Town file
Oakley, Kansas
Oakley, Kansas (Logan County, Kansas) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 221, "Hitchhikers, Drifters & Necrophiliacs" (29 April 2021). Oakley is a small town in western Kansas, about four hours from Denver, covering 1.93 square miles across Logan, Thomas and Gove counties.
- Town
- Oakley
- County
- Logan County
- State
- Kansas
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 221
- Approximate location
- 39.123, -100.845
Episode 221 / 29 April 2021 / 161 min / full
Hitchhikers, Drifters & Necrophiliacs
"James: 'we're going to Oakley, Kansas', in western Kansas; the town sits in Logan, Thomas and Gove counties" about 0:05:35
The case: Murder of Alice Pepperl (December 7, 1988); Attack on Oliver and Vicey Teal (bonus story) (May 21st to 22nd, 1990). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2021
- Population
- 1,855
- Median age
- almost 42
- Median household income
- a little under $48,000
- Median home value
- $89,100
- Two-bedroom rent
- $672
- Cost of living
- 73.6
- Religious
- 82.4%
- Property crime
- ▼ about half
- Violent crime
- ▼ about half
History, in brief
- Oakley covers 1.93 square miles and lies in three counties: Logan, Thomas and Gove. about 0:06:54
- The town's motto is 'Where the hell are we? Seriously, did I make a wrong turn? My Google Maps doesn't even work out here.' about 0:07:34
- The town was first settled in the 1870s and 1880s by travellers from the Smoky Hill Trail. about 0:08:00
- The Smoky Hill Trail crossed the central Great Plains, mainly Kansas, from the mid-1850s to about 1870, and was the most direct route to the Pikes Peak gold rush in Colorado. about 0:08:36
- The town was founded by Judge Fredman and David Hogue and was originally named Carlyle, then Cleveland. about 0:09:13
- It was renamed Oakley in 1885, after David Hogue's mother, Elizabeth Oakley Gardner Hogue. about 0:10:26
- One of the first businesses was a bank; a school district was set up in 1890. about 0:10:52
- In 1904 the early town burned to the ground and was rebuilt in brick and concrete; many of those buildings of about 1910 still stand. about 0:11:23
- The high school teams are the Oakley Plainsmen; their championships include wrestling in 1974, boys basketball in 1976, girls cross country and girls basketball in 2005 and 2007, and volleyball four years running in the early 1980s. about 0:12:27
- The Fick Fossil and History Museum has large Kansas dinosaur fossils, old tools, mineral specimens and shell and mineral folk art, and is free. about 0:13:20
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Plenty of food and drink options, usually good customer service, and usually somewhere to get whatever you crave."about 0:14:17
5 stars
"Local businesses are very helpful; the reviewer can always find what they need and everyone is friendly."about 0:14:41
2 stars
"A student looking for a part-time job applied for six or more jobs and was not contacted back."about 0:15:14
3 stars
"Enjoyed their time at high school; no cliques and everyone got along."about 0:15:43
3 stars
"A weather rundown: windy in all seasons, hot summers with thunderstorms, cold winters with snow and sometimes blizzards."about 0:16:14
1 star
"Titled 'should be condemned': door could be pushed away from the frame when locked, tiles falling off the bathroom wall, run-down furniture, a bed so soft it was uncomfortable and a comforter that smelled of body odour; $55 a night."about 0:18:08
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- McCook, Nebraska76 miles
- Great Bend, Kansas122 miles
- Sutherland, Nebraska141 miles
- Guide Rock, Nebraska149 miles
- Hutchinson, Kansas175 miles
- Kingman, Kansas180 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.