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Oklahoma State
Game Warden Memorials
Charles W. Estes (1870-1911)
Charles
Estes became a Deputy State Game Warden on January 1, 1911. He was
around 40 years old. He went to work on 2-26-1911 near the Turkey Mountain
area south of Tulsa. Estes went to investigate a report of hunting
on a Sunday, which was illegal at the time. That afternoon, a nearby
resident heard two shots, and as he approached the direction of the
shots, he found a horse later identified as Estes’.
He soon discovered Estes’ body which had one gunshot wound in
the abdomen. Officials arrived at the scene and discovered a shell
casing and several footprints. As the investigation progressed, in
March of 1911 a Tulsa County Deputy was killed in a racial uprising
and the investigation was discontinued. Estes’ murder was never
solved.
On June 3, 2001 a memorial service took place on the
banks of the Arkansas River near where Estes perished. A large plaque
mounted on a rock gives permanent testimony to memory of Charles W.
Estes, the first Oklahoma Game Warden to die in the line of duty.
