THE TIPPECONNIC MURALS

The Center of the Known Universe

Town Council Members

Mayor - Lonnie Yearwood
Town Clerk - Tara Williams

Councilman - Ron Lowry
Councilman - Debbie Waldrop

Colony Community in
Action Board

Fiscal Agent - Lonnie Yearwood

Colony Community in Action Event Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor:

Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Premier Sponsors:

Gary Winters and Jeff Carlisle | Farm Bureau, Weatherford, OK
Young and Keith Chappell | The Boeing Company
Dr. David and Rachel Holden | McBride Orthopedic Hospital Citizen Potawatomi Nation

Participating Sponsors:

Wright Radio
Yvonne Kauger
Jonna Kirschner | Chickasaw Nation Industries Manufacturing
Jay Scambler | Thumbline
Winston Scambler | WJEKS
Joyce Carney | The Country Connection
A Home Maid Clean Dr. James and Jane Collard \ Iron Horse Industrial Park Carolyn and David Nimmo | Chickasaw Nation Industries, Inc. American Elevator | Val and Tony Fox Kyle Shifflett Caulkins Conoco CJ’s Southwest Tire Dog Day Out Entz Auction & Realty Edward Jones Lindley, Inc. Lockstone Funeral Home Mike’s Auto and Pickup Repair Oklahoma Farm Bureau Cordell Southwest Fence Co. Stephens Family Dentistry Weatherford Hospital Foundation | Martha Sauer Trust Anne Heraghty

“Our goal is to renew a sense of community by attracting artists to use our town as a canvas, and as an inspiration for creativity.”

— Lonnie Yearwood —Mayor and Great Grandson of John Homer Seger

Before Colony

Established in 1886, Colony is the oldest town in Western Oklahoma. However, the land that it was founded upon has always been special. Around 1000 AD, before the discovery of the “New World”, the Caddoan people built a settlement on the banks of Cobb Creek only a few miles from downtown. People have long been attracted to the serenity of Colony.

“I have seen the promised land.”

— John Homer Seger

The Founding

In 1886, John Homer Seger brought the first Arapaho to Colony. The Cheyenne followed shortly thereafter. Ultimately, the federal government built a beautiful campus with over eighty structures for the first vocational agricultural school in the United States at Seger Colony which was completed in 1892. When the school closed in 1932, the Colony School District took over the site. It was one of the first entities to be placed on the National Historical Register. Today, only the water tower remains. The photos of Seger Colony are provided by the courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society, and they are displayed with grateful appreciation.

Tradition

Until Covid, the annual Cheyenne Arapaho Pow Wow has been held every Labor Day weekend. The town grows from 125 to over a thousand. The tribal land is dotted with tipis like it was in 1886. Even though the town is tiny, a part of the tribal land is sacred and has a far reaching influence. The Cheyenne and Arapaho Nation awaits the return of the buffalo under the direction of Governor Reggie Wassana and Nathan Hart economic developer for the nation.

In order to become a Chief of the Cheyenne Arapaho Nation you must come to Colony for the ceremony. Some notable Chiefs who were inducted here include: Rick West, the founding director of the Museum of the American Indian and the son of the master Cheyenne artist, Dr. Dick West, as well as Harvey Pratt, the artist chosen to design the National Native American Veterans Memorial called “Warrior’s Circle of Honor” on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Pratt is the great-nephew of George Bent, who is buried east of town at the Colony Indian Cemetery as are Little Bird and Mountain, two of the original settlers.

A Memorable Past

Friday, June 8, 1951, Colony and Corn were struck by a F3 tornado which traveled 10.9 miles through the communities. It destroyed homes and farm buildings, and killed 26 cattle and 1000 chickens. The Colony High School and Gymnasium were obliterated. The only structures remaining on the site were the two WPA outhouses. As Fred Kauger would have said, they were built “hell for stout.” The tornado was photographed by John Gossen who lived six miles south of Corn. He became the first person in the United States to capture a tornado with a motion picture camera. Click on the video below:

Colony in the Spotlight

Mayor Lonnie Yearwood

is the great grandson of John Homer Seger, the founder of Colony. After Lonnie graduated from Oklahoma State University, he became a CPA and worked for the State of Oklahoma. Upon retirement, he and his wife, Jeanne, returned to Colony. Lonnie is a history buff, and a Colony activist. His rock house “The Parsonage” is a museum in and of itself. He devotes everyday to the betterment of the community. Lonnie, mows the grass, washes windows, patches, paints, and mops floors, repairs and paints walls and ceilings, puts up the Christmas decorations, cleans the community center, conducts tours, installs street signs, aids fellow towns people in emergencies, and with their ducks and chickens, cleans toilets, and is often mistaken for the town’s maintenance man. In his spare time, he plays with his beloved, unruly dogs. Lonnie has long envisioned a museum for the town. His persistent effort has become a reality. The renaissance of Colony would not have happened without Mayor Lonnie Yearwood. In recognition of his efforts, he was awarded the Governor’s Arts Awards on November 9, 2021.

