Fun Highlights of the Highway!
To find out more information, click on the statue's image, and it will take you to its information and location on the Roadsideamerica.com website.
Picher Gorilla Statue - Picher, Oklahoma
When you enter Oklahoma on the Jefferson Highway, you will enter the ghost town of Picher, which has a gorilla statue on the side of the road amongst other memorial plaques. The gorilla is one of the last remaining fixtures in the community of Picher. It used to be a thriving community, but the city was abandoned due to assessed environmental dangers from decades of mining in the area and a violent tornado. This monument is one of the few reminders of the community and was created as a monument to the 1984 state football championship team. The gorilla now awaits visitors daily.
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Statue of First Girl Scout Cookie - Muskogee, OklahomaMuskogee is nationally recognized as the birthplace of Girl Scout cookies. In 1917, the Mistletoe Troop of Muskogee baked cookies in the school cafeteria and became the first troop to embrace cookies in their program and projects. A monument of this historic event has been created and placed in front of the Three Rivers Museum in Muskogee. The museum also has an informative exhibit about the history of Girl Scout cookies in its gallery.
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Junkyard Muffler Man - Oktaha, OklahomaThis bearded fiberglass giant (commonly called a Muffler Man) can be seen in the midst of an automobile salvage yard along the Jefferson Highway route to the south of Muskogee. Amongst the remains of old automobiles, he continues to stand with a metal pole in his hand.
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Cattle Drive - McAlester, OklahomaThese statues of a cattle drive with Hereford cattle can be seen from afar along the busy Highway 69 corridor at McAlester. When taking the historic Jefferson Highway route through McAlester, one has the option of seeing these up close. Drivers can turn off the route onto East Monroe Street and drive several blocks past the Eastern Oklahoma State College campus. At a dead end there, one can get out and walk to view these life-size sculptures.
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