Lake Hefner area before Lake Hefner

[traxx]

I saw another article in the paper the other day about homestead in Lake Hefner being visible due to low water levels of the lake. I was just wondering if anyone had pictures of the area before it became a lake. Or maybe someone has a link or knows somewhere on the internet that has such pictures. I'm just curious to see what it was like before it was a lake.

[rezman]

There was a set of steps and foundation that were visible up around the northeast corner of the lake. Approx 1/2 way between Britton & Hefner.

Here's a cool shot comparing the area 1949 to 1999

[zookeeper]

So....what was there? Strangely, I've never thought about it. Was it just land? Was there anything there? Interesting pic rezman.

[rezman]

Farm houses at one time.

[traxx]

And I'm assuming Hefner Rd. was straight at that time too since it didn't have to make way for the lake.

[ksearls]

The Dip

[Pete]

This is an aerial from 1955. The lake was complete in 1947.

[rezman]

The Dip

Back in the 60's, one of our neighbors across the street from us drove his Pontiac Bonneville off the dip at a high rate of speed and tore the engine and transmission loose from the car. Today there are very few identifiers of where the dip was.

[Bill Robertson]

Back in the 60's, one of our neighbors across the street from us drove his Pontiac Bonneville off the dip at a high rate of speed and tore the engine and transmission loose from the car. Today there are very few identifiers of where the dip was.

I didn't do any permanent damage but I went airborne once in my '68 Pontiac Tempest. I remember The Dip very well.

[Bill Robertson]

Back on track. I know I've seen pictures of the lake area before the lake was built. I'm trying to remember where.

[rezman]

Back on track. I know I've seen pictures of the lake area before the lake was built. I'm trying to remember where.

So did I... an aerial shot similar to the 1955 shot ... and a 40's aerial of Warr Acres , but I can't recall where either.

[rezman]

Pete, that '55 shot is great .... I would like to see this in better resolution.

You can see Silver Lake is already under development.... Out in the country. In the 60's and 70's I used to visit my aunt and uncle who to lived out there.

Twin Lakes is also visible, ... the current Putnam City High is still a vacant lot, ...Warr Acres hasn't reached 63rd yet, ... Hefner golf course looks freshly laid out ,.. NW Hwy Drive In is there, and I see new neighborhoods being developed.

My future stomping grounds from 20,000 feet

[jmpokc1957]

Pete, that '55 shot is great .... I would like to see this in better resolution.

You can see Silver Lake is already under development.... Out in the country. In the 60's and 70's I used to visit my aunt and uncle who to lived out there.

Twin Lakes is also visible, ... the current Putnam City High is still a vacant lot, ...Warr Acres hasn't reached 63rd yet, ... Hefner golf course looks freshly laid out ,.. NW Hwy Drive In is there, and I see new neighborhoods being developed.

My future stomping grounds from 20,000 feet

Yes, the Dip! The oil pan on my 73 Plymouth Duster( Cragar SS mags, 60 series tires on the back and, of course, air shocks ) bears witness to that! As I recall that was on the North side of the lake?

I lived in what was to be Cumminghams Lakeside edition just off NW 63 between Meridian and MacArthur. It didn't appear until about 63 when we moved in. Old man Cummingham built a nice brick house.

My stomping grounds, too. Cruising NW OKC to the sounds of Average White Band or soundtrack from Shaft.

Yes, I am that old and, eat your hearts out younger folks, you can't top the 70's!

[Pete]

Pete, that '55 shot is great .... I would like to see this in better resolution.

You can see Silver Lake is already under development.... Out in the country. In the 60's and 70's I used to visit my aunt and uncle who to lived out there.

Twin Lakes is also visible, ... the current Putnam City High is still a vacant lot, ...Warr Acres hasn't reached 63rd yet, ... Hefner golf course looks freshly laid out ,.. NW Hwy Drive In is there, and I see new neighborhoods being developed.

My future stomping grounds from 20,000 feet

Let me know which areas you'd like to see in higher res and I'll upload them for you.

I have the entire City in high res aerial from 1954/5 and 1969.

[rezman]

MLje

Yes, the Dip! The oil pan on my 73 Plymouth Duster( Cragar SS mags, 60 series tires on the back and, of course, air shocks ) bears witness to that! As I recall that was on the North side of the lake?

I lived in what was to be Cumminghams Lakeside edition just off NW 63 between Meridian and MacArthur. It didn't appear until about 63 when we moved in. Old man Cummingham built a nice brick house.

My stomping grounds, too. Cruising NW OKC to the sounds of Average White Band or soundtrack from Shaft.

Yes, I am that old and, eat your hearts out younger folks, you can't top the 70's!

jmpokc - The dip was on the NE side a little more than half way between Britton & Hefner where the lakeshore road makes a more westerly direction for a short distance in the above photo. .... If you were to take a straight line from LakeSide Drive and May Ave west to the lakeshore drive, that's approx were the south end of the dip began. Today the last visible indicator is where the rock wall ends on the north east side, ... that is where the north end of the dip began. The roadway still drops as you pass the rock wall and make the right turn into the parking lot that is there now. It was actually a long spillway with steep inclines at each end.

[Jim Kyle]

You can see Silver Lake is already under development.... Out in the country. In the 60's and 70's I used to visit my aunt and uncle who to lived out there.

