Denoya – Ghost Towns of Oklahoma

Denoya – originally known as Whizbang – was a wild boomtown that rose quickly after the founding of the Burbank oil field. The local postmaster at the time thought the name Whizbang was undignified as a town, so instead named the new town Denoya after a prominent Osage Indian family.

Denoya exploded onto the scene almost overnight when an oil drilled by E.W. Marland (later to be Governor of Oklahoma) hit paydirt, pumping out over 600 barrels of oil per day. Soon a second, third, and fourth wells were drilled, one which eventually produced over 2,500 barrels of oil per day.

With an oil play of such magnitude, soon businesses and people of all kinds – good and bad – flooded into this quickly growing town. In the early 1920’s over three hundred business buildings were erected in Denoya, along with a multitude of houses. It turned into one of the most wild and dangerous towns of the Oklahoma oil boom, with shootings occurring on a regular basis.

You can read much more about the colorful history of Denoya – including tales of outlaw/sheriff Jose Alvarado, in the OU Press book “Ghost Towns of Oklahoma“.

GPS Coordinates: N36 45.911 W96 42.461
Wikipedia entry: Denoya (Whizbang)

James and I at Denoya (sorry for the wind noise, it was REALLY windy and cold and we didn’t have a sound guy handy)

There are several old houses and a ranch in and around the former town of Denoya, Oklahoma

The foundation of several buildings are still visible in and around Denoya, a once busy oilfield town.

The rubble of old buildings and sidewalks still line the streets of what was once Denoya - aka Whizbang - Oklahoma — The rubble of old buildings and sidewalks still line the streets of what was once Denoya – aka Whizbang – Oklahoma

View Off the Beaten Path in a larger map

Six commonly asked questions about “comps”

Realtors often use the term “comps” in discussions. What are comps and how are they determined?

Downsides of carpet allowance in lieu of new carpet

Sellers often ask if they can just provide a carpet allowance on a listing in lieu of installing new carpet. In their mind, this is a benefit to the buyer since it allows the buyer to choose their own color and style of carpet. The benefit to the seller is they don’t have to deal […]

Hosting Bicycle Riders from South Korea

James and I hosted two young men – Min Ho Park Jaewon Heo – from South Korea who were riding bicycles this summer from Los Angeles to New York. They contacted us through Warmshowers.org, where we offer a room for bicycle riders to stay as they travel across America. They are following Route 66 from […]

Butterfield Overland Stage route on dirt bikes

Kay and I both love history, and we love riding motorcycles. We often combine our dual sport rides with a bit of historical sleuthing. This time we decided to follow in the footsteps of the Butterfield Overland Stage Route as it made it’s way through Oklahoma from St. Louis to the 1850’s gold fields of […]