Portion Of I-35 In Guthrie Named For Oklahoma Couple

This grass alongside I-35 wasn’t right here when the freeway was deliberate, it was really the work of Clarence and Ethel Branch.

“Wouldn’t it be cool if we could get that section around Guthrie of I-35, named the Clarence and Ethel Branch, memorial highway,” stated Brent Stockwell, the grandson of Clarence and Ethel Branch.

In 1956 Eisenhower signed the federal freeway act to supply funding for the interstate freeway system as we all know it at this time.

“They had contracts for obviously building the highway but also for putting the grass along I-35 from Kansas to Texas,” stated Stockwell.

Clarence and Ethel Branch owned a gasoline station in Guthrie however had an concept for transporting grass

“If you think about 1956 and the late fifties, sod, and cutting sod, was really not done,” stated Stockwell.

They got the contract to plant grass alongside I-35 in Logan County and bought three farms within the Guthrie space to begin rising grass.

“My grandparents ended up being kind of pioneers in the process of growing sod and cutting it, rolling it, and then planting it elsewhere,” stated Stockwell.

For their contributions, a portion of I-35 in Guthrie now carries the title Clarence and Ethel Branch memorial freeway.

“Coming south on I-35, before you get to the first Guthrie exit there is a sign. And If you’re coming north once you pass Seward road before you get to the Guthrie exit, there is another sign there,” stated Stockwell.

For the household, this was really an enormous honor.

“They set up a sign reveal at the First Baptist Church in Guthrie and we had family from all over the country that flew in for this,” stated Stockwell.

Stockwell nonetheless remembers his feeling of household pleasure when he first noticed the indicators.

“I didn’t know what to expect, didn’t know if it was going to be a banner of some kind, no this is a seven-foo by three-foot sign,” stated Stockwell.

What does this imply to the household?

“It’s just legacy,” stated Stockwell.

Now ultimately there will probably be a QR code on this signal in addition to others, so individuals can really discover out concerning the Branches and anybody else with a stretch of freeway named after them