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Meers, Oklahoma

April 12, 2024

Meers is an unincorporated community located on State Highway 115 in Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States, in the foothills of the Wichita Mountains. In 1901, Meers was founded as a gold prospecting town where it was named in honor of mine operator Andrew J. Meers from Cherokee County, Georgia.

Meers, Oklahoma
Unincorporated community
The Meers Store
Meers
Location within the state of Oklahoma
Meers
Meers (the United States)
Coordinates: 34°46′58″N 98°34′44″W / 34.78278°N 98.57889°W / 34.78278; -98.57889[1]
CountryUnited States
StateOklahoma
CountyComanche
Elevation
[1]
1,460 ft (450 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
73558
FIPS code40-47500
GNIS feature ID1100624[1]

The only remaining structure of the original town is the Meers Store & Restaurant, which Food Network named as the best hamburger joint in Oklahoma and one of the best in the United States, largely due to its signature MeersBurger.[2]

The Meers Store also served as the area post office from March 12, 1902, until February, 1989.[3] Currently, area residents have Lawton mailing addresses.

Geological formation of Southwest Oklahoma edit

 
Map of Wichita Fault

Meers is defined by a geological displacement or planar fracture known as the Meers Fault.[4] The northwestern Meers fault and the southeastern Meers fault lines are geologically situated in the central lowlands.[5]

In 1985, in order to monitor a seismic event, the Oklahoma Geological Survey installed a seismograph in the Meers Store.[6][7]


Spanish prospectors in the Wichita Mountains edit

Wichita Mountains region is believed to have captivated the first Spanish conquistadors in the 15th century, 16th century, and 17th century.[8] The epoch was defined by the geographical exploration of North America as accomplished by the Spanish Empire during the sixteenth century.[9]

The Spanish colonization of the Americas revealed substantial developments with the establishment of the territorial entities known as New Spain and Spanish Texas.[10][11] The Red River of the South was explored by the Spaniards originating during the 16th century.[12] The Montague County, Texas administrative division sustains exemplary events chronicled at Spanish Fort, Texas dating to the eighteenth century.[13][14]

The Spanish Empire explored native kingdoms specifically for gold mining and silver mining collectively as the proprietors of the Treasure of Villena and the Spanish royal crown's decrees often referred to as the Doctrine of Discovery and Laws of the Indies.[15][16] The monarchy and regal decrees entitled chartering expeditionary campaigns to collect geological and mineral surveys on distant coasts and continents.[17][18]

The Spanish Empire's exploratory caravans were possessed by the tales of the earlier explorers who exalted the New World's mythic lands.[19] A dominion located in the Terra incognita cartographically recognized as the outlying northern territory of North America. The Spanish conquistadors conceptualized the New World's landscape by a covetous euphoria for the Iberian Peninsula horde beseeching the Seven Cities of Gold treasuring the similarities of the Las Médulas.[20][21][22]

The group eleven elements were an alluring earthly possession serving as a periodic element for the crown jewels. The mineral ore forged as a coinage metal or milled coinage for the currency of Spain and Spanish America authentically illustrated by the Spanish escudo. The precious metals were mutually considered a barter and medium of exchange for cultural diplomacy and greetings with native kingdoms.

In 1955, a primitive mill, recognized as an arrastra, was discovered 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Meers near Meers Road or Oklahoma State Highway 115.[23] The 16th-century mill, situated to close proximity of Cedar Creek, was considered to be of Spanish design and origin.[24] The arrastra permitted comminution of earth elements being gold and silver essentially scaling the metallics for protracted overland passages. The fragmentation process formed a suitable ductile element for conveyance by pack saddle. The Spanish prospector's packhorse route journeyed the Texas Blackland Prairies migrating into the Lower Rio Grande Valley ― Atascocita Road and Old Spanish Trail ― while transitioning to the Gulf Coastal Plain venturing the coastal geography of northeastern Mexico's mountainous region known as Sierra Madre Oriental.[25][26][27][28] The prized noble metal was conferred for transfer on the east coast of Mexico at the port of Veracruz ― San Juan de Ulúa ― treasure port for Spanish Main.[29]

The transition metals encompassed an overland journey of the New World to Spanish galleons of the Spanish treasure fleet in St. Augustine, Florida ― Castillo de San Marcos ― subsequently anchoring Spain's medieval ships in Havana and Spanish Wells for mustering seafaring provisions and supplies.[30][31][32] The spanish cargo fleets ― 1715 Treasure Fleet ― continued the nautical voyage with winds sustaining the transatlantic crossing to the Old World in anticipation of the King's treasure homecoming in Cartagena, Spain.[33][34]

