Did You Know?
Things you can find at the museum
Pioneer Day
Skiatook enjoys its celebrations, especially Pioneer Day. Pioneer Day is an annual event that the Skiatook Chamber of Commerce hosts during the early fall. It is a weekend of carnival rides, great food, good music, supporting businesses and celebrating the town. But, it has an interesting history.
It all began with an event called Spavinaw Water Day. In 1935, Skiatook received water via the Spavinaw water line from Tulsa. Previously, the citizens had to use well or creek water, and it was inefficient and possibly hazardous. The introduction of this water line was a cause for celebration. So in 1936, the town hosted the very first Spavinaw Water Day. It pulled in massive crowds and some even came from as far as Seminole! And to top it all off, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys performed on a stage right in the middle of main street!
Since the 60's, the Chamber of Commerce has helped evolve the event into what it is today. By 1988, it had become Pioneer Days, meaning the festivities had expanded to multiple days. Once possible, the center of the festival was moved to Central Park. A 5k race was added to the schedule. Yet, even amongst the changes, the heart of the festival remains:
Skiatook has much to celebrate!
Above: The Grand Stand in the ‘Square’ (on main street) during Spavinaw Water Day in 1936. Crowds were estimated to be five to six thousand!
Left: The water tower used in the Spavinaw water system stands proudly as the people crowd around the Grand Stand in the ‘Square’ (1936)
The event died off during the second World War, but arose again as Progress Day in 1951, in order to preserve the tradition of celebrating the progress of the community after the town had acquired its own electricity distribution system. Year after year, the community continued to host this celebration because they had new things to be grateful for, including, the construction of Highway 20, sewage systems and more.
In 1966, the first annual Western Pioneer Day was established. By this point, Pioneer Day included fun events and contests including Hog Calling contests, terrapin derbies, baking contests, live music on main street (much like the first Spavinaw Water Day), speakers and a parade. Soon after, the two events combined into the Pioneer Day that exists now!
Above: Recent Pioneer Day Parade; each year, many people on horseback finish up the parade, still showcasing the western roots of the event.
Left: Recent Pioneer Day in Central Park; shows vendor booths, fair rides and food trucks.
