Oklahoma freeway eponyms

[J N Winkler]

Just trying to run these down . . .

*  According to Wikipedia, L.L. Tisdale Parkway is named after Louis Tisdale, a prominent African-American minister in Tulsa.

*  I am reasonably certain (but have not yet verified) that H.E. Bailey was a former chief engineer of the Oklahoma Highway Department.  What I do know for sure is that he later started the firm of consulting engineers which designed about half of the eventual OTA network.

*  At a guess, the Gilcrease Expressway in Tulsa is named after Thomas Gilcrease, who also founded the Gilcrease Museum.

*  Roy Turner was governor of Oklahoma.

*  Will Rogers--well, everyone knows who he was . . .

*  Who was John Kilpatrick?  (Wikipedia suggests "famous hockey player," but why would a hockey player get a major urban freeway named after him in a state which sees relatively little snow?)

[TheStranger]

Re: Kilpatrick -

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_20051206/ai_n15900826/

His civic endeavors were many, including serving as chairman of the Oklahoma City Chamber, the youngest to do this; president of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, chairman of the Oklahoma City Arts Commission and longtime chairman of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

[bugo]

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has two turnpikes named after it: the Muskogee and Creek Turnpikes.  Don't ask me why they spell it differently.  The Muskogee Turnpike might have been named after the town, but the town was named after the tribe therefore the turnpike was at least indirectly named after the tribe.

[Scott5114]

From a 2003 Tulsa World article about the Turner:

April 30, 1947  -- Turner signs act authorizing turnpike; Legislature votes to name it the Turner Turnpike. At least one disgruntled legislator said he did so to make sure voters "know who to blame."

I love OK state politics

[rte66man]

You are correct about the naming. Tisdale was a noted African-American minister in Tulsa (and the father of the late Wayman Tisdale).  HE Bailey was the DOT Chief Engineer for many years.  Cherokee, Creek, and Chickasaw are all named after the tribes. Muskogee after the city.  Indian Nation is self-explanatory. Turner and Will Rogers you've already explained.  Ditto for Kilpatrick. 

You have nine turnpikes and a freeway/expressway.  There are quite a few others in OKC. I35 from the Cleveland County line north to I44 East is the Raymond Gary Expressway (former governor).  It is the Shannon Miller Expressway (Olympic gymnast) from there to the north Edmond city limits. I 40 is the Stanley Draper Expressway (civic leader) west from the Dallas junction to the county line?? It is the Tinker Diagonal east from the Fort Smith junction east past Tinker AFB. It is the Tom Steed Expressway (former US Congressman) from there east to about Shawnee.  I44 in OKC is named after a local minister (whose name escapes me). 

[TheStranger]

Skelly Drive (I-44/former US 66 in Tulsa) - is there a name behind that one?

[Scott5114]

Maybe has something to do with the Skelly oil company?

There is the Lake Hefner Parkway in OKC, named after the lake it runs near. There is also the Broadway Extension (US 77), which extends the path of Broadway, I guess.

[rte66man]

Skelly Drive was named after William Skelly, who founded Skelly Oil. He was a Tulsa philanthropist.  Lake Hefner Parkway is named after the lake it runs next to. The lake was named after Robert Hefner, an OKC oilman and philanthropist (I love using that word). Yes, the Broadway Extension was originally an extension of Broadway Ave. It started at the corner of Boradway and 36th st and ran north over the original path of Broadway to Edmond. It is now officially the Centennial Expressway from I44 south to I40 (and labeled I235). 

Its funny how some of the names have stuck over the years (Skelly Drive, Broadway Extension) while others (Gary) have never caught on.

rte66man

[bugo]

Its funny how some of the names have stuck over the years (Skelly Drive, Broadway Extension) while others (Gary) have never caught on.

One reason Skelly Drive has caught on is because the frontage roads are locally known and signed as Skelly Drive.  Addresses along the frontage roads have Skelly Drive addresses.  To the average Tulsan, the frontage roads and only the frontage roads are Skelly Drive.  But we all know the freeway is part of Skelly.

[Scott5114]

Well, that's probably for the best. If people routinely applied the frontage road names to the actual highway, OKC would have freeways called S.W. 74th Street and High Avenue.