Slapout, Oklahoma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Slapout, Oklahoma
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 Slapout, Oklahoma
Location in Oklahoma
Slapout, Oklahoma
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Beaver |
| Elevation | 2,450 ft (750 m) |
| Population
(2000)
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| • Total | 4 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
Slapout is a very small place in Beaver County, Oklahoma, United States. It is called an unincorporated hamlet. This means it's a small community that doesn't have its own local government. Slapout is located between the towns of May and Elmwood along U.S. Route 412.
The Story of Slapout
The land where Slapout is located was first settled by Joseph L. Johnston. He claimed the land from the government in 1904. This was three years before Oklahoma officially became a state.
How Slapout Got Its Name
During the Great Depression, a major economic downturn, a man named Tom Lemmons bought Johnston's land. A new road, Oklahoma State Highway 3, was being built across Oklahoma. Tom decided to move a chicken coop to the side of this new highway. He turned the coop into a small store.
Tom told a newspaper that he started the store because he had nothing else to do during the Depression. He wanted to create a new town. He first named his town Nye. This name honored Gerald Nye, a U.S. Senator from North Dakota. Senator Nye was known for his progressive ideas.
The name "Slapout" came from a local story. Customers at Tom's store would often hear his sister say the store was "slap out" of whatever they wanted. This meant they had run out of that item. Tom Lemmons always said his sister never used that phrase. But the name "Slapout" became popular anyway.
People even joked that the south side of the highway could be "Slapout." The north side, where Tom's store was, could be "Nye Out."
The Tornado and the Name Change
Tom Lemmons finally gave up on the name Nye after a tornado hit the town. The tornado only destroyed his "Nye" sign. After that, both sides of the highway became known as Slapout.
At one point, Slapout had about 10 people living there. It even had another store called Hagan Grocery. Tom Lemmons also built a special building to show off his rock collection.
Today, the gas station in Slapout is a common stop for people traveling from Tulsa or Oklahoma City to Colorado. The town was also featured in a newspaper story in the 1970s.
