It’s the Busiest Season for Oklahoma’s Oldest Business

When you start to think about what Oklahoma's oldest business could be, you probably envision one of two things. It's either an early oil company or some long-lived family cattle ranch, right?

Wrong. The tale of Oklahoma's oldest business is unbelievably unassuming.

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It's the story of a man from Mississippi, the youngest of ten children, who decided his life would be greater than farming in the sticky delta dirt.

Benton Clark took a leap at 18 years old and moved to Abilene, Texas. His older brother was a jeweler and like all businesses, always looking for good help. It was there that Benton Clyde learned everything he could about jewelry, particularly watchmaking and repair.

In the Old West, that was more than an in-demand skill. It was the type of trade that could take a person anywhere in the world.

After a few years under his brother's wing, Benton decided he would take another leap into Indian Territory. With his tools and his entire life savings of $50, he boarded a train North to Chickasha to build his own brand in the expanding territory.

If you're trying to tie "old jewelry store" to "Chickasha" at this point and coming up short, there's a reason for that. Benton never made it to Chickasha.

By the time he hopped off the train at Purcell with plans to catch another back Southwest to his final destination, Benton realized his wallet was missing. His entire $50 life savings was gone.

Broke and busted in Indian Territory

What would you do in a situation like that? Most people might just give up and scurry on home with their tale tucked between their legs, but not Benton.

As luck would have it, he ran into someone he knew from Abilene... and just as lucky, he ran a five-and-dime store (think first-generation Dollar General). He allowed Benton to set up in his store to help him get on his feet.

In 1892, Benton Clyde Clark officially realized his dream and opened his first store. The sign read "B.C. Clark: The Big Watch Jeweler."

Yes, this B.C. Clark.

It's also worth noting, while B.C. Clark is the oldest company in Oklahoma, it's also the youngest company of every states oldest... Like, on the list of old companies in America, Oklahoma's B.C. Clark is the "newest."

There is more to the story too, which you can read about here on B.C. Clark's website or on Wikipedia. It's a fascinating true Oklahoma original story.