Highway 77 Through the Arbuckles

In the 1920's, a convict labor crew was brought to the Arbuckles to build a highway across the mountains.  The camp that the convicts lived in was similar to any army bivouac camp.  Located near Turner Falls, this camp served the needs of the convict work crew building the highway through some of the roughest country in Oklahoma.  Below are some rare photos of the labor camp.  It toOK 2 years to build the 6 mile stretch of road.

Turner Falls is in the little valley at the top of the Horseshoe curve.  Notice that there were no cedar trees in the 1920's.

Convict labor, dynamite, pneumatic drills and mules were the tools of the day.

Contributed by Dennis Muncrief, November, 2001