Henryetta, Oklahoma

First timer? In this (hopefully) once-a-day blog, I have my computer select a random latitude and longitude that puts me somewhere in the continental United States (the lower 48). I call this “landing.” I keep track of the watersheds I land in, as well as the town I land near. I do some internet research to hopefully find something of interest about my landing location. To find out more about A Landing A Day (like who “Dan” is and what the various numbers and abbreviations mean), please see “About Landing,” (and “Abbreviations” and “Cryptic Numbers”) above.

Dan – Well, from one old-time WBer to another; i.e., from WY to . . . OK; 47/40; 6/10; 8; 157.6. I’ll jump right to my landing map:

You’ll note the wonderful names of the towns around my landing: Indianola, Eufaula, Wetumpka, Weeleetka, Pharoh & Henryetta.

For the 33rd time, I landed in the Canadian River watershed, on to the Arkansas (93rd hit); on to the MM (693rd hit).

After some Googling of the various towns, I’ll have to settle on Henryetta as my featured town. Here’s the broader view (My landing is 35-18 lat / 95-50 long, there in E-Cen OK):

Henryetta (pop about 6000) was founded by Hugh Henry, a rancher who discovered coal on his property. The town grew up as a coal mining community. One might think that the town was named after Hugh, but ‘twas not. Instead, it was named after resident Henry G. Beard and his wife Etta. I have no clue what Henry & Etta did to have such an honor bestowed upon them.

I found this picture on an Oklahoma State University history site. The caption that comes up when you put your cursor on the photo says “The pokitchita sticks of the Arheka Micco, 1941.”  It looks like the guys are holding some sort of lacrosse stick, so I assume that “pokitchita” is the old Native American game upon which lacrosse is based.  But, checking out Google, I’m dumbfounded. Google has absolutely no clue about pokitchita sticks or Arheka Micco. Oh, well.

Henryetta’s favorite son is Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Troy Aikman.

From Wiki (non sports fans can skip right on down to the sunset picture . . .):

The youngest of three children, Aikman was born in West Covina, California on November 21, 1966. At age 12, his family moved to a farm in Henryetta, Oklahoma. He made All State in both football and baseball, and his high school, Henryetta High School, retired his football jersey.

The New York Mets offered Aikman a contract out of high school, but instead of playing baseball he chose to pursue football and attended the University of Oklahoma under head coach Barry Switzer.

In 1984, his first season as a collegiate starter, Aikman led the Sooners to wins over Minnesota, Kansas State, and #17 Texas in the Red River Shootout before hosting the Miami Hurricanes and his future head coach Jimmy Johnson.

On October 19, Miami’s Jerome Brown broke through the offensive line, sacked Aikman on the Sooner 29-yard line and broke Aikman’s ankle. Aikman, who had been six of eight passing for 131 yards, would be lost for the season. Switzer was forced to switch back to the wishbone offense under freshman quarterback Jamelle Holieway. The team went on to win the 1985 National Championship by beating Penn State in the 1986 Orange Bowl.[2][3] With Holieway established as the starting quarterback at OU, Aikman decided to transfer to UCLA.

Switzer oversaw Aikman’s transfer to UCLA, a program under Terry Donahue that was more conducive to a passing quarterback. He had to redshirt one year due to college transfer rules but went on to lead the Bruins to a 20-4 record over two seasons.

Aikman was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, taken by the Dallas Cowboys. Aikman established himself as a premier quarter in the league, winning Super Bowls in 1993 and 1995.

Revolving-door personnel changes plagued the Cowboys for the rest of Aikman’s tenure. He also suffered a series of concussions. His 10th, at the hands of Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington, would end his career. The Cowboys finished the 2000 season 5-11.

Aikman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Anyway, here’s a sunset over Lake Eufaula (the lake just east of my landing):

KS

Greg

© 2009 A Landing A Day