The Cross Family

Jeri Cross Redcorn, who grew up on the McLemore archeological site, single handedly rediscovered the process to make Caddo pottery. She has shared her talent in workshops and exhibits across the nation. Until recently, one of her pots was highlighted in the oval office of the White House along with Maria Martinez and Lucy Lewis. In 2021 she was named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Phillip Cross, Jeri’s brother is a noted historian and maker of Caddo bow and arrows. As the last member of the Caddo Nation who knows how to build grass thatch homes, he has shared his knowledge with other tribal members. One of his bows with arrow and carrying case appears in the Colony Museum.

The Weichel Family

made an international impact on the space program. Thomas Edmund Weichel, a graduate of Colony High School and Southwestern Oklahoma State University, was the flight controller and central to saving and successfully landing Apollo 13. When the message came, “Houston, we’ve had a problem” he was a critical member of the team that provided the happy ending. Because of his service to the country, Tom was awarded the Presidential Metal of Freedom by President Nixon.

His cousin, Jerry Weichel, was the first student from SWOSU to work at NASA. After five years as an aerospace engineer, serving as a flight evaluator, he returned to Colony to farm. Subsequently, he became a prominent member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

The Weichel's are avid horsemen. The new pine hitching post in downtown Colony was orchestrated by Jerry Weichel and it was constructed from a pine tree on the Weichel ranch and made by Jerry’s grandson, Jeremy.

Jim and Jane Weichel are active in the community. Jane is spearheading the celebration of the Columbian Memorial Presbyterian Church 125th year celebration. The celebratory Christmas ornament can be purchased from Jane at 405-929-7345 for 15.00.

The Kauger Family

has had a presence in Colony for six generations. Yvonne Kauger is the second woman to be named to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Over her career she co-founded Red Earth with Ken Bonds and has been given the honorary title of “Mother of Red Earth”, founded the Sovereignty Symposium which she has coordinated for 33 years, and is the Chairman of the Oklahoma Judicial Center Art and Building Committees. She has received the Governor’s Arts Award twice, and is a 2021 inductee into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Her daughter, Jonna Dee Kauger Kirschner, and her husband, Bruce John Scambler, are living on the Kauger Centennial Farm. Jay Michael Eduard Kauger Scambler, the President of Colony Community in Action, married Bridget Helien Roush, the great-granddaughter of Jake and Helen Lewis, and granddaughter of Sue Lewis Roush, from the Colony community. Winston Jon Eagle Kauger Scambler, is a senior at the University of Oklahoma.

The Payne/Lowry/McLemore Families

A member of the extended Payne family, Zelma Payne Lasley, and her husband Estel, established the Lasley Family Farm a few miles from Colony where Zelma makes the best peanut brittle in the world and other delicacies. Check it out at www.lasleypeanuts.com or call (405)797-3698.

Zelma’s brother, Clifford Phillip Payne, was killed in the line of duty as a Deputy Sheriff in an undercover drug operation. On August 20, 2019, the Deputy Sheriff Clifford Phillip Payne memorial highway was dedicated in his honor.

Not only is Ron Lowry a member of the Lowry pioneer family, who farm a centennial farm, but also is a member of the Payne family. He is active in the Colony Presbyterian church, which will celebrate its 125th anniversary this November, and the Colony town council. Recently, he has utilized his artistic talent in helping Patrick Riley and Glen Henry create “Patrick’s Eagle.” He has been critical in the formation of the Colony Museum. He provided the one horse seeder, the scales from Payne Brother’s Grocery Store, and dismantled the barber chair, from the Graham Cottage and reassembled it for the museum exhibit.

Ron is married to Beverly, the daughter of Jack and Freeda McLemore. Jack was a proud member of the Caddo Tribe, and he was named Indian Farmer of the Year in 1973. Beverly grew up on the archeological significant McLemore site which provided water to the Caddan people in 1300 A.D. and provides water to the Rural Water District today. It was named a Centennial Farm in 2000. Her parents provided the grind stone for the Colony Museum. Beverly is a cousin to Phillip Cross and Jeri Cross Redcorn. She is an educator in the Hydro public schools.

The Colony Jamboree

In the 1980’s, Cinda Barnes established the Colony Jamboree which specialized in country and gospel music. It was packed on Saturday nights. Subsequently, she moved the Jamboree to Clinton, Oklahoma. It is our hope to obtain a grant and re-establish the musical tradition.

The History Through Pictures