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"Old 18"
Article IN PROGRESS
This article is still being
worked on, and will require some additional research before I can be certain it
is entirely accurate.
This
article mainly pulls from both old and new maps. If you are aware of an
error or would like to make an addition, please
email me. This article has been published to
Wikipedia with my permission. Please do not report it as a copyright
violation.
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Old 18 Photo Gallery
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Wikipedia Article
Introduction:
Downtown Asher is located on old SH 18, which
was
once one of Oklahoma's
longest north-south highways.
Oklahoma State Highway 18 was commissioned
in August of 1924 and, at one time, traveled from
Dickson, Oklahoma (11 miles east of Ardmore) to
Shidler, Oklahoma at the
Kansas border.
US 177
replaced the highway between Dickson and Shawnee in 1967.
Dickson to Asher:
US 177 runs roughly on top of the previous
SH 18 between Dickson and
Asher, Oklahoma, therefore only a few small segments of the original
highway remain through that stretch.
Asher to Shawnee:
Much of the old highway from south of Asher to
Tecumseh, Oklahoma still remains. Remnants of the
old highway begin north of the curve just before US 177
junctions with SH 3W, south of the
Canadian River. SH 18 (now US 177) originally
continued straight ahead and then turned slightly ahead
of where US 177 does now. The existing old highway runs
parallel west of US 177 for about a mile, before
terminating short of the Canadian River. Originally, the
highway continued straight for about another 1/2 mile
(taking it over the river) before veering east and then
back north. The cement supports of the old bridge can
still be
seen if you look westward at the north and south banks,
while crossing the Canadian River bridge
(coincidentally, the bridge may return to that location
if reports of replacing the Canadian River Bridge are
true).
Much of the section after the river and before the
highway intersects with
SH 39 has been lost due to another bridge being
removed. The existing highway picks up again after a
second removed bridge and 7/10 of a mile before
intersecting with SH 39 south of Asher. The highway
continues north through Asher (here named Division
Street) for 1 1/2 miles before again veering east and
then once more travels roughly north. The road is mostly
intact except for a small area near Pearson, Oklahoma
where it is rerouted to cross
SH 59. North of Pearson is the Salt Creek
Bridge, a 120' long OSHC standard design, built in 1930.
Near
Macomb, Oklahoma the old highway again travels
parallel and very near to US 177. The highway is
interrupted once because of the removed Little River
Bridge before reaching the Brooksville, Oklahoma area.
Here, the highway is slightly rerouted to
cross
US 177 (veering west) and then heads north toward
Tecumseh. The designation "Old 18" ends here as the
highway has been absorbed into city streets, although it
appears the highway traveled east down what is now
Highland, then north on Broadway and continued to
Shawnee on what is now Gordon Cooper Drive/Beard Street.
Beard Street intersects with Farrall Street in Shawnee,
which is the current SH 18. East of this intersection,
SH 18 ends and loops into US 177. West of the
intersection, Farrell veers north and merges into
Harrison Street. At this point, 18 continues as a
current state highway.
If you are interested in SH 18
from this point, you can visit
this website.
Highway Notes
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At its furthest, Old 18 rests 1 1/2 miles east of its replacement, US 177.
-
There is roughly 20 miles of
drivable road designated "Old 18" between US 177 / SH 3W Junction
south of Asher and Tecumseh, although it can not be driven
continuously.
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The longest uninterrupted stretch
of Old 18 is about 14.5 miles, between Asher and the Little River
near Brooksville.
-
Except for a 1 1/2 mile repaved
stretch through Asher, Old 18 shows its original concrete
construction (although heavily patched with pavement).
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The curved edges and poor drainage
of the highway can make it dangerous during heavy rain as it greatly
retains water.
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Asher School, Gymnasium, Baseball
Parks, and Senior Citizen's Center as well as several homes are
located on Old 18.
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Asher's market, Green's Market
(closed in 1985) was located on Old 18. The building, although
in disrepair, remains (picture in photo
gallery).
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Pettigrew's feed and store was also
located on Old 18. This building also still remains.
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The original Canadian River Bridge
was in use from 1921 to 1967 (although I'm not sure when it was
removed)
Highway Revision History
(Source:
http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/memorial/htmls/lists.htm#)
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Commission Date
|
Description
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08/24/1924 |
Beginning SH 18
designation |
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01/19/1926 |
Designation SH
18 beginning on SH 11 in Osage County to Sulphur
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10/12/1934 |
Designation SH
18 extension from US 70 south to Murray Lake |
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06/05/1950 |
Cancellation SH
18 from US 70 south to Lake Murray |
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07/12/1952 |
Removal SH 18
from US 70 south to Lake Murray |
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12/15/1952 |
Relocation SH
18 to US 70 north |
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01/09/1956 |
Relocation SH
18 north of Tecumseh |
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09/11/1961 |
Relocation SH
18 & SH 13 south of Asher |
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11/05/1962 |
Designation
relocation US 270 on SH 18 in Shawnee |
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03/01/1965 |
Redesignation
SH 18 as US 177 in Tecumseh |
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12/01/1969 |
Redesignation
SH 18 north of Fairfax |
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11/01/1975 |
Relocation SH
18 south of Shidler |
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03/07/1977 |
Relocation SH
18 southeast of Burbank |
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12/03/1979 |
Addition SH 11
on to SH 18 from Shidler to US 60 |
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07/11/1983 |
Relocation SH
18 in Shawnee |
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08/07/1995 |
Relocation SH
18 & SH 33 at Cushing |
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The sign above was taken
before Old 18 crosses US 177 near Brooksville.
About the shields in
the article: The yellow highway shield was used when highway 18
was built. The black background with white circle shield was in
use until 2006. It is now being replaced by the outline of the
state on white background.
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