Waynoka Historical Society

As a new-comer to Waynoka the Historical Society museum has been my primary source of information about my adopted town. Waynoka Station provides hours and hours of entertainment to locals and visitors. The complex continues to grow and is preserving the heritage of our area.

The Waynoka Historical Society is preserving the unique history of Waynoka at Waynoka Station. The Waynoka Air Rail Museum is on the second floor of the restored Harvey House. The museum tells the history of the Santa Fe Railroad in Waynoka, the Transcontinental Air Transport, and Fred Harvey and the Waynoka Harvey House. The Santa Fe Depot and Harvey House are on the National Register of Historic Places, and were built in 1910. Fred Harvey civilized the west, building eating houses along the Santa Fe Railroad, and bringing women west to work in his restaurants. In 1929, Charles Lindbergh chose Waynoka as a site for a transcontinental airport, Oklahoma's first. The company was Transcontinental Air Transport, or TAT. The Harvey House has been totally restored or redone, and is ADA compliant. A restaurant occupies the first floor, along with a gift shop and restrooms. The BNSF Transcon rail line runs parallel to the Santa Fe Depot and Harvey House, with dozens of trains every day on the line from Chicago to LA. The depot exterior has been restored, and the interior will be restored as soon as funds are available. The Society is raising $100,000 to match $400,000 in Dept of Transportation funds. The complex is beautifully landscaped. A diesel locomotive adds to the ambience. Also in the complex are three buildings: a railroad section foreman's house, a 1904 pioneer log cabin, and a railroad scale house. The houses are furnished. Big Fairbanks scales are in the scale house. The Air Rail Museum has displays for all interests and ages, with a model railroad, excellent photos and interpretation, Mrs. Fred Harvey's silk coat dress, Fred's eye glasses, aviation stories, stories of the famous TAT passengers, who also ate breakfast or dinner at the Harvey House. Groups of all ages thoroughly enjoy a visit to Waynoka Station.