The Silver Lake community was developed long before 1955. I remember going to a youth retreat at Jay Liebman's home there, just off of Britton Road at Gate 2, in 1948 or 49, and my pal Johnny Shannon has had his home on Harbor Drive since before that time. All three of these lakes are on Spring Creek, which wanders on past MacArthur and Hefner before passing beneath the Turnpike just west of Meridian.

It was fun tracing out the creeks in this '55 view; Ski Island didn't exist then, nor did Blue Stem. And Little Silver Lake down on Bluff Creek, about NW 57 and Ann Arbor, is clearly visible. My best man lived at that corner and I spent many happy hours playing in that lake when we were at OU together. Few of us today remember that the big lake, before being named for Hefner, was known as the Bluff Creek Reservoir. Until tracing it out in this pic, I hadn't realized that it was the waterway just to the west of Meridian from 57th up to about 60th, and then went beneath NW Hiway just east of Meridian! Many of those creeks have since been lined with concrete and covered over as storm sewers...

[rezman]

The Silver Lake community was developed long before 1955. I remember going to a youth retreat at Jay Liebman's home there, just off of Britton Road at Gate 2, in 1948 or 49, and my pal Johnny Shannon has had his home on Harbor Drive since before that time. All three of these lakes are on Spring Creek, which wanders on past MacArthur and Hefner before passing beneath the Turnpike just west of Meridian.

It was fun tracing out the creeks in this '55 view; Ski Island didn't exist then, nor did Blue Stem. And Little Silver Lake down on Bluff Creek, about NW 57 and Ann Arbor, is clearly visible. My best man lived at that corner and I spent many happy hours playing in that lake when we were at OU together. Few of us today remember that the big lake, before being named for Hefner, was known as the Bluff Creek Reservoir. Until tracing it out in this pic, I hadn't realized that it was the waterway just to the west of Meridian from 57th up to about 60th, and then went beneath NW Hiway just east of Meridian! Many of those creeks have since been lined with concrete and covered over as storm sewers...

I worked for Jay and Guy when I was in High school. My aunt and uncle lived on gate 12, which is not yet developed in the photo. I remember when the Ski Island dam was being built. I grew up in Warr Acres a block over from PC High and remember the area of 57th & Ann Arbor you speak of well.

[Martin]

the original site for wiley post airport was near the northeast corner of what eventually became lake hefner...

http://www.thevillageok.org/History%...%20Airport.pdf

-M

[Tritone]

Thanks for mentioning the airport; as I read through the posts I was hoping someone would. Northwest corner of Britton and May is where it was. A good link for airstrips from the past is:

Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields

And, it looks like the link about The Village shows the same shots.

[traxx]

Back on track. I know I've seen pictures of the lake area before the lake was built. I'm trying to remember where.

So did I... an aerial shot similar to the 1955 shot ... and a 40's aerial of Warr Acres , but I can't recall where either.

That'd be great if y'all could find a link or remember where you saw it.

[TheTravellers]

Yes, the Dip! The oil pan on my 73 Plymouth Duster( Cragar SS mags, 60 series tires on the back and, of course, air shocks ) bears witness to that! As I recall that was on the North side of the lake?

I lived in what was to be Cumminghams Lakeside edition just off NW 63 between Meridian and MacArthur. It didn't appear until about 63 when we moved in. Old man Cummingham built a nice brick house.

My stomping grounds, too. Cruising NW OKC to the sounds of Average White Band or soundtrack from Shaft.

Yes, I am that old and, eat your hearts out younger folks, you can't top the 70's!

Yes - Tales from Topographic Oceans (on 8-track) around the lake for me. Yeah, I know, weird cruising music, but it worked...

[Martin]

Thanks for mentioning the airport; as I read through the posts I was hoping someone would. Northwest corner of Britton and May is where it was. A good link for airstrips from the past is:

Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields

And, it looks like the link about The Village shows the same shots.

that's a great site! 'hickok country club' was close to where I grew up. my folks would recount how a small airfield used to be there and the hangar (with old, ragged windsock) was still hanging on when they moved in to their house in '74. never knew the name of the place, though. -M

[Tritone]

^ Glad you like it. I'm interested in the old OKC airport that was near S.W. 29th and May, but can't find much info on it. Perhaps someone on this site can provide a little insight.

[Martin]

^from the airfield site, is it the one labeled 'nuckols' in the following 1945 graphic? that would put it near may but somewhere south of 59th but north of 89th.

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/OK/..._OK_45Sect.jpg

-M

[Martin]

assuming that's the right airfield... here you go:


and here's the funny thing: the graphic below is a real-estate listing that might tie the airfield near where i grew up to clyde nuckols... a listing for 47 acres at s. western and county line. "county line" must be 89th street since it divides oklahoma and cleveland counties.


according to the Oklahoman archives, clyde nuckols managed "municipal airport" (later will rogers) until 1946 when he moved to albequerque to go into the livestock business. nuckols airfield looks like it mainly hosted a pilot training company and an airplane tour company. in 1947, there was an article that discussed a landowner (olsen) who filed suit against the field claiming the noise and commotion of the airplanes caused $48k worth of damages to his and his tenant's crops and livestock.

more graphics:
pic 1
pic 2
pic 3
pic 4

-M