On Monday, August 12th, the Creek County Sheriff’s Office responded to a request from the United States Air Force. According to Undersheriff Joe Thompson, the request involved what the Air Force Search and Rescue Department called “an unregistered plane beacon notification.”
What made the request even more strange was that the mystery beacon was coming from somewhere in Camp Okiwanee, located just north of the Hwy 33/66 junction near the Turner Turnpike.
The campground is currently under the ownership of the Sapulpa Chamber Foundation, which had to be contacted to access the grounds. Afterward, the CCSO was joined by Sapulpa Police and Oklahoma Highway Patrol for a search-and-possible rescue effort as they investigated the source of the signal. EMS units were also on standby.
Ultimately, after a few hours of searching with boots on the ground and drone surveillance, the Air Force determined there was nothing to find, and released everyone back to their normal duties. According to the CCSO, the Air Force was able to set the beacon to “expire,” causing it to stop showing up on their system.
The idea of a mysterious beacon sounding off might seem like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it happens more often than you might think. “It’s not that common for this area, but my understanding is that it’s not that uncommon,” Thompson told Sapulpa Times during a phone call to discuss the situation. Thompson explained that most of the time, beacons like this one are registered to some type of aircraft, and “they wanted us to check it out to make sure there wasn’t an emergency happening,” he said.
Camp Okiwanee sits on 40 acres adjacent to the old Sapulpa Reservoir just north of the Turner Turnpike where Highways 33 and 66 meet. The property has been around for more than 70 years, often being used for various community and private functions, including reunions, weddings, and the like. In a Facebook post from a few years ago about Camp Director Michael Thompson, local writer and historian Don Diehl said ballroom dancing was held at the camp in the 1950s. Most recently, both the Boy Scouts and Camp Fire groups used the camp for fall festivals, outdoor activities like fishing and archery, and of course, for camping.
Camp Okiwanee officially closed in March of this year after Camp Fire suspended activities there.
