Early in the morning on August 4,1985, Checotah residents were shaken from their beds when bombs exploded and shattered windows, damaged property and rocked foundations. An accidental collision between a tractortrailer loaded with bombs being transferred from the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant and a passenger vehicle resulted in two small explosions and then the biggest one that left a crater 27feet deep and 35-feet across the highway. From this blast more than just chaos, confusion and a mandatory evacuation of the city would come. It would also forever change regulations nationally on how bombs would be transferred.

The day Checotah got bombed residents were thankful no lives were lost, though several would end up in the hospital. However, the stories that would come from this memorable event would forever mark the memory of many residents and would go down as part of Checotah’s most talked about history.

Come join the Heartland Heritage Museum & Gallery board this Thursday night at 6 p.m. as locals relive some incredible moments and tell their harrowing stories of … “When I got bombed at Checotah.”

The whole community is invited to come share their experiences as well. A documentary of the best stories will be made at a later date to share with visitors who tour the Heartland and with residents who want to make sure we don’t repeat history.

Commemorative t-shirts will be on sale and there will be homemade desserts and coffee to enjoy.

T-shirts will be on sale at the 40th commemoration this Thursday evening. *An interesting fact to date, the late Gov. George Nigh flew in to assess the damage caused by the explosion. Read more about his passing on page A9.

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