Historical Marker Program

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President Franklin D. Roosevelt Stops at Vinita Katy Railroad Depot

Craig County
Location: 319 East Illinois, Vinita, OK
Material: Aluminum
Topics: Early Statehood, 1907–1941; Government; Water

On June 13th, 1936, President Roosevelt stopped his re-election special train in Vinita to honor citizens' request to help fund construction of the Grand River Dam. A large, rowdy crowd estimated at 5,000 greeted him.
President Roosevelt thanked the crowd for arranging the event and said he would see what he could do about it when he returned to Washington, D.C.
In September 1937, he signed legislation for $20 million to fund the project. Construction began in February 1938. The dam was finished in 1940 and the lake filled by the end of summer.
Grand Lake O' the Cherokees has 1,300 miles of scenic shoreline and approximately 50,000 surface acres of water. The dam is located on State Highway 28 near Langley, Oklahoma, some 14 miles southeast of this site.