• Okmulgee officers were asked to search for Eugene McDonald, an employee of the Waite Phillips refinery, after he failed to return home the previous night. Mc-Donald had driven to Tulsa on business and told his wife he expected to be back by 9 p.m., but he never arrived. When she called his brother in Tulsa, she learned he had left there at 7 p.m. and should have been on the road home. With no sign of him by morning, his wife feared he may have met with foul play. The family had only lived in Okmulgee for three months and had two young children, a four‑year‑old daughter and a ten‑month‑old son.

• Okmulgee police uncovered an improvised saloon operating out of an abandoned building near the Frisco tracks. Inside, officers found bottles, jugs, glasses and small amounts of corn whisky – all being tended by a 15‑year‑old boy acting as the “bartender.” While they were questioning him, several men rushed in, grabbed several gallons of liquor and fled. Officers believed the operation had been running for about five days. They chose not to pursue charges against the boy, noting he had only been helping his father guard the building at night. The investigation into the adults involved continued.

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Horse Club held its first meeting on Dec. 30 with strong attendance from youth across Okmulgee County. Board members were introduced and officers elected, with Kevin Colburn chosen as president. The club planned monthly demonstrations on horseshoeing, veterinary care, grooming and general horse knowledge, along with future county horse shows and a possible judging team. B.J. Nation also gave a talk on saddles, bridles and proper tack care.

• The Henryetta girls opened the Eufaula tournament with a matchup against Okmulgee, keeping the game close through the first half as they trailed only 16-14 at the break. Okmulgee pulled away in the third quarter with a 21‑point surge, creating a gap Henryetta couldn’t overcome. The game ended in a 47-27 loss to the Bulldogs.

• Construction moved forward on the new Okmulgee Public Works building on N. Okmulgee Street, where crews were leveling ground and spreading sand in preparation for plumbing and the floor slab. The building, which will house seven city departments, was expected to be completed within 60 days, weather permitting.

— 25 Years Ago (2001)

• Christopher Clayton Smart became Okmulgee’s first baby of 2001 when he arrived at 9:06 a.m. on New Year’s Day at Okmulgee Memorial Hospital. Weighing seven pounds, six ounce sand measuring 20 inches long, he surprised his parents, Lacey Ethridge and Christopher Smart of Morris, by arriving two weeks early. His family joked that he must have been in a hurry to start the new year.

• New Okmulgee County Clerk Becky Thomas took her oath of office during a Jan. 2 ceremony led by Judge John Maley. Also sworn in were County Commissioner Roger Ballenger, District Court Clerk Linda Beaver and Sheriff Ernest Arocha. The ceremony marked the official start of their new terms in county leadership.

• Hattie Foshee celebrated her 90th birthday with a party at her local nursing home in the early days of January. She had spent most of her adult life in the Okmulgee area and remained active in the First United Methodist Church in Morris, the Wednesday Morning Music Club, the Retired Teachers Association, Methodist Women and Delta Kappa Gamma. Friends and community members gathered to honor her milestone.

— 10 Years Ago (2016)

• The Okmulgee Lions Club ended the year with a program on the Oklahoma Lions Boys’ Ranch, now known as Meadows of Hope. The ranch, founded in 1952 to support court‑placed youth, had shifted to family‑style foster homes focused on keeping siblings together. About 30% of its support came from Lions Clubs statewide, and Okmulgee member R.C. Morrow began a three‑year term on its board. The update highlighted the club’s long‑standing commitment to serving children in need.

• PCMemories hosted its first Winter Wonderland event late December 2015, giving refurbished desktop computers to two families with school‑age children and, for the first time, to two qualifying senior citizens. The organization processed applications and distributed the computers with help from volunteers and community partners.