Slapout, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Slapout is a small unincorporated community
in Beaver County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. The land upon which part of the town sits was homesteaded by Joseph L. Johnston. It sits on the northwest corner of the land Johnson had acquired with a government claim in 1904, three years before Oklahoma became a state.
With the construction of Highway Three across Oklahoma during the Great Depression
, Tom Lemmons, who had bought the Johnson homestead, moved a chicken coop to where the highway passed his land. In the chicken coop he started a store. He told the Tulsa Tribune
he had nothing else to do during the depression, so he thought he'd start a town. He named his town, Nye, after the Progressive U.S. Senator Gerald Nye
(R, N.D.).
However, local legend says whenever one of the highway workers entered the store in Nye, they were often told by Lemmon's sister the store was "slap out" of whatever they wanted. Tom Lemmons insisted his sister never used the phrase. However, the name stuck. When Tom continued to insist his side of the highway was called "Nye," patrons responded that the south side of the highway could be "Slapout" and the north side with Lemmon's store was "Nye Out."
Tom Lemmons finally gave in when a tornado came through town and only took out his Nye sign. After that the both sides were known as "Slapout." At one time, the town had 10 inhabitants and included the Hagan Grocery on the south side of the highway. Lemmons also built a building to house his rock collection.
Today the gas station in the town (population perhaps 3)is a regular stop for Tulsa and Oklahoma City skiers traveling to Colorado
.
The town was featured in a newspaper photo essay by Robert R. Mercer in The Tulsa Tribune in the 1970s.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Beaver County
Beaver County, Oklahoma
Beaver County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,636. The county seat is Beaver....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The land upon which part of the town sits was homesteaded by Joseph L. Johnston. It sits on the northwest corner of the land Johnson had acquired with a government claim in 1904, three years before Oklahoma became a state.
With the construction of Highway Three across Oklahoma during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Tom Lemmons, who had bought the Johnson homestead, moved a chicken coop to where the highway passed his land. In the chicken coop he started a store. He told the Tulsa Tribune
Tulsa Tribune
The Tulsa Tribune was an afternoon daily newspaper published in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1919 to 1992. Owned and run by three generations of the Jones family, the Tribune closed in 1992 after the termination of its joint operating agreement with the morning Tulsa World.-Antecedents:In 1895, a group of...
he had nothing else to do during the depression, so he thought he'd start a town. He named his town, Nye, after the Progressive U.S. Senator Gerald Nye
Gerald Nye
Gerald Prentice Nye was a United States politician, representing North Dakota in the U.S. Senate from 1925-45...
(R, N.D.).
However, local legend says whenever one of the highway workers entered the store in Nye, they were often told by Lemmon's sister the store was "slap out" of whatever they wanted. Tom Lemmons insisted his sister never used the phrase. However, the name stuck. When Tom continued to insist his side of the highway was called "Nye," patrons responded that the south side of the highway could be "Slapout" and the north side with Lemmon's store was "Nye Out."
Tom Lemmons finally gave in when a tornado came through town and only took out his Nye sign. After that the both sides were known as "Slapout." At one time, the town had 10 inhabitants and included the Hagan Grocery on the south side of the highway. Lemmons also built a building to house his rock collection.
Today the gas station in the town (population perhaps 3)is a regular stop for Tulsa and Oklahoma City skiers traveling to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
The town was featured in a newspaper photo essay by Robert R. Mercer in The Tulsa Tribune in the 1970s.