The Cherokee Strip Museum in Alva is located at the corner of Oklahoma Boulevard and 14th Street in the old Alva Hospital Building. The building is a Depression Era Deco Structure which served as Alva’s General Hospital for many years until the new Share Memorial Hospital was constructed on the south edge of town. Additional structures comprise the complex; including an historic one room school house which has been accurately restored, and a farm machinery area and barn. The museum is full of late 1800s and early 1900s items, early-day pioneering memorabilia, and photos of early Woods County. Each September, the museum staff and board host the annual Cherokee Strip Land Run and Heritage Day event which features period demonstrations, Dutch-oven cooking, children’s games, music on the grounds, and museum tours.

Of particular interest is the World War II POW Camp room which displays artifacts of the German POW Camp that was built on the south edge of Alva during World War II. The camp housed upwards of 4,500 German POWs at its peak. Today, the remains of the officers’ club and the iconic tower can still be viewed at the Woods County Fairgrounds. Also, the POW Camp room houses a video filmed by a local individual of the recent arrivals of POWs being marched from the train depot to the camp. A POW Camp Walking Trail which follows the general route of the marches from the depot to the camp has been constructed. Signage and a rest stop for the trail will be in place by the summer of 2010.

The Cherokee Strip Museum in Alva is open Tuesday through Sunday 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. although group tours may be arranged at other times by contacting the museum office. The phone number is 580-327-2030. There is no admission charged, although donations are graciously accepted.

1400 Oklahoma Blvd. and 14th Street
Alva, Oklahoma 73717
Hours of Operation:  Tuesday-Sunday 2:00 to 5:00 and other times by appointment
Home of the Alva WWII POW Camp Collection and Cherokee Strip Land Run Collection.