Listing as National Register of Historic Places edit

The Meers Store was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as Meers Mining Camp, since it was the only surviving relic of the community's gold rush days.[35][36]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Meers, Oklahoma
  2. ^ Food Network Top American Restaurants: Bon Appetit Picks the Best.
  3. ^ Shirk, George H. (1952). "First Post Offices Within the Boundaries of Oklahoma". The Chronicles of Oklahoma. 30 (1 - Spring 1952). Oklahoma Historical Society: 79, 38–104. LCCN 23027299. OCLC 655582328.
  4. ^ Luza, Kenneth V. "Earthquakes". The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society.
  5. ^ "Southeastern Meers Fault". Southeastern Section (Class A) ~ Fault ID No. 1031b. U.S. Geological Survey.
  6. ^ Oklahoma Geological Survey Seismograph Stations 2007-04-16 at the Wayback Machine. (accessed February 14, 2007)
  7. ^ Meers, Oklahoma Quaternary Fault. (accessed October 5, 2012)
  8. ^ Cartwright, Mark. "Conquistador". World History Encyclopedia. World History Foundation ~ World History Publishing.
  9. ^ Netchev, Simeon. "Spanish Conquest & Exploration in North America in the 16th century". World History Encyclopedia. World History Foundation ~ World History Publishing.
  10. ^ "Conquistadors: Searching for Gold and Glory and Finding Something Else". Story of Texas - Campfire Stories. Bullock Texas State History Museum.
  11. ^ Cartwright, Mark. "The Conquest of New Spain". World History Encyclopedia. World History Foundation ~ World History Publishing.
  12. ^ "Highways Paved with Gold - Marker No. 2479". Texas Historic Sites Atlas. Texas Historical Commission. 1963.
  13. ^ Morrell, Lea Anne. "Spanish Fort, TX". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
  14. ^ Jelks, Edward B. "Spanish Fort Sites". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
  15. ^ Mark, Joshua J. "Doctrine of Discovery". World History Encyclopedia. World History Publishing ~ World History Foundation.
  16. ^ "Indies, Laws of the" . Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press. 1911 – via Wikisource.
  17. ^ Young, Otis E. (1965). "The Spanish Tradition in Gold and Silver Mining". Arizona and the West. 7 (4). Journal of the Southwest: 299–314. JSTOR 40167137.
  18. ^ Chaudhuri, Kirti N. (October 1994). "Precious Metals and Mining in the New World: 1500–1800". European Review. 2 (4). Cambridge University Press: 261–270. doi:10.1017/S1062798700001186. S2CID 143538025.
  19. ^ Lewis, Tom; Richter, Sara Jane. "Coronado Expedition". The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society.
  20. ^ Hancock, James. "The Iberian Conquest of the Americas". World History Encyclopedia. World History Foundation ~ World History Publishing.
  21. ^ Chipman, Donald E. "Seven Cities of Cibola". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
  22. ^ Krieger, Margery H. "Quivira". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
  23. ^ Hollon, W. Eugene (1956). "A Spanish "Arrastra" in the Wichita Mountains". The Chronicles of Oklahoma. 34 (4 - Winter 1956-57). Oklahoma Historical Society: 443–455. LCCN 23027299. OCLC 655582328.
  24. ^ Cedar Creek in Geonames.org (cc-by)
  25. ^ Kemp, L.W. "Atascosito Road". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
  26. ^ Fossey, Will. "Old Spanish Trail". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
  27. ^ "Map of Texas and Adjacent Regions in the Eighteenth Century". The Portal to Texas History. Hardin-Simmons University Library ~ University of North Texas Libraries.
  28. ^ "Texas Trails: 1716-1886". The Portal to Texas History. Hardin-Simmons University Library ~ University of North Texas Libraries.
  29. ^ Cartwright, Mark. "Treasure Ports of the Spanish Main". World History Encyclopedia. World History Foundation ~ World History Publishing.
  30. ^ Cartwright, Mark. "Spanish Galleon". World History Encyclopedia. World History Foundation ~ World History Publishing.
  31. ^ Netchev, Simeon. "The Spanish Main & the West Indies c.1720" [Trade Patterns and Routes of Spanish Main and West Indies]. World History Encyclopedia. World History Foundation ~ World History Publishing.
  32. ^ Popple, Henry (1733). "Gulf of Mexico, Bay of Campeche" [Map of the British Empire in America with the French and Spanish settlements]. LOC Maps. United States Library of Congress. LCCN 2009582407.
  33. ^ Cartwright, Mark. "The Gold of the Conquistadors". World History Encyclopedia. World History Foundation ~ World History Publishing.
  34. ^ Cartwright, Mark. "The Silver of the Conquistadors". World History Encyclopedia. World History Foundation ~ World History Publishing.
  35. ^ "Meers Mining Camp ~ 78002230". National Register Digital Assets. National Park Service. January 20, 1978.
  36. ^ "NRHP nomination for Meers Mining Camp". National Park Service. U.S. Department of Interior. Retrieved November 3, 2017.

Bibliography edit

  • Allen, Iva Williams (1954). "Early Days in Meers". The Chronicles of Oklahoma. 32 (3 - Autumn 1954). Oklahoma Historical Society: 278–289. LCCN 23027299. OCLC 655582328.
  • Wilson, Steve (1976). Oklahoma Treasures and Treasure Tales. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0806121741. OCLC 1137911.
  • Hale, Duane K. (1981). "Gold in Oklahoma: The Last Great Gold Excitement in the Trans-Mississippi West, 1889-1918". The Chronicles of Oklahoma. 59 (3 - Fall 1981). Oklahoma Historical Society: 304–319. LCCN 23027299. OCLC 655582328.
  • Wilson, Steve (1982). Dauntless Gold Seekers of the Wichitas [Drill Bits, Picks, and Shovels: A History of Mineral Resources in Oklahoma]. The Gateway to Oklahoma History. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Oklahoma Historical Society. pp. 132–161. ISBN 0941498247. LCCN 82-81962. OCLC 982029050.
  • Everett, Dianna. "European Exploration". The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Weaver, Bobby D. "Gold". The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Shirk, George H. (January 1, 1987). Oklahoma Place Names. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0806120287. OCLC 15805183.
  • Jones, Peter D. (2021). "The First Coins of the Americas". Internet Archive. Bookbaby.

Historical Video Archive edit

☆ Back In Time: The Lost Gold of Oklahoma on YouTube
☆ The Coronado Expedition : Coronado National Memorial on YouTube

External links edit

  • "Arrastra Site ~ Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge" [National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form for Federal Properties]. U.S. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. May 11, 1981.
  • "Arrastra Site ~ Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge - NRIS No. 81000455". U.S. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. May 11, 1981.
  • "Meers General Store". Jim Argo Collection ~ Gateway to Oklahoma History. Oklahoma Historical Society.

