Newkirk - Front Porch of Oklahoma Traditional Cache
Newkirk - Front Porch of Oklahoma
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This easily accesible geocache is a Newkirk Main Street project to introduce geocachers to our town.
Welcome to the Newkirk Main Street Geocache and Travel Bug Bed and Breakfast.
Newkirk, Oklahoma’s Front Porch, is located 12 miles south of the Oklahoma-Kansas state line.
The U.S. Government established the community 1893 as the county seat of “K” county as a part of the opening of the Cherokee Outlet by land run. Through the years Newkirk has had three names: Lamoreux, Santa Fe and finally Newkirk. Although it is one of the smallest towns in the county, it is still the county seat of Kay County. Built with oil money in 1925-1926, it has one of the most beautiful courthouses in the state of Oklahoma; and it was completely paid for before its construction was completed.
The entire downtown is on the National Register as a historic district with the largest collection of limestone buildings in the state of Oklahoma. There were three rock quarries east of Newkirk and many of the buildings are constructed of this native limestone as were several of the churches and many homes also have limestone foundations. Feel free to walk around the downtown and look at the stone buildings.
Most of the buildings in downtown have had facade renovations over the past 13 years and are home to successful businesses.
Newkirk was accepted into the Oklahoma Main Street program in 1992, and in 2000 was selected as a Great American Main Street community. In 1997, the community also organized the first Junior Main Street program in the nation.
As Main Street's introduction to our town, pamphlets are provided in this geocache for a free, self-guided tour of the downtown historical buildings.
Public sculptures include the Kay County War Memorial and the Land of Hope statutes on the front lawn of the Kay County Courthouse. Two bronze Remington replicas are housed in the front window of the Newkirk Community Museum at Seventh and Maple that is open on Sundays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The Heritage Center in downtown Newkirk is filled with artifacts and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Both are free of charge.
The community built a new library and it opened in 2006. It is in the 100 block of North Maple.
East of Newkirk is one of the oldest golf courses in the state of Oklahoma and one of the few with sand greens. A WPA swimming pool still serves the community well.
Hunting, fishing and boating all abound at Kaw Lake just a few miles east of Newkirk. There are also other geocaches around the lake and in the vicinity.
We hope geocachers enjoy the hunt for this community geocache. Because this is a small town, many people who aren’t geocachers know about this location, and some have threatened to leave their own treasures. So who knows what may be found here.
The container is quite comfortable for your traveling bugs, and all are invited to stay in the Newkirk Main Street Travel Bug Bed and Breakfast. Easy access to U.S. Highway 77; all necessary amenities are close by.
We’re glad you came.
We kindly ask our front porch guests to log their visit, date, and hometown, and please shut the imaginary screen door when you leave.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Npebff gur fgerrg sebz gur one. Fubeg crbcyr jvyy arrq gb ernpu.