Oklahoma Centennial Farm & Ranch Program
About the Program
In 1989 the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture established the Oklahoma Centennial Farm & Ranch Program to recognize those families who have continuously occupied their land and carried out farming or ranching operations for at least 100 years. Governor Henry Bellmon received the first application from H.C. Hitch Jr., owner of the Hitch Ranch. Since 1989 more than 1,600 families have received recognition through the program. Additionally, historic structures awards are given if four or more buildings or structures more than fifty years old remain on the land; this award helps identify historic buildings, structures, sites, districts, and objects associated with Oklahoma’s farming and ranching industries and has led to the listing of farms and ranches in the National Register of Historic Places.
To qualify for the program, a family must:
- have occupied their land for at least 100 years
- be a working farm or ranch of at least forty acres
- generate at least $1,000 in annual sales
- be operated by, lived on by, or leased out by a family member
The Oklahoma Historical Society receives and reviews program applications throughout the year. Each qualifying family receives a special certificate and has the opportunity to purchase a metal sign for display on their farm or ranch. For further information, contact Shea Otley at 405-522-4485 or Shea.Otley@history.ok.gov.
Oklahoma Centennial Farm & Ranch Properties
Search and view the list of award recipients.
Information for Award Recipients
Update Your Contact Information
Help us keep your property's records current by updating your contact information online.
Property Questionnaire
Share information about your family's history by completing this questionnaire. This questionnaire is optional and will have no effect on your acceptance into the program; however, we are interested in collecting as much information as possible about the lives of the farm and ranch families who have played such a vital role in Oklahoma’s development.
Complete our property history questionnaire.
Genealogy Questionnaire
We have initiated a project mapping the settlement patterns of our Oklahoma Centennial Farm & Ranch families. The goal of this project is to document the communities developed by groups of people as they settled across the state and to identify the histories associated with each.
Complete our genealogy questionnaire.
Oral Histories
The Oklahoma State University’s Oklahoma Oral History Research Program conducted more than seventy interviews with Oklahoma Centennial Farm & Ranch Program families. Visit the Centennial Farm Families Oral History Project to learn more and listen to interviews.
Already a Recipient and Need a Sign?
Please send a check for $75 made payable to the Oklahoma Historical Society to:
Shea Otley, State Historic Preservation Office, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105. Please include the name and county of your property, along with an address to which the sign can be shipped (PO boxes are not acceptable).
NOTE: This is only for current Oklahoma Centennial Farm & Ranch Program recipients. If you are not a recipient, please choose the application above and apply to see if you are eligible.
Commemorative Book
Oklahoma Centennial Farms & Ranches (2019) is still available from Acclaim Press for $59.95. For more information, please contact Acclaim Press at 573-472-9800 ext 11 or customerservice@acclaimpress.com.
