State Highway 1, sometimes abbreviated as SH-1, is a highway maintained by the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

. It travels through the southeastern part of the state, nicknamed Little Dixie. SH-1 is signed east and west.

Route description

Madill to Ada

SH-1 eastbound begins at US-177/ SH-199 between Mannsville and Madill. It then winds northward to the town of Ravia, and becomes concurrent with SH-7 at through Mill Creek. Highway 7 splits off to the west soon after and SH-1 continues northward to

Hickory, Oklahoma Hickory is a town in Murray County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 87 at the 2000 census. Hickory was the birthplace and childhood home of Zack Mosley, the creator of the comic strip The Adventures of Smilin' Jack, an adventurous ...

and Roff. In Fitzhugh SH-1 becomes a multilane highway. It then becomes a freeway serving as part of a beltway around Ada. Through Ada it is briefly concurrent with US-377/ SH-99.

Ada to Calvin

After leaving Ada the highway becomes gradually more hilly and curvy, and turns northeast. Between the towns of

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...

and

Calvin Calvin may refer to: Names * Calvin (given name) ** Particularly Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States * Calvin (surname) ** Particularly John Calvin, theologian Places In the United States * Calvin, Arkansas, a hamlet * Calvi ...

, the road roughly follows the south bank of the

Canadian River The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .US-270 and intersects with US-75.

Calvin to Talihina

Through some parts of this section of the highway, the SH-1 signage is omitted in favor of US-270 signs. Continuing east, the highway passes just north of Stuart, Oklahoma and through Arpelar. It then intersects with the

Indian Nation Turnpike The Indian Nation Turnpike, also designated State Highway 375 (SH-375), is a toll road in southeastern Oklahoma, United States, running between Hugo and Henryetta, Oklahoma, a distance of . It is the longest tollway in the state. Route descrip ...

just west of the McAlester city limits. Through McAlester the street is also signed as

Carl Albert Carl Bert Albert (May 10, 1908 – February 4, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 46th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977 and represented Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district as a ...

Parkway. East of McAlester the road continues as a four-lane road (much of it divided) connecting many small towns east of the city: Krebs, Alderson, Bache, Dow, Haileyville, and Hartshorne. West of Hartshorne US-270 splits off from SH-1 and it continues east concurrent with SH-63. For SH-1 and SH-63 overlap State Highway 2. Here the road continues east and becomes even more hilly and curvy as it heads toward the

Winding Stair Mountains The Winding Stair Mountains is a mountain ridge located within the state of Oklahoma in Le Flore County, north of Talihina, Choctaw Nation. Description The ridge is part of a larger mountain range, the Ouachita Mountains, which is itself a subs ...

. From this point forward, the road contains a large number of hairpin turns – some even as drastic as 180-degrees. At Talihina SH-63 splits off to the south and US-271 merges on to the highway for .

The Talimena Drive

Oklahoma State Highway 1 - AR-OK State Line

8 miles (12.8 km) northeast of Talihina, SH-1 splits off of US-271. This begins the final 26 miles (41 km) of the highway, officially named the Talimena Drive because it runs from Talihina to

Mena, Arkansas Mena ( ) is a city in Polk County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the county seat of Polk County. The population was 5,558 as of the 2020 census. Mena is included in the Ark-La-Tex socio-economic region. Surrounded by the Ouachita National ...

. This highway, a National Scenic Byway since January 2005, runs through the

Ouachita National Forest The Ouachita National Forest is a vast congressionally-designated National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of extreme-eastern Oklahoma, USA. History The Ouachita National Forest is the oldest National Forest in t ...

and the Winding Stair Mountains, and has no shoulders. It features special 'vistas' – parking lots placed off the road at especially scenic parts of the highway. At either end of the Talimena Drive, signs are posted stating that the highway is closed during cold and foggy conditions, and that no snow control is provided. The height of the mountain peaks on the Drive causes the oaks and pines to grow so much slower and shorter than the rest of Southeast Oklahoma. On a hot summer day, the winds on the Talimena Drive may be a good 10 degrees cooler than other nearby locations. SH-1 ends at the

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...

state line. The roadbed continues on as Highway 88, toward Queen Wilhelmina State Park and the city of Mena, Arkansas.

History

State Highway 1 was historically an entrance into Indian Territory from the state of Arkansas. The Oklahoma Choctaw came to these mountain tops in the early 1830s. Stage coach robbers, train robbers and bank robbers all came to hide on these mountain peaks bringing in their horses for much needed breaks. Horse Thief Springs is marked at its vista where one can still rest before continuing down the Drive. SH-1 is the latest of many Oklahoma state highways assigned the number 1. The current route opened in 1969. In this case, the number 1 was assigned due to the scenery along the highway.

Junction list

References

External links

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SH-1 at OKHighwaysTalimena Scenic DriveTwisties of the Talimena Drive

001 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: * 1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valky ...

Ada, Oklahoma Transportation in Marshall County, Oklahoma Transportation in Johnston County, Oklahoma Transportation in Murray County, Oklahoma Transportation in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma Transportation in Hughes County, Oklahoma Transportation in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma Transportation in Latimer County, Oklahoma Transportation in Le Flore County, Oklahoma