Welcome!
Stillwater is more than just a city; From its humble beginnings as a frontier settlement to its vibrant present as a bustling college town, Stillwater's narrative is as diverse as its inhabitants. Join us as we delve into the past, present, and future of this dynamic community, sharing the stories that make Stillwater truly unique.
The Storytellers
Meet Autumn Sterling and Jaycee Hampton, two dedicated journalists who are passionate about uncovering the stories of Stillwater, Oklahoma. With their keen investigative skills and commitment to truth, they bring to light the diverse voices and rich narratives that make up this vibrant community.
The Stories
Embrace the essence of Stillwater through its captivating stories: from tracing family legacies to the charitable spirit that unites its people, and even uncovering the secrets of tunnels beneath the university.
Restoring Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization established in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. Its mission is to construct affordable housing. Members of the Stillwater community go above and beyond to ensure those in need find comfort and stability, one act of kindness at a time. To learn more about Stillwater's division, visit https://www.stillwaterhabitat.org/
Family Tree
Embark on the captivating tale of Oklahoma State University Wrestling. Throughout generations, there are traces of extraordinary people offering unique perspectives on intertwined destinies. Hear Rick Lewis share the story of his father, Frank, and the tree passed down to him from the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Wrestling icon John Smith shares what inspiration passed down through history can do for a program. Current OSU wrestler Zach Blankenship gives insight into what it means to be coached by Cowboys who have always stuck together.
Posed with the tree from the Black Oak Forest
Posed with the tree from the Black Oak Forest
Rick's father, Frank Lewis, won an Olympic gold medal in Berlin, Germany, for Oklahoma A&M College in 1936. The games took place while Hitler was in power and he gifted each gold medalist a tree from the Black Oak Forest. The tree made its way from Germany, across the Atlantic Ocean, all the way to Stillwater. It has gone through phases of dying and thriving through the years before it finally ends up in the possession of Rick. Frank is in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He died in 1998 at 85-years-old.
Exploring OSU's Hidden History: Unveiling the Enigmatic Steam Tunnels Beneath Campus
Sometimes things are not better left unsaid.
Oklahoma State University has a collection of steam tunnels that run beneath the university's campus. The tunnels date back to the 1940s and continue to be a major part of the university's utility functions, managed by the Environmental Health and Safety Department (EHS).
When asked, most students are unaware that the tunnels exist. There is no information about them online, and there are no texts in the Edmon Low Library unless you ask for assistance from the librarian in the archives.
Senior Kate Contreras, an international business and management student never gave much thought to the tunnels, but now that she is aware of them, she has questions she wants answered.
Here is a map of Oklahoma State University. The red lines show where the underground tunnels are under campus.
“I have heard rumors (about the tunnels) but never really looked into it,” Contreas said. “I think it’s really interesting if there are any because I don’t think it is common knowledge. It gives off a creepy sensation because what is the purpose of those underground tunnels?”
The steam tunnels, which are a part of the university utility distribution system, carry out steam, condensate, and water to all buildings on campus. While its necessary functions help the university, it’s also extremely dangerous and there are unlimited ways to be injured in underground confined spaces. OSU offers safety training to ensure no student lets independent curiosity get the best of them.
“Absolutely I would consider safety training to see what’s down there,” Contreas said. “I would like to know if there is anything odd down there. By odd I mean operating rooms, the structure of the tunnels and how many entryways or exit points are there.”
Pictured above is an entrance to the underground tunnels, located in front of Boone Pickens Stadium.
Much like Contreas, the mystery of the tunnels brings curiosity and potential dangers for uninformed students. Because the EHS Department chooses to keep them quiet, it poses the question of what keeps students, faculty, staff and guests safest.
Is it smarter to let everyone go unaware and hope they don’t accidentally come across them, or train students and others on its dangers and heavily enforce punishments for trespassing?
Greg McKnight, interim distribution systems manager for utility distribution, has worked at OSU since 2010. After seven years working in the tunnels, an opportunity arose for him to step into the department's assistant supervisor position, ultimately leading him to where he is now.
“They (tunnels) are very interesting because it's like a whole little world down there,” McKnight said. “If you know what you're doing, you can walk from one side of campus to the other underground and nobody even knows you're there.”
The tunnels pose various dangers such as 300-degree Fahrenheit heat going out from the plant into the distribution system, under about 55 lbs of pressure with scolding hot pipes and lack of oxygen in some places. If it goes unmaintained, it will eventually break or blow up. How it is controlled goes through an effective system, managed by trained workers.
