For Immediate Release:
April 26, 2004
Butterfield Stage at Boggy Depot” Painting Dedicated
Senator Charles
Ford announced the dedication of another original painting
depicting a moment in Oklahoma’s rich history. The
painting, titled “The Butterfield Stage at Boggy Creek”
by artist Joe Beeler of Sedona, Arizona, was unveiled during
a ceremony in the Senate Chamber this afternoon.
“This is an exceptional piece that displays the simplicity
of an earlier time, a time with no automobiles or planes,”
said Senator Ford, President of the Senate Historical Preservation
Fund, Inc. “It’s an interesting story about
one of the first postal delivering services in the U.S.
Few people realize that Butterfield Stage had major stops
in southeastern Oklahoma.”
The Butterfield Overland Mail Company was formed in 1858
when John Butterfield won a government contract to carry
mail from St. Louis to San Francisco twice a week. Boggy
Depot was one of the stops in Oklahoma for the stage line.
When the citizens of Texas voted to secede from the Union,
the southern mail route was discontinued in favor of a more
northerly route, but the old Butterfield Road was later
used by both the Confederate and the Union armies.
“Boggy Depot remains a major tourist attraction. Not
only was it the site of the depot, but it’s where
our state’s name was born,” said Ford. “Boggy
Depot was home to Chief Allen Wright, principal chief of
the Choctaw Nation, who suggested the word “Oklahoma”
or “Home of the Red Man” in 1866 as the name
for the proposed Indian Territory; and in 1907, it became
the official state name.”
The painting is a gift from William E. Lobeck and wife,
Kathryn Taylor. Lobeck is President and CEO of Vanguard
Car Rental USA Inc. and the operator of National and Alamo
car rental companies. Kathryn Taylor currently serves as
Secretary of Commerce and Tourism for the State of Oklahoma.
The couple has always taken a substantial interest in promoting
art in the state. They both serve on the Board of Directors
of the Philbrook and Gilcrease Museums of Art.
The artist, Joe Beeler is considered a pioneer in the field
of Western art. In 1965, Joe Beeler helped found the Cowboy
Artists of America, the organization credited with inspiring
the popularity of west art today. His art has been exhibited
in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Charles M. Russell
Museum, the Heard Museum, and the Institute of Texas Cultures,
among others.
Special guests, Clarke and Jacqueline McEntire attended
the ceremony. The historical mail route runs through the
middle of their ranch in Stringtown. The McEntire’s
are the parents of internationally-renowned country singer,
Reba McEntire.
The Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund dedicated
the artwork to the memory of Joe’s wife, Sharon Beeler,
who passed away earlier this month.
This and other art commissioned by the Oklahoma State Senate
Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. can be found on the Internet
at: http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/welcome.html.
For
more information contact:
Senate
Communications Office - (405) 521-5774
