McAlester ninth grade Eastern Oklahoma State College GEAR UP students recently toured the Atoka Museum and Civil War Cemetery, giving students an in-depth knowledge of Oklahoma history.
Students participated in an outdoor walking tour of the Civil War Cemetery, learning about the history of the Civil War in Southeast Oklahoma. The cemetery was first established by travelers on the Butterfield stage road when measles swept through the area. Students also toured the museum, which includes history of Atoka County, such as displays of legendary bull rider, Lane Frost, and country music entertainer, Reba McEntire, who are originally from the area. The property is managed by the Atoka Historical Society, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Attending the tour were: James Briggs, Javen Coleman, Colin Detels, Joel Ford, James Harler, Jacob Hass, Aden Hayes, Dakota Hunnicutt, Keaton Impson, Evan Jackson, Connor Jordan, Kaston Kirkpatrick, Castan Macy, Angel Melchor Garcia, Jhovany Merado, Nickolas Michael, Tripp Miller, Yahan Molina, Cristo Monreal, Josh Pilkerton, William Powell, Luke Reeves, Nolan Rice, Rhylan Riddel, Johnathan Riggins, Collin Sanders, Timmy Sims, Tristan Smith, Crispin Stacey, Robert Stillwell, JeShaud Washington, Gage Whorton, Ethan Wynn, and Jeromey Zimmerman
The field trip was sponsored by Eastern Oklahoma State College GEAR UP. Eastern received a $17 million federal GEAR UP grant in 2017, and will serve more than 3,000 students in 39 area schools for seven years.
