In the early days of Oklahoma's statehood, the untamed wilderness of Tulsa County was a place of both natural beauty and lawless behavior. It was here that 40-year-old Game Warden Charles W. Estes met his untimely end. On a Sunday, February 26, 1911, a day when hunting was legally prohibited, Estes ventured out from his home on horseback. He had received a report of illegal hunting and, true to his duty, set off to investigate.
As the day wore on, a neighbor heard the distinct sound of
two gunshots echoing from the direction of Turkey Mountain. Concerