NORMAN — When driving north on Highway 77 into Noble — near Bell Creek — there’s a sign on the east side of the road that says, “Historical Marker 1 Mile.” But there’s no historical marker anywhere to be found.

Famed author of Rip Van Winkle and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving traveled through central Oklahoma in 1832. Some seem to think that he camped in Noble and that’s what the historical marker commemorated.

When Robin Parker, Noble resident and president of Noble Now began researching the historical marker in Noble, she became acquainted with Jon Dresser, whose passion is to find and map the trail Washington Irving took through Oklahoma. Dresser has spent years researching in an effort to locate and map Irving’s trail. The intrepid duo went to the state archives and made copies of old plats from 1839 showing topographical information that could be used in an effort to locate landmarks described in Irving’s notes.

“The geography has changed since 1839,” Parker said. “Landmarks are harder to find. Groves of trees that Irving described are now towns, etc.”

Not to be deterred, Dresser who knows of historical societies around the state kept digging. From his analysis, he determined that there was no way that Irving camped in Noble.

According to Parker, it appears that Nathan Boone, Daniel Boone’s son, may have come through Noble and camped there. From historical analysis, the historical marker purportedly located at the south end of town might actually belong at the north end of town near Riley Park.

But even that can’t be verified for sure. So what did the marker near Bell Creek say and where did it go?

Bob Wade, city manager, said he had heard the Washington Irving theory, but has not seen the historical marker in the 10 years he’s been in Noble. He suggested that during state highway improvements, maybe the marker was removed.

Whit Edwards, director of special projects at the Oklahoma Historical Society verified that Irving never went through Noble and maintains probably the marker went by the wayside during highway construction. He said removal of historical markers is typical of many markers in the state during highway work.

“Some contracts require them [the contractor] to put them back and other times they don’t,” Edwards said. He maintains that no one knows where old markers end up after they disappear. He speculates that they could even be in maintenance barns.

Edwards explained that the markers program was discontinued in 2009 because there is no manpower to put them out. Any historical markers to be placed now have to be funded privately. The process includes verification of a site by the Oklahoma Historical Society, after which a letter of authenticity is issued. The persons wishing to erect a marker must raise funds and take the letter of authenticity to the Department of Transportation which will work with the persons to have the marker placed.

Edwards said what the historical society would like to do is to have the GPS coordinates of all the markers in the state. Then, the historical society and the department of transportation or county commissioners would know where all the markers are, so when highway contracts are written, markers would be identified and the contractors would be required to replace markers after construction is completed.

But that still doesn’t solve the mystery of what the Noble marker commemorated. Edwards consulted his copy of “Mark of Heritage” by Muriel Wright, Kenny Franks and George Shirk, published by the Oklahoma Historical Society in 1979. The book lists various historical sites and markers around the state, but the one in Noble was not listed.

The Oklahoma Historical Society’s website, www.okhistory.org under a section called Historical Sites, lists three markers in Cleveland County. One is the City of Norman/Cleveland County, another is the Birthplace of the University of Oklahoma, and the third is the Run of ’89 Southern Boundary.

The best guess about the marker that used to reside at Bell Creek in Noble is that it memorializes the Run of ’89 Southern Boundary. But no one seems to know for sure.

If you have any information about the former marker, please contact The Transcript or the Oklahoma Historical Society. Until then, the historical marker touted by a sign near Bell Creek will remain a mystery — and missing.