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Take a drive around Oklahoma City and you’ll find a unique mix of street names. In recent years, Oklahoma City has named streets and alleys after contemporary celebrities. For example, Flaming Lips Alley in Bricktown for the seminal music group from Oklahoma. Wanda Jackson Way is named for the rockabilly singer who performed with the likes of Elvis. Charlie Christian Avenue commemorates the swing and jazz guitarist who helped make the electric guitar famous as he played music in Deep Deuce.
It is easy to see the history behind the recently named streets. However, the history behind some of Oklahoma City’s most used and known thoroughfares is just as interesting as their modern counterparts.
Classen Boulevard
Thousands of motorists travel along Classen Boulevard daily, one of Oklahoma City’s original boulevards coming out of downtown. Anyone who has traveled through the intersection of NW 23rd and Classen Boulevard has seen the Gold Dome, an Oklahoma City architectural landmark.
Classen Boulevard’s namesake is Anton H. Classen. According to research by the Metropolitan Library System’s Oklahoma Collection Coordinator Buddy Johnson, Classen was an early developer in the Oklahoma City area. He originally moved to Guthrie during the Land Run of 1889. The University of Central Oklahoma can thank Classen for its existence. While living in Edmond in 1891, he secured the Territorial Normal School, which is now UCO.
Classen saw an opportunity that many thought was a foolish chance. He purchased land northwest of downtown Oklahoma City. Many believed Classen’s land purchase was too far out of the downtown area to be used as a practical residential development. As the population of Oklahoma City exploded from 4,000 to 64,000 between 1987 and 1910, homes became smaller so people could continue to access downtown by foot. Wealthy families were demanding more room to display their wealth.
Classen partnered with John Shartel (after whom Shartel Avenue is named) and built a streetcar line leading out of downtown Oklahoma City to Classen’s land holdings. Elite families began building homes in the developer’s Highland Parked Addition which is now known as Heritage Hills.
Sheridan and Reno Avenues
Sheridan and Reno Avenues play an integral role in conveying traffic through downtown. Both those names played an integral role in Oklahoma before it became a state.
Sheridan Boulevard is named for Army General Phil Sheridan. He served at Fort Reno, just outside of El Reno, after the Civil War. According to Roy Morris, Jr.’s biography, Sheridan: The Life and Wars of General Phil Sheridan, President Abraham Lincoln described the 5’5” general known as Little Phil as “A brown, chunky little chap, with a long body, short legs, not enough neck to hang him, and such long arms that if his ankles itch he can scratch them without stooping.” Sheridan rose quickly through the ranks during the Civil War, gaining notoriety.
It was General Sheridan who selected the site and named it Fort Reno in 1876 to honor his fallen friend, Major General Jesse L. Reno killed during the Civil War. Fort Reno was established to protect the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency. The Army post played an important role in housing the Buffalo Soldiers during the Indian Wars.
The downtown Oklahoma City street got its name as part of a compromise. The operators of the Sheraton Hotel wanted Grand Avenue to be renamed Sheraton Avenue. Instead, the city of Oklahoma City named the street one block north of the already named Reno Avenue after General Sheridan. The history of Reno Avenue’s naming is a little murky. Many believe it was either in honor of Fort Reno or because it was the road out of Oklahoma City which led to the military post in Canadian County.
MacArthur Boulevard
Originally called West End Avenue, MacArthur Boulevard in western Oklahoma City is easy enough to guess that it was named after U.S. General Douglas MacArthur. The Chamber of Commerce made the petition for the name change in 1942. According to Johnson, while it was to honor the general, the request spelled the name McArthur. City Councilman B.D. Eddie pointed out the Chamber had left out the extra “a.” The petition was changed and the change was granted.
Hefner Road
Hefner Road is named for Lake Hefner which, in turn, is named for Robert A. Hefner Sr. It was the twilight of his public career when he served as mayor of Oklahoma City. He had already served as an Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice, served as mayor of Ardmore, created mineral conveyance in the United States, made a fortune in the oil and gas business and supported many organizations.
Hefner was elected mayor of Oklahoma City in 1939. He helped lead the way to creating a water supply for the growing city. Even as the project faced major legal challenges and delays, it came in under budget. In 1945, the city council named the reservoir Lake Hefner.
Due to Hefner’s influence, the Army decided in 1941 to locate its new air depot in Oklahoma City over four other locations. That air depot is now Tinker Air Force Base.
Walker Avenue
History has been a little less than kind to the namesake of Walker Avenue, Charles P. Walker. According to the Metro Library’s Buddy Johnson, many people believe the street was named for his older brother. Charles P. Walker was a real estate agent from Colony, Kansas, before the Land Run. He moved to Oklahoma City becoming a member of the early survey crews and a minor city official. His older brother, Delos Walker, was the president of the “Oklahoma Colony Crowd” which challenged the Seminole Town and Improvement Company over the settlement of Oklahoma City in the first week of its existence.
Next time you ask for directions in Oklahoma City, remember there’s a story behind its street names.
A personal thanks goes to Metropolitan Library System Oklahoma Collection Coordinator Buddy Johnson for his assistance in research for this story.
Written & Photos by JAson Doyle Oden
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