April 12, 2024
meers, oklahoma, meers, unincorporated, community, located, state, highway, comanche, county, oklahoma, united, states, foothills, wichita, mountains, 1901, meers, founded, gold, prospecting, town, where, named, honor, mine, operator, andrew, meers, from, cher. Meers is an unincorporated community located on State Highway 115 in Comanche County Oklahoma United States in the foothills of the Wichita Mountains In 1901 Meers was founded as a gold prospecting town where it was named in honor of mine operator Andrew J Meers from Cherokee County Georgia Meers OklahomaUnincorporated communityThe Meers StoreMeersLocation within the state of OklahomaShow map of OklahomaMeersMeers the United States Show map of the United StatesCoordinates 34 46 58 N 98 34 44 W 34 78278 N 98 57889 W 34 78278 98 57889 1 CountryUnited StatesStateOklahomaCountyComancheElevation 1 1 460 ft 450 m Time zoneUTC 6 Central CST Summer DST UTC 5 CDT ZIP codes73558FIPS code40 47500GNIS feature ID1100624 1 The only remaining structure of the original town is the Meers Store amp Restaurant which Food Network named as the best hamburger joint in Oklahoma and one of the best in the United States largely due to its signature MeersBurger 2 The Meers Store also served as the area post office from March 12 1902 until February 1989 3 Currently area residents have Lawton mailing addresses Contents 1 Geological formation of Southwest Oklahoma 2 Spanish prospectors in the Wichita Mountains 3 Listing as National Register of Historic Places 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 Historical Video Archive 7 External linksGeological formation of Southwest Oklahoma edit nbsp Map of Wichita FaultMeers is defined by a geological displacement or planar fracture known as the Meers Fault 4 The northwestern Meers fault and the southeastern Meers fault lines are geologically situated in the central lowlands 5 In 1985 in order to monitor a seismic event the Oklahoma Geological Survey installed a seismograph in the Meers Store 6 7 Spanish prospectors in the Wichita Mountains editWichita Mountains region is believed to have captivated the first Spanish conquistadors in the 15th century 16th century and 17th century 8 The epoch was defined by the geographical exploration of North America as accomplished by the Spanish Empire during the sixteenth century 9 The Spanish colonization of the Americas revealed substantial developments with the establishment of the territorial entities known as New Spain and Spanish Texas 10 11 The Red River of the South was explored by the Spaniards originating during the 16th century 12 The Montague County Texas administrative division sustains exemplary events chronicled at Spanish Fort Texas dating to the eighteenth century 13 14 The Spanish Empire explored native kingdoms specifically for gold mining and silver mining collectively as the proprietors of the Treasure of Villena and the Spanish royal crown s decrees often referred to as the Doctrine of Discovery and Laws of the Indies 15 16 The monarchy and regal decrees entitled chartering expeditionary campaigns to collect geological and mineral surveys on distant coasts and continents 17 18 The Spanish Empire s exploratory caravans were possessed by the tales of the earlier explorers who exalted the New World s mythic lands 19 A dominion located in the Terra incognita cartographically recognized as the outlying northern territory of North America The Spanish conquistadors conceptualized the New World s landscape by a covetous euphoria for the Iberian Peninsula horde beseeching the Seven Cities of Gold treasuring the similarities of the Las Medulas 20 21 22 The group eleven elements were an alluring earthly possession serving as a periodic element for the crown jewels The mineral ore forged as a coinage metal or milled coinage for the currency of Spain and Spanish America authentically illustrated by the Spanish escudo The precious metals were mutually considered a barter and medium of exchange for cultural diplomacy and greetings with native kingdoms In 1955 a primitive mill recognized as an arrastra was discovered 2 miles 3 2 km south of Meers near Meers Road or Oklahoma State Highway 115 23 The 16th century mill situated to close proximity of Cedar Creek was considered to be of Spanish design and origin 24 The arrastra permitted comminution of earth elements being gold and silver essentially scaling the metallics for protracted overland passages The fragmentation process formed a suitable ductile element for conveyance by pack saddle The Spanish prospector s packhorse route journeyed the Texas Blackland Prairies migrating into the Lower Rio Grande Valley Atascocita Road and Old Spanish Trail while transitioning to the Gulf Coastal Plain venturing the coastal geography of northeastern Mexico s mountainous region known as Sierra Madre Oriental 25 26 27 28 The prized noble metal was conferred for transfer on the east coast of Mexico at the port of Veracruz San Juan de Ulua treasure port for Spanish Main 29 The transition metals encompassed an overland journey of the New World to Spanish galleons of the Spanish treasure fleet in St Augustine Florida Castillo de San Marcos subsequently anchoring Spain s medieval ships in Havana and Spanish Wells for mustering seafaring provisions and supplies 30 31 32 The spanish cargo fleets 1715 Treasure Fleet continued the nautical voyage with winds sustaining the transatlantic crossing to the Old World in anticipation of the King s treasure homecoming in Cartagena Spain 33 34 Listing as National Register of Historic Places editThe Meers Store was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as Meers Mining Camp since it was the only surviving relic of the community s gold rush days 35 36 References edit a b c U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Meers Oklahoma Food Network Top American Restaurants Bon Appetit Picks the Best Shirk George H 1952 First Post Offices Within the Boundaries of Oklahoma The Chronicles of Oklahoma 30 1 Spring 1952 Oklahoma Historical Society 79 38 104 LCCN 23027299 OCLC 655582328 Luza Kenneth V Earthquakes The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Oklahoma Historical Society Southeastern Meers Fault Southeastern Section Class A Fault ID No 1031b U S Geological Survey Oklahoma Geological Survey Seismograph Stations Archived 2007 04 16 at the Wayback Machine accessed February 14 2007 Meers Oklahoma Quaternary Fault accessed October 5 2012 Cartwright Mark Conquistador World History Encyclopedia World History Foundation World History Publishing Netchev Simeon Spanish Conquest amp Exploration in North America in the 16th century World History Encyclopedia World History Foundation World History Publishing Conquistadors Searching for Gold and Glory and Finding Something Else Story of Texas Campfire Stories Bullock Texas State History Museum Cartwright Mark The Conquest of New Spain World History Encyclopedia World History Foundation World History Publishing Highways Paved with Gold Marker No 2479 Texas Historic Sites Atlas Texas Historical Commission 1963 Morrell Lea Anne Spanish Fort TX Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association Jelks Edward B Spanish Fort Sites Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association Mark Joshua J Doctrine of Discovery World History Encyclopedia World History Publishing World History Foundation Indies Laws of the Encyclopaedia Britannica Eleventh ed Cambridge University Press 1911 via Wikisource Young Otis E 1965 The Spanish Tradition in Gold and Silver Mining Arizona and the West 7 4 Journal of the Southwest 299 314 JSTOR 40167137 Chaudhuri Kirti N October 1994 Precious Metals and Mining in the New World 1500 1800 European Review 2 4 Cambridge University Press 261 270 doi 10 1017 S1062798700001186 S2CID 143538025 Lewis Tom Richter Sara Jane Coronado Expedition The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Oklahoma Historical Society Hancock James The Iberian Conquest of the Americas World History Encyclopedia World History Foundation World History Publishing Chipman Donald E Seven Cities of Cibola Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association Krieger Margery H Quivira Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association Hollon W Eugene 1956 A Spanish Arrastra in the Wichita Mountains The Chronicles of Oklahoma 34 4 Winter 1956 57 Oklahoma Historical Society 443 455 LCCN 23027299 OCLC 655582328 Cedar Creek in Geonames org cc by Kemp L W Atascosito Road Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association Fossey Will Old Spanish Trail Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association Map of Texas and Adjacent Regions in the Eighteenth Century The Portal to Texas History Hardin Simmons University Library University of North Texas Libraries Texas Trails 1716 1886 The Portal to Texas History Hardin Simmons University Library University of North Texas Libraries Cartwright Mark Treasure Ports of the Spanish Main World History Encyclopedia World History Foundation World History Publishing Cartwright Mark Spanish Galleon World History Encyclopedia World History Foundation World History Publishing Netchev Simeon The Spanish Main amp the West Indies c 1720 Trade Patterns and Routes of Spanish Main and West Indies World History Encyclopedia World History Foundation World History Publishing Popple Henry 1733 Gulf of Mexico Bay of Campeche Map of the British Empire in America with the French and Spanish settlements LOC Maps United States Library of Congress LCCN 2009582407 Cartwright Mark The Gold of the Conquistadors World History Encyclopedia World History Foundation World History Publishing Cartwright Mark The Silver of the Conquistadors World History Encyclopedia World History Foundation World History Publishing Meers Mining Camp 78002230 National Register Digital Assets National Park Service January 20 1978 NRHP nomination for Meers Mining Camp National Park Service U S Department of Interior Retrieved November 3 2017 Bibliography editAllen Iva Williams 1954 Early Days in Meers The Chronicles of Oklahoma 32 3 Autumn 1954 Oklahoma Historical Society 278 289 LCCN 23027299 OCLC 655582328 Wilson Steve 1976 Oklahoma Treasures and Treasure Tales Norman Oklahoma University of Oklahoma Press ISBN 978 0806121741 OCLC 1137911 Hale Duane K 1981 Gold in Oklahoma The Last Great Gold Excitement in the Trans Mississippi West 1889 1918 The Chronicles of Oklahoma 59 3 Fall 1981 Oklahoma Historical Society 304 319 LCCN 23027299 OCLC 655582328 Wilson Steve 1982 Dauntless Gold Seekers of the Wichitas Drill Bits Picks and Shovels A History of Mineral Resources in Oklahoma The Gateway to Oklahoma History Oklahoma City Oklahoma Oklahoma Historical Society pp 132 161 ISBN 0941498247 LCCN 82 81962 OCLC 982029050 Everett Dianna European Exploration The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Oklahoma Historical Society Weaver Bobby D Gold The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Oklahoma Historical Society Shirk George H January 1 1987 Oklahoma Place Names Norman Oklahoma University of Oklahoma Press ISBN 978 0806120287 OCLC 15805183 Jones Peter D 2021 The First Coins of the Americas Internet Archive Bookbaby Historical Video Archive edit Back In Time The Lost Gold of Oklahoma on YouTube The Coronado Expedition Coronado National Memorial on YouTubeExternal links edit Arrastra Site Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form for Federal Properties U S National Park Service U S Department of the Interior May 11 1981 Arrastra Site Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge NRIS No 81000455 U S National Park Service U S Department of the Interior May 11 1981 Meers General Store Jim Argo Collection Gateway to Oklahoma History Oklahoma Historical Society Portals nbsp Geology nbsp Geophysics nbsp Mountains nbsp Oklahoma Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Meers Oklahoma amp oldid 1217762834, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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