The Oklahoma Traveler in No Man's Land, the Oklahoma Panhandle, Part 1. KOTV/Tulsa, Feb. 19, 1997.

It always seemed to me that we in the media, and really most everyone else, ignored the Oklahoma Panhandle, three counties that hang off the western edge of the state and give it its distinctive frying pan shape. Not too many people live out there. The weather conditions are harsh. The distances are long. And there's no oceanfront property or soaring mountain ranges. It was the bullseye of the terrible environmental and economic turmoil of the Dustbowl years, and if anyone thinks about the Panhandle, it's probably in that context. But there's a lot more history out there, and a lot of hard-working, fascinating characters. So along with photojournalist Grant Gerondale, I went looking for some stories. The Oklahoma Traveler in No Man's Land had three parts to it, and in this, Part 1, we meet some of the characters I ran across, including Dan Sharp, who oversaw "Autograph Rock" where passing pioneers carved their names, Randall Bensch, who offered roadside weather forecasts, and the good folks of Kenton, the only Oklahoma town that observes Mountain Time. The Oklahoma Traveler in No Man's Land, Part 1, was broadcast on KOTV/Tulsa, on February 19, 1997.