This Small Oklahoma Town Has The Best Downtown

Oklahoma was one of the last frontiers in the West to be open for settlement. Once it did in the 1890s, several communities sprang up, including Guthrie. This charming community is one of the best-kept secrets of the West, combining a love for Bluegrass music with an Old Western historic district and intriguing stories.

Guthrie has a wealth of stories to tell, from shootouts with outlaws in the closing days of the Wild West to Western takes on classic holiday literature, to shop owners who will share the secrets of bootmaking, vintage coins, and antiques. You can discover all of this and more right in Guthrie's historic downtown, much of which remains in the same condition it was during the town's founding. Read on to learn why this small Oklahoma town has the best downtown.

History

Guthrie, Oklahoma, got its start as a railroad town. When the Southern Kansas Railway arrived in the area in 1887, a railroad station called Deer Creek was established. The land was formally part of Indian Territory in the 1830s, but when President Benjamin Harrison opened it up for settlement, thousands descended on Oklahoma. On April 22, 1889, cannons blew, and thousands of people rushed across to lay claim to these lands in the Land Rush of 1889.

In a matter of hours, Guthrie became a bustling settlement. Its name was changed after jurist John Guthrie, and it became known as the "Queen of the Prairie." Interestingly, Guthrie was once the state capital before being relocated to Oklahoma City in 1911. However, this Wild West town drew the attention not just of settlers but of outlaws.

The Wild Bunch, for example, were quite well-known and even well-loved by the public in the 1890s, as they robbed wealthy banks, railroads, and other businesses. One of its members, Richard Little Dick West, was killed here by officers Heck Thomas and Bill Tilghman in a gunfight on April 13, 1898. He's currently buried at the Summit View Cemetery in Guthrie next to the founder of the gang: Bill Doolin.

In addition to this historic cemetery, downtown Guthrie preserves several of its buildings from the boom era of the 1890s to the early 1900s. One of the most significant buildings is the State Capital Publishing Museum. Built in 1902, Frank Greer ran it as the first newspaper in the Oklahoma Territory. When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt sent a telegram to this building offering his congratulations. Today in the museum, you can find old typewriters and publishing equipment.

Another historic downtown spot is the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library. Built in 1902, it was slated for demolition in the 1970s, but was preserved thanks to the addition of the museum. In the museum, one can discover the brief yet fast-paced history of the Oklahoma Territory, which existed for only 17 years before Oklahoma became an official state. It's a perfect place to learn about the lives of homesteaders and their years of hardship in attempting to grow cash crops.

Arts

There's more than just historic buildings to see in downtown Guthrie. The community boasts an entire Cultural Arts District, which celebrates this town's Western heritage through music, art, and live performances.

Each October, Guthrie hosts the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival. This folk musical style, which first developed in the Appalachian Mountains with its blend of blues and jazz, has spread to various locales in the U.S., including Guthrie. The festival celebrates this folk style with talented artists, food trucks, and fun activities. For those looking to try out a classic Bluegrass instrument, they can pick up a fiddle from the Double Stop Fiddle Shop or enjoy a show in its music hall.

Speaking of performance halls, The Pollard Theatre puts on up to six big shows a year. One of its biggest shows is an Oklahoma adaptation of A Christmas Carol, titled A Territorial Christmas Carol.

Guthrie has several art galleries downtown, including The Terra Rosa Art Gallery & Creative Space, which features dozens of artists on display at any given time.

Shops, restaurants

Downtown Guthrie maintains a unique and quirky vibe with its eclectic shops. You'll want to spend your time browsing through its stores, as you can find a wide variety of antiques, books, coins, and custom-made boots to take home.

There are several antique malls and shops in downtown Guthrie, including Above the Rest, which specializes in retro items, as well as Recollections Too, Antiques, Collectibles & More, and the Magnolia Antique Mall, featuring numerous vendors to choose from. If you're interested in old or rare coins, First Capital Coins sells and buys everything from half cents to half dollars, as well as foreign coins.

Book lovers can find a new read while cuddling up with a friendly dog at A Novel Idea Bookshop. If you're looking for boots, Dorwart Custom Boots offers some of the best in the state. However, please note that they have a long waiting list, so it's best to order ahead of time.

As far as eating goes, Guthrie has a lot of classic Western fare, especially BBQ and old-timey diners. Billy Slims BBQ is well known for its chilli, while the Boomerang Diner serves up comfort food like biscuits and gravy. If you're looking for variety in your diet, Guthrie offers Chinese food at China Garden and Mexican options at El Rodeo and El Taco Loco.

Outdoor adventures nearby

For those who'd like to spend some time outside, Guthrie has multiple parks and two lakes nearby to its downtown area, some of which offer fun extreme sports activities.

Guthrie Lake and Liberty Lake are favorite spots for fishing, boating, or swimming, especially on a hot summer day. Liberty Lake features a larger landscape with multiple trails that circumnavigate its shoreline and cross bridges.

For family-friendly parks, consider visiting Banner Park or Highland Park, which offer hiking trails, fishing areas, and a disc golf course.

If you'd like to feel like an outlaw in a shootout, without actually being in real danger, you can try out a fun round of paintball at the Avid Extreme Sports Park or Battle Park Paintball. The latter offers both low- and high-impact paintball options for those who prefer not to come home with bruises.

Many towns that spring up overnight don't prosper, but Guthrie, Oklahoma, has bucked this trend in many ways. It preserves the rich and at times violent history of territorial Oklahoma within its museums, along with the many goods and items used by folks in its antique malls and vintage shops. It also keeps up with the trends through its challenging and fun paintball courses, while also offering places to relax and enjoy a day of fishing or hiking. Downtown Guthrie is certainly worth a day trip, if not a 3-day weekend, to see all this former capital has to offer.