Posted in Oklahoma February 07, 2016 by

These Photos Of Oklahoma In The 1960s Are Mesmerizing

As we look back to a decade of tragedy and triumph in America, we find that life in Oklahoma was still emerging and rising above its challenges in the 1960s. Every decade carries special moments and advancements, and one of our favorite things to feature are vintage photos of each decade. Here is a look at 13 mesmerizing photos of Oklahoma during the 1960s:

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life. While we continue to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, please take proper precautions or add them to your bucket list to see at a later date. If you know of a local business that could use some extra support during these times, please nominate them here: onlyinyourstate.com/nominate
1. Quiktrip at 56th and Lewis in Tulsa, taken in 1965.
tom baddley/flickr
2. Oklahoma City Bus Station, circa 1960.
Bobby Dobbs/Facebook
3. Oklahoma Turner Turnpike, 1960.
upnorthmemories/flickr
4. The Southland shopping center at 41st and Yale in Tulsa. It opened in 1965 as Southland Center. It was converted in the early 1980s to an indoor mall, dubbed Promenade, which still exists today.
Tom Baddley/Flickr
5. On October 29, 1961, President John F. Kennedy visited Big Cedar, Oklahoma. President Kennedy formally dedicated State Highway 103 - a two-lane highway through the Kiamichi Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma.
Screenshot taken from Youtube user David Von Pein's JFK Channel
6. Here was the crowd of over 25,000 people that came out to see President Kennedy in 1961.
Screenshot taken from Youtube user British Pathe.
7. A late 1960s environmental-era Phillips 66 service station in Bartlesville.
Tom Baddley/Flickr
8. The State Capitol Bank, located in Oklahoma City, was designed by Robert B. Roloff in 1962 and completed in 1964.
James Vaughan/Flickr
9. Cimarron County Bank in Black Mesa Country, taken in 1960.
Ken Parker/Facebook
10. An aerial view of the state capitol and surrounding Oklahoma City in 1963.
OK State Legislature Service Bureau/Wikipedia
11. These boys had their mom drive them to Oklahoma from Kansas in 1967, to get these flying saucers from a man that invented them in the Sooner State.
Alan/Flickr
12. A tornado in Enid on June 5, 1966.
NOAA Photo Library/Flickr
13. Broadway Street in Oklahoma City, 1962.
Bobby Dobbs/Facebook

Watch the video below to see President Kennedy in Big Cedar, Oklahoma in 1961.

Don’t you love seeing Oklahoma in every decade?  It’s amazing how much has changed!