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Just 10 minutes south of Stillwater sits a piece of history in Perkins called the Oklahoma Territorial Plaza, a six-acre park located at 750 N. Main Street, just off of Highway 33. It is a joint project of the City of Perkins, the Perkins Community Foundation and the Oklahoma Territorial Plaza Trust.
The Plaza exhibits the history, culture and art of the community and the evolution of Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory into the State of Oklahoma.
Perkins was established shortly after the land run and was the“ gateway” to the Ioway and Sac and Fox reservations opened by land run in 1891. On September 1, 1891, three weeks before the run, the first wagon bridge across the Cimarron River in Oklahoma was completed at Perkins, and it was symbolic of the joining of the lands of the white man on the north bank of the river with the lands of the Indian on the south bank.
Today, the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, headquartered in Perkins, is a leader in employment and services to the community, and is an example of what cooperation and diversity between all citizens can accomplish. The Oklahoma Territorial
Plaza spotlights this heritage. The focal point of the Plaza is two 12-foot statues by Oklahoma artist Wayne Cooper. One statue is of Perkins resident, Frank“ Pistol Pete” Eaton( cowboy, scout, deputy U. S. Marshal, author). The other statue is of Chief Nacheninga or“ No Heart” of the Ioway Tribe. We know him as OSU’ s mascot Pistol Pete. But did you know that Pete is actually based on real life cowboy Frank Eaton( with a much smaller head)? In fact, his likeness is so beloved that two other universities have a Pistol Pete mascot, as well. Frank Eaton was involved in an Armistice Day Parade in 1923 in Stillwater. Students from Oklahoma A & M( early day OSU) saw him riding a horse and decided he should be the mascot rather than the tiger that was currently used by the school( that is how Tiger Drug got its name). In 1958, the school formally adopted“ Pistol Pete” as the mascot.
Frank Eaton landed in Oklahoma Territory in 1889, settling in Perkins and soon became sheriff. Eaton published a weekly column in The Perkins
Journal from 1950-1956. He’ d help set the type by hand and crank the hand press. Eaton lived the life of a cowboy and was said to“ pack the fastest guns in the Indian Territory.” Over 1,000 people attended his funeral in Perkins in 1958.
Frank Eaton’ s original Perkins home is located in the Oklahoma Territorial Plaza alongside a 1901 log cabin, a turn of the century barn built in 1907 as well as a one room schoolhouse. The Plaza also includes a Veterans Memorial, Railroad Museum and facilities to host events. A Wings of Hope butterfly is also nestled on the property. For information on hours, volunteering at the Oklahoma Territorial Plaza, or event planning visit www. okterritory. org
Frank Eaton’ s Home at Oklahoma Territorial Plaza.
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