Ghost Town: Fallis, Oklahoma
by Brian A. Hopkins
October 2009

With Halloween fast approaching, I thought it only appropriate to visit a few of Oklahoma's ghost towns and haunted locales.

First up is Fallis, Oklahoma (all right, all you smart asses, note that Fallis is not spelled with a "ph"). You can find it easily enough by plugging it into Google Maps. My Garmin Zumo also knew where the town was located. I chose to ride my Dakar because I wasn't sure what sort of terrain I would have to cross, but getting to Fallis was all on easy dirt and gravel roads.

This home would have been right on the main drag. A weed-choked, crumbling sidewalk remains ... and a gate leading to a yard not at all ready for a Better Homes and Gardens spread.

According to several sources, Fallis was

an agricultural center, a railroad town, and an oil community ... it was the home of five nationally recognized authors, plus two well-known state poets. The original natural setting was beautiful, and, as one author noted, it was a source of inspiration. Founded in 1892 ... Fallis developed as an agricultural trade center. Cotton was the principal crop, and two cotton gins were in operation. In 1902 the Katy railroad built through Fallis when completing its line from Bartlesville to Oklahoma City. In 1903 the Katy built a line from Fallis to Guthrie. Also in 1903, the tracks of the Fort Smith and Western Railroad from Fort Smith to Guthrie crossed the Katy line at Fallis, making the community a trans-shipment center ... The first oil well drilled in Lincoln County, in 1904, was near Fallis ... At the time of statehood Fallis had a population of about 350. Four general stores, a bakery, two lumberyards, two blacksmith shops, three hotels, a bank, two doctors, and four saloons, as well as other businesses, attested to the importance of Fallis as a trade center ...Fallis today is, for the most part, in shambles ... The Fort Smith and Western and a part of the Katy railroads have long been abandoned, and the remainder of the Katy tracks are unused. Two remaining brick buildings, which are falling apart, and the old bank vault still stand in the former business district along with the closed post office. The dozen homes remaining give evidence of the town’s demise. Streets are almost impassable, and yards are uncared for and full of weeds.

Yeah, that about sums it up.

Why did everyone leave Fallis to wither and die? And why did they leave so much behind? I was there for several hours and saw absolutely no one -- just a few dogs and a truck that passed without stopping.

Here -- in multiple blog entries -- are some of the things I saw. Subtitle it "Entropy at Work" or "Oklahoma Reclaims its Own." It's spooky how quickly Mother Nature can erase any trace of us pesky humans!

Sit on your swing in the evenings and watch the traffic on Main Street.

For Sale: Used Van ... only driven to church on Sundays.

Is that a face in the upstairs window? The ghosts of Fallis are waiting for your visit.

Guess they didn't need their boat when they left?

The front porch is in slight need of repair.

Nice place for the bed on a warm summer evening...

Buildings not in total disrepair, like the one above, sported padlocks on the front door ... perhaps they're still occupied?

Others have clearly been abandoned for quite some time...

...leaving many of the former residents' worldly possessions to rot in the weather.

Did they leave without even a pot to piss in?

Outhouses were apparently the norm in Fallis.

Probably still serviceable, eh?

Tired of cooking for an ungrateful family? Drag your stove out in the yard and put a few rounds of buckshot into it.

Clearly there are still some residents in Fallis. If not, and that Toyota is abandoned, I want it!

The old bank vault on main street.

You can see the big iron door on the ground in front of the vault. It was too heavy to lift.

 

Vehicles left to rust.

Click HERE to continue your tour of Fallis.