Choctaw County
Approximately 150 miles of U.S. 70 in Choctaw County, reaching from the Arkansas state line to Madill, Oklahoma has been designated as the Choctaw/Chickasaw Heritage Corridor, which was part of the 1830s Trail of Tears.
Hugo, established in 1901, is the county seat of Choctaw County. To circus fans “Hugo” is known as “Circus City USA” because it is winter quarters for three traveling circuses: Carson & Barnes, Kelly-Miller & Culpepper-Merryweather.
The Endangered Ark calls Hugo home. The late D.R. Miller & family established it after working and living with elephants for more than sixty years. It is an elephant breeding facility and retirement sanctuary for a herd of thirty-five elephants.
Tours are available on the first Saturday of each month at 11:00 a.m. Contact 580-326-2233 for tour information.
Mt. Olivet Cemetery, in Hugo, has been home to Showman’s Rest for over fifty years. It is the final resting-place for many performers of the Big Top. It has many unusual monuments reflecting the performers “circus days”.
Buried nearby are World Champion Cowboys and Bull Riders Todd Whatley, Freckles Brown and Lane Frost. Also buried at Mt. Olivet is “Buster Brown” , AKA Ed Ansley, the 4’ 2” midget with the Dutch Boy haircut who traveled the country for 27 years with his dog “Tige” as a living symbol for the Brown Shoe Co.
We offer a guided site seeing tour of our rich history to RV groups and bus tours. The tour includes the Frisco Depot Museum, the Ft. Towson/Doaksville site and firing of the Civil War cannon, feeding the elephants at the Endangered Ark, the Showman's Rest at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. The tour can be customized to meet your time schedule. For information about the guided tours contact the Hugo Area Chamber at 580-326-7511.
The Frisco Depot RV Park is across the street from the museum. It has 48 full hookups, 30/50 amp breakers, full shower & bathroom facilities, and an adjacent 3,000 sq. ft. hospitality room with a full cooking and meeting area. Daily or monthly rates are available. For information about the museum or the RV Park call (580) 326-6630 or (580) 743-6033.
We offer a guided site seeing tour of our rich history to RV groups and bus tours. The tour includes the Frisco Depot Museum, the Ft Towson/Doaksville site and firing of the civil war cannon, feeding of the elephants at the Endangered Ark, and Showman’s Rest at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. The tour can be customized to meet your time schedule. For information about the guided tours contact the Hugo Area Chamber at 580-326-7511.
The Ft. Towson/Doaksville site and museum is the location of the surrender of the last Confederate General Stand Waitie. It was a place of rest for Daniel Boone and Sam Houston on their way to the Alamo. You can see a newly renovated museum with artifacts taken from an 1830’s sunken steamboat from a nearby site on the Red River. Doaksville was one of the most prominent commercial centers in the Choctaw Nation for more than 70 years.
The Early Bird Bluegrass Festival is the last weekend in March (Fri. & Sat.). You can enjoy the oldest bluegrass festival west of the Mississippi. Come enjoy the great bands and the toe tapping music.
The Choctaw Casino Resort was expanded in 2009 to 80,000 sq. ft., which features 1100 games. New are twelve blackjack tables and eight poker tables in a poker room and more reel games than ever before. Three restaurants are available for patrons, one is fine dining and the other two serve hamburgers, sandwiches and java. In the summer of 2009 a new hotel was built featuring 60 rooms with all the amenities and a beautifully landscaped swimming pool.
The Frisco Depot Museum built in 1914 is the third largest depot on Frisco rail lines in Oklahoma. It is located at Hwy 70 and the railroad crossing on West Jackson Street in Hugo. You can visit the Harvey House Restaurant and museum filled with items dating back many years. Come see vintage school rooms, Harvey House Restaurant boarding room, circus memorabilia and a wealth of information about early Choctaw County History. Their hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone: 580-326-6630.