The public is invited to attend Kaw City’s Annual Reunion on Sunday, May 28 from 11am-5pm. The museum, located at 910 Washunga Drive in Kaw City, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its displays include a vast selection of vintage artifacts, maps, books and photographs, many dating back to the early 1800s. You don’t have to be from Kaw City to appreciate the relics that paint a picture of what life was like in Oklahoma’s pioneer days. Take full advantage of this historical treasure sitting in your own back yard. Admission is free.

Memorial weekend marks the beginning of the museum’s summer hours, Saturdays and Sundays from 1-5pm, which are in effect through Labor Day. Private tours can be arranged by contacting Dorothy at 580-269-2085.

The 1930 Census credits “Old” Kaw City with a population of 1,001 people, the highest number it would ever see. The Great Depression impacted hundreds of people and many businesses failed. When the United States joined WWII, many residents left to join the armed services and others moved to take advantage of higher paying jobs in the war industry. The final blow came in the early 50s when rumors circulated that the Corps of Engineers planned to construct a dam which would permanently flood Kaw City. Even though the residents adopted a “wait and see” attitude, improvements and growth came to a virtual standstill. The Dam was authorized by Congress in the Flood Control Act of 1962 and ground was broken in 1966.

Construction of Kaw Dam which inundated the old town with nearly 40 feet of water took nearly twenty years to complete. Businesses in the path of the coming lake waters were torn down. Houses were purchased and either moved or marked for demolition.

A historical 2-story house originally built for an early bank president, E.S. Shidler, was one of the larger residences relocated to the new townsite. Over the years it was owned and lived in by W.T. Conklin, Glenn Grantham, George Danhour and finally Tommy Trueblood who arranged for it to be moved. The house was wider than the only road to new Kaw City and the narrow winding road was filled with one obstacle after another. The house survived the two-mile trip in one piece and remains standing nearly 50 years later.

Kaw City Museum operates on donations, memberships and sales. While supplies last, you can still purchase the outof- print 2-volume Kay County history books, Rooted in the Past-Growing For the Future and the Kaw City Museum Cookbook. Also available are DVDs of old pictures from the Ox Bow Bend area, postcards and Kaw City-A Pictorial History, a collection of 200 photographs from the Kaw City area dating back as far as the 1800s. Compiled by Annette Pittman who grew up in Kaw City and her daughter, Susan Rutledge, all profits from this historical book benefit the museum.