St Francis Church - Canute, Oklahoma, USA.
N 35° 25.307 W 099° 16.289
14S E 475354 N 3919852
A group of historical markers alongside an old alignment of Route 66 in Canute, a small virtual ghost town in Washita County, Oklahoma.
Waymark Code: WMNGWX
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 03/15/2015
Views: 8
The Marker text reads:
ST FRANCIS CHURCH
ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI CHURCH TWO MILES SOUTH AND TWO MILES EAST OF PRESENT DAY CANUTE WAS AN IMPORTANT OUTPOST OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA. FOUNDED BY FATHER STEBER IN 1899 IT SERVED AS THE MOTHER PARISH OF THE WEST, FROM WHICH MISSIONARY PRIESTS MINISTERED TO CHURCHES IN MAGNUM, SAYRE, CHEYENNE, ANTHON, THOMAS, ELK CITY, CLINTON, CORDELL, HOBART, AND CANUTE.
ANOTHER CHURCH, HOLY FAMILY, WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1926 TO SERVE THE PARISHONERS OF CANUTE. THE CHURCH BUILDING STILL STANDS ON THE CORNER OF OLD ROUTE 66 AND 9TH STREET.
THE HERITAGE OF PLAINS CHRISTIANITY IS EMBODIED IN THE GROTTO AND THE BRONZE CRUCIFIXCION GROUP BUILT IN 1928 BY THE PARISHONERS OF HOLY FAMILY CHURCH OF CANUTE. THE GROTTO SERVES AS A MONUMENT TO THE SETTLERS OF WESTERN OKLAHOMA WHO STRUGGLED WITH TORNADOES, DROUGHT, AND BLUE NORTHERS TO ESTABLISH A PROSPEROUSE COMMUNITY WHILE MAINTAINING THEIR BELIEFS.
THE STONE FOR THE TOMB WAS HAULED FROM THE RED RIVER AND THE NATIVE RED GRANITE IS FROM GRANITE A TOWN 40 MILES TO THE SOUTHWEST.
"Canute was established in the early 1900s and located on the now-defunct Rock Island Railroad. Following the advent of the automobile, Canute became a popular stop along U.S. Route 66 and a large number of tourist businesses including gasoline service stations, motels and restaurants. However, when Interstate 40 bypassed the small village to the north in May, 1970 and received only one exit from the freeway, the local economy went into a decline due to the bypass and the concurrent closure of nearby Clinton-Sherman Air Force base at Burns Flat, leading most of those businesses to shut down. Today, Canute businesses include a bank and auto repair shop on Route 66, a strip bar,[3] along with a gas station/convenience store and a motel at the I-40 interchange." text Source: (
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