Jefferson Highway-Oklahoma Chapter President Delaina Stevens was elated when she got the news that a convoy of historic military vehicles traveling the Jefferson Highway would make a quick stop in Checotah, Thursday Oct. 17. After all it was the old cattle driving route that predates any highway in the area. This part of the old JH is also the route of the Missouri, Kansas, & Texas Railroad (MKT also Katy, or Union Pacific, as it is known today.) Because of this highway, a lot of the towns along the way were established first as railroad stops, in and around 1871 to 1873.
Besides blocking off a portion of downtown Broadway in front of Checotah City Hall, several Checotah locals brought in their antique cars as part of the city’s welcome to the military members.
Checotah literally “pulled out all the stops” to get the historic convoy to do a short stop as the members of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association- HA convoyed 2,200 miles on the Jefferson Highway, From Pine to Palm.
“Originally we weren’t going to stop in Checotah,” Organizer Chuck Tony said, “However, after several phone calls and the reassurance that we would have an escort to get back on the main highway due to it being a safety issue because some of these vehicles only drive 35-45 mph, I drew up the map including a stop in Checotah. Because I had already driven the route, I knew where everything was and I knew all the stops. However, the guy who drew up the convoy map was from Minnesota and had accidently left Checotah out. So when I saw it, I told him to revise it, and put Checotah back on the map and he did the revision.
“I have driven the route twice, up to Winnipeg and then from Winnipeg back down. When I drove it myself, it took 13 days. Of course, I wasn’t trying to kill myself. But with a convoy this size it will take us 28 days from the Canadian border to New Orleans. Of course we have several rest stops along the way and once a week we try to have two full days of rest.
“Our next rest stop will be Gainesville which is off the Jefferson Highway but part of our mission is to involve places of military interest and Gainesville had a camp house which was the largest WWII training facility. So we will stay two days there. It’s also the first Medal of Honor city in the United States.
“From there we will head over to Denison then go to Greenville. At Sulphur Springs we will stop for lunch. Then we will stay over at Mount Pleasant for the night and see a museum in the morning there. We will also jog over to Jefferson, which is off the Jefferson Highway, but if you go to that part of Texas they think any road that goes to Jefferson is the Jefferson Highway. An interesting thing is on this trip we will stop at two cities named Jefferson. Our last meal will be in Jefferson, Louisiana. Also our first meal was at an American Legion Hall and our last meal will be at another American Legion Hall.
“The number of vehicles in the convoy varies off and on, as some join in along the way, but 62 were scheduled for this journey. One of the vehicles we have in this convoy is a 1941 Packard Navy staff car that is absolutely gorgeous. We also have several WWII vehicles, some from the Korean War in 1951 and much more. All these vehicles are personally owned, restored, maintained and insured and members pay their way except for the few places that offer us a meal.”
The City of Checotah and Chamber of Commerce had snack bags prepared for the convoy, and after leaving Checotah, the convoy headed south through Eufaula and continued on their route.
History of Jefferson Highway
The Jefferson Highway, named after President Thomas Jefferson who had secured the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, was also nicknamed “From Pine to Palm,” because of the two different kinds of trees found on opposite ends of the route. The JH was a 2,200 mile stretch of road that was conceived in 1915, dedicated in 1919 and finally completed in 1926. Starting from Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada, and going all the way to New Orleans, Louisiana, the Jefferson Highway project was a very important part of this country’s history and must be admired for all the people that were involved in putting it literally “on the map.” This roadway was the accumulation of many dreams, lots of hard work and the sweat and tears of those frustrations to make it possible.
When the highway was first designated, it was marked with the logo JH. Brothers, Gus and Oscar Cedardahl, who owned a sign shop in Owatonna, Minnesota, were contracted to paint the signage. The two brothers hand painted thousands of sign markers and telephone poles along the Jefferson Highway, marking the route. The Cedardahl brothers painted and marked the JH logo on every other telephone pole and bridge. The box on the side of their auto read “official marker” and “Cedardahl sign company.”
An interesting fact about the Cedardahl brothers is they were born in Lerum, Sweden, near Gothenburg and immigrated to the United States around 1887. When they moved to Owatonna, Minnesota. Gus became an outstanding leader in Owatonna civic affairs, and the brothers partnered together and were nationally known for their woodwork and custom furniture. They built furniture for George Hormel in Austin, Minnesota, and the Mayo family in Rochester, Minnesota, along with fixtures for some of the churches in Owatonna.
Some interesting travel log notes from Gus Cedardahl include the following: Jan 1, 1926 – Muskogee Oklahoma-Hotel Muskogee. Had mail from home. And cigars and candy from Alice.
Jan 2, 1926 – Rain today, could not mark… another lonesome day.
Jan 3, 1926 – Sun out a fine day. Spent most of the day seeing Muskogee.
Jan 4, 1926 – Worked all day marking the city.
Jan 5, 1926 – Marked all day in Muskogee. Had large boxes from home. Mabel sent cigars and candy, letters and a paper. Enjoyed the evening reading news from home.
Jan 6, 1926 – Left Muskogee paid hotel bill ($18.89). Marked road to Oktaka and Checotah. Fine weather.
Jan 7, 1926 – Checotah a.m. County Hotel ex. Marked through Onapa, Eufaula, Canadian, Crowder to McAlester, around the Canadian river. Fine weather.
Jan 8, 1926 – McAlester Okla. Arrived around 5 p.m. Has lots of mail from home and papers. Put up at Dors Hotel. Rain and cold tonight.
Jan 9, 1926 – McAlester Okla. Met Pine D. Hale, J.D. Jones of Ford Motor Company. Received box of eats from home, Had some angel cake…Oh boy! Mail letter and card home and had some lunch in our room.
Jan 10, 1926 – McAlester Okla. Long day. Marked all over town, 4 hours. Took pictures of church and school.
Jan 11, 1926 – At McAlester, Marked all day and finished McAlester. Got letter from Myrtle and mailed cards to Alice, Marie and Marion and to Elouise in Chicago. Sent card to Myrtle.
Jan 12, 1926 – Left McAlester and paid Hotel bill. Going south to Savannah, Kiowa, Stringtown to Atoka.
Jan 13, 1926 – Atoka… Jefferson Hotel. Marked to Caney, Cado to Durant. Drove back to McAlester for mail. Learned about the mine explosion at Wilburton from local paper the report was bad. Oklahoma City, Ok. January 13 1926 (AP) Governor M.E.T rapp today ordered a company of national guards from McAlester to report to Wilburton, Ok., where more than 100 men were entombed in a mine explosion. Several were rescued while others were assumed dead.
Jan 14, 1926 – Drove over to Wilburton and saw the big mine disaster and terrible sights as they related to the lamentation as the bodies came up from the mine.
Jan 15, 1926 – At Durant, Ok. – Atwood Hotel. Painted standard markings for Durant and moved to Calera and Colbert.
Jan 16, 1926 – Durant, Ok. Went down on train to Denison for mail. Got letter from Alice – Mable and Marie. Finished steel markers and finished marking to Red River. Raining tonight.
Jan 17, 1926 – Durant, Ok. Another long Sunday away from home. Made out report to Hugh Shepard. We are now all finished marking in Oklahoma. Start in Texas tomorrow at Denison. Rainy all day and colder.
Jan 18, 1926 – Durant, Ok. Sent box of nuts home and a basket. Sent letter and paper to Geo. Danby.
Jan 19, 1926 – Hotel Simpson, Denison, Texas. Had letter from Eloise and Marie had box of eats from home and letter from Shepard with order to mark JH from Denison through Dallas, Waco and Houston to Galveston.
Jan 20, 1926 – Put on 38 steel markers in Denison. Marked all day. Started to rain 5 p.m.
Jan 21, 1926 – Denison – Snow and rain, no marking Jan 22, 1926 – Denison, Texas – Snow and rain, no marking. Had letter from Alice and Eloise. Lines to Myrtle and notes to home and Marie.
Jan 23, 1926 – Snow, cold and rain, no marking – Denison Jan 24, 1926 – Denison, Tx. – Met a Mr. Brown from Mpls. A long lonesome day.
Jan 25, 1926 – At Denison, Tx.
Jan 26, 1926 – At Denison, Tx.
Jan 27, 1926 – At Denison, Tx. Finished marking and Denison. Met a Mr. Matson from Mankato, Mn.
Jan 28, 1926 – Left Denison and marked through Ambrose, Bells, Savoy, Ector, Bonham, Cabor, Wolf City to Greenville, Tx. Had letter from Myrtle and Marie.
Jan 29, 1926 – At Greenville, Tx. marked out 20 miles and took a call from Joseph F Nichols, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce in Greenville, and left with him a collection list. Had letter from Marie, St. Paul and paper from home. Mailed in report from Red River to Greenville, about 80 miles.
Jan 30, 1926 – Left Greenville for Mt. Pleasant to Sulphur Springs, Tx. Called on Louis Gauth, banker and W.W. Evans, secretary for the Chamber of Commerce. Marked to Mt. Pleasant. Fine day and warm.
Jan 31, 1926 – Marked to Mt. Pleasant, ate some on the road.
Feb 1, 1926 – Mt. Pleasant, called on H.G. Huckba, secretary of Chamber of Commerce and G.L. Duncan.
Marked all day.
Feb 2, 1926 – Pittsburg, Texas. Went to Longview (40 miles) to meet with Hugh Shepard and the Canadians. Had lunch with them. Introduced to them all. Drove back to Pittsburg.
Feb 3, 1926 – At Pittsburg. Called on J. Raynolds, druggist, H.G. Clayton, Mayor and I.G. Jenks, secretary of Chamber of Commerce.
Feb 4, 1926 – Marked Gilmer to Gladwater. Called on L.J. Buratt – Banker on way to Longview. Called on Geo. E. Adams secretary of chamber of Commerce and J.F. Stucks, President.
Feb 5, 1926 – On the way to Marshall marked to Shreveport, La. And Baton Rouge, La. 85 to 90 in the shade…too hot for marking.
Feb 6, 1926 – In Shreveport, La. 8 a.m. back to Marshall, Texas. Population 15,000 – Hot today, 87 in the shade.
Feb 7, 1926 – Marshall all day. Glad to get away from the heat.
Feb 8, 1926 – Started back way of Dallas, Texas. Roads good.
Feb 9, 1926 – Terrel Texas over night. One night in Dallas, to Waco, Sherman and to Dennison.
(Skipping a week to get to final two days) Feb 17, 1926 – At Mason City, Casa Gorda Hotel. Called on Hugh Shepard’s office and turned in our last report $78.00. Note to St. Joseph in regards to pay in full.
Feb 18, 1926 – At home from our trip through the southern states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. 80 days this section. In all traveled 6,824 miles. Glad to be home.
Through the development of the many local associations and a national Jefferson Highway Association and years of construction, the roadway was improved with road gravel, then asphalt and finally concrete to take it to the level it is today for anyone wishing to travel this historical highway.
