owned a livery stable in Okemah.[21] Moving to Okemah with her children, Susan Pauline resided there until her passing in 1949, surviving Mr. Nelson who passed away in 1935. The couple had four children of their own in time.[22]
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Like Dr. Owen, Keokuk Falls existence was brief. With statehood in 1907, Oklahoma became a dry state. There was one last “hoorah” in Keokuk Falls on November 15, as noon the following day marked the end of the community’s status as a “liquor town.”[23] Keokuk Lodge No. 50 was renumbered in 1909 when the grand lodges of the twin territories merged, becoming Keokuk Lodge No. 146, and consolidated with Prague Lodge No. 209 in 1917.[24] The town’s post office closed in 1918. Later flooding on the North Canadian caused the river to shift its bed and the falls disappeared, thus wiping away the town’s landmark.[25] Keokuk Falls is but a ghost town today, but the Giles Cemetery where Dr. Owen was laid to rest remains.[26]
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