Guthrie Webcam – Oklahoma’s First Capital in Red Brick

The Guthrie Webcam looks east along Oklahoma Avenue in Guthrie, Oklahoma, the town that served as capital of Oklahoma Territory and then as the first capital of the new state. From an upper floor on the right-hand side of the street, the camera takes in a row of red brick commercial blocks from the territorial years, angled parking along the curb and down the middle of the avenue, and globe street lamps along both sidewalks. Near the top of the rise, a white dome stands above the rooftops, and the pale front of the Scottish Rite Temple closes the view. Because the camera faces east, the morning sun comes up behind the far end of the avenue, and by late afternoon the light falls across the storefronts on the left.

About Guthrie

Guthrie began at noon on April 22, 1889, when cannons signaled the start of the Land Run of 1889 and settlers raced to claim land in a section of Indian Territory. About 10,000 people settled in what became the capital on that first day. Guthrie served as capital of Oklahoma Territory from 1890, and when Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907, it became the first state capital. In 1910, state voters chose the larger Oklahoma City instead, and Guthrie’s commercial growth stalled, which is the main reason so much of its territorial downtown survives. Today it is the seat of Logan County, with 10,749 residents at the 2020 census, an elevation of 320 meters (1,040 feet), and Oklahoma City about 51 kilometers (32 miles) to the south.

The storefronts in frame belong to the Guthrie Historic District, whose commercial core between Oklahoma Avenue and Harrison Avenue was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1999. Most of its contributing buildings went up between 1889 and 1910, in Late Victorian, Italianate, Romanesque and Classical Revival styles, and the architect Joseph Pierre Foucart designed many of them. On the left of the picture, one block carries gilded onion-shaped finials, the Gaffney name and the year 1890 along its parapet. The wider historic district counts more than 2,000 buildings across some 400 city blocks.

The two landmarks at the far end of the avenue tell the story of the lost capital. The domed Carnegie Library at 406 East Oklahoma Avenue opened on May 20, 1903, the second Carnegie-funded library in Oklahoma and the oldest one still standing, and since 1973 it has been part of the Oklahoma Territorial Museum. Beyond it, the Scottish Rite Temple stands on a 10 acre (4 hectare) plot first named Capitol Park. Its East Annex was built by the city in 1908 as Convention Hall for the state legislature, which met there for one regular session in 1909 and a special session in 1910 before the capital moved away.

Weather and Climate in Guthrie

Guthrie has hot summers and cool winters. July averages highs of 35 C (96 F) and lows of 22 C (71 F), and August runs almost as hot, so summer afternoons on the camera tend to show hard light on the brick and deep shadow under the awnings. January is the coldest month, with highs around 9 C (48 F) and lows near minus 4 C (25 F), so frost is common on winter mornings. The town averages about 840 millimeters (32.9 inches) of precipitation a year, but January brings only around 30 millimeters (1.2 inches).

Spring and autumn are the mild seasons. April highs reach about 24 C (74 F) with lows near 10 C (49 F), and May is the wettest month, averaging 127 millimeters (5.0 inches), so wet pavement and low cloud over the temple are most likely in late spring. October is one of the most comfortable months, with highs around 24 C (76 F) and lows near 10 C (51 F), and December cools back down to highs of about 11 C (51 F) and lows just under freezing.

Things to Do Near Guthrie

Much of what there is to see sits within a short walk of the camera. The Oklahoma Territorial Museum, which took over the Carnegie Library building near the end of the avenue in 1973, is the place to start on the territorial years. A few blocks further up, the Scottish Rite Temple on the old Capitol Park site is the largest and most elaborate Masonic temple in the state. Downtown, the Pollard Theatre Company, Oklahoma’s oldest year-round professional theatre company, stages six or more plays and musicals a year, with A Territorial Christmas Carol as its holiday tradition. Carriage tours and replica trolley cars run through the Victorian streets, and the town calls itself the bed and breakfast capital of Oklahoma.

Music is the other big draw. The Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival brings about 15,000 visitors a year, and the bluegrass musician Byron Berline is among the town’s best-known names. Summit View Cemetery holds the grave of Bill Doolin, the outlaw who founded the Wild Bunch. South of town lie Liberty Lake and Guthrie Lake, a short drive from the brick streets. Film fans may know Guthrie from The Killer Inside Me (2010) and Cameron Crowe’s Elizabethtown (2005), both shot partly in the city.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Guthrie located?

Guthrie is in central Oklahoma, the seat of Logan County, about 51 kilometers (32 miles) north of Oklahoma City. The camera overlooks Oklahoma Avenue in the historic downtown.

What can you see on the Guthrie Webcam?

The camera looks east along Oklahoma Avenue, past red brick storefronts from the territorial era, angled parking and globe street lamps, toward the domed Carnegie Library and the Scottish Rite Temple at the top of the street.

What is the weather like in Guthrie?

Summers are hot, with July highs around 35 C (96 F), and winters are cool, with January lows near minus 4 C (25 F). May is the wettest month, and the town averages about 840 millimeters (32.9 inches) of precipitation a year.

Was Guthrie the capital of Oklahoma?

Yes. Guthrie was capital of Oklahoma Territory from 1890 and became the first state capital at statehood on November 16, 1907. Voters moved the capital to Oklahoma City in 1910.

What is the domed building in downtown Guthrie?

The white dome near the end of Oklahoma Avenue belongs to the Carnegie Library, which opened in 1903 and is now part of the Oklahoma Territorial Museum. The larger white building beyond it is the Scottish Rite Temple.

What is Guthrie, Oklahoma known for?

Guthrie is known for its preserved Victorian downtown, a National Historic Landmark since 1999, its role as the first state capital, bed and breakfast inns, the Pollard Theatre Company and the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival.

Who operates the Guthrie Webcam?

The camera is part of the SkyCam network run by KFOR-TV, Oklahoma’s News 4, whose logo appears in the corner of the player.

Source: KFOR-TV Oklahoma’s News 4