“Most of our tunnels are abandoned,” McKnight said. “They have vents and they would have exhaust fans throughout the system that pull air through the tunnels to prevent gases from building up in them, so we don't really have that problem. We never have but that's not to say that it couldn't happen. It's really important that anybody that would enter would need to have somebody with them that's trained and we always need to know when they're in there because interest of safety.”
Autumn Sterling (pictured) and Jaycee Hampton (photographer) toured the tunnels with assistance from confined space workers, Norman Howard and Josh Page.
After five hours in the hospital and 11 stitches later, Michael Charland, a junior architectural engineering student testifies to the dangers of trespassing in the tunnels.
“When crawling through a crawl space in the tunnels, there were weak ceiling tiles that I ended up caving on,” Charland said. “ Before I realized I found myself on small metal braces, and after an unstable hand placement, I found myself plummeting face-first into the ground about eight feet down. I was disoriented for a minute and found myself in the basement of a random building.”
The tunnels have different pathways that can take you about five to seven miles across campus. Not all of the pathways are easy to go through. Workers are normally crouching and stepping over things to continue their job. Many parts of the tunnel you have to crawl through, which can easily make people feel claustrophobic and it is harder to rescue someone if they are injured due to limited space.
Ángel Díaz Santana is a junior studying mechanical and aerospace engineering. He directly knows the implications of what follows when entering the steam tunnels illegally.
“Personally, I have never been into the tunnels,” Díaz Santana said. “I know and have heard of people going in. I have heard stories from people that got arrested to taking a friend to the hospital myself after he got seriously injured.”
Díaz Santana received a phone call from his two friends, one telling him to hurry to his dorm room because his other friend had to tell him something. Once he was there, he found himself in the middle of a dangerous campus mystery.
“When I walked in, my friend was covered in blood and just waved at me with a happy smile,” Díaz Santana said. “I freaked out and started to tell him to go to the hospital, to which he answered, “I refuse, it is too expensive and I can’t afford it.”
Michael Charland (left) and Angel Díaz Santana at the Stillwater Hospitial after Charland was injured at OSU's undergound tunnels.
“Without a flashlight and a good sense of direction, I would be much more hurt than when I walked out,” Charland said. “There were often random wires and plumbing rigs that were unfinished and very unsafe with big nails and screws poking out and some worn-out wires.”
Charland’s incident did not end fatally, but there is a huge possibility it could for anyone who tests the same luck he did. Charland said his hospital trip ended around 2 a.m., but he still managed to make his morning classes.
“Every professor that day due to the condition of my face made comments with concern for me and my priorities for my health,” Charland said. “However, they did not get the true story that you have.”
The Environmental Health and Safety Department knows being unaware explodes curiosity, and that is why they stress the importance of safety regarding entering a tunnel without proper training and PPE (personal protection equipment).
Everyone who regulates training or works in the tunnels themselves emphasized the importance of training and not going alone.
Greg Hogan, occupational safety training officer, conducts a multitude of safety training classes, such as confined spaces, bloodborne pathogens and fire safety.
He thoroughly takes his time to ensure each person taking a training class from him fully understands the dangers and how to help themselves when things go wrong.
Everyone who enters must complete an entry permit.
Michael Charland at Stillwater Hospital.
There is a minimum of three people who should supervise entry at all times. At least one person (attendant) shall remain outside the confined space in case of emergency.
“If you require permanent space entry into confined space, it’s not a one-person job,” Hogan said. “It requires a team of individuals to work together and also the knowledge and skills necessary to complete the job safely.”
Training questions and concerns can be located online at ehs.okstate.edu. When visiting the website, there are lists of their specific training classes available to everyone on campus. While training is offered if students seek it out, it is still not recommended to explore the tunnels due to their dangerous nature and it could potentially interfere with employees getting their daily work done.
Josh Page (left) and Norman Howard (right) in the underground tunnels after giving a tour.
“It doesn’t work that way, because it’s not designed for you to be in there for that type of activity,” Hogan said. “It’s designed to go in, get the job done. Get it done and get yourself out as quickly and as soon as you possibly can.”
All across campus, multiple entrances to the tunnels will remain unknown. Management said those who are caught trespassing will be held to the extent of the law. It is in everyone's best interest and safety that people follow the guidance of those managing.
To learn more about OSU's Environmental Health and Safety Department, visit https://ehs.okstate.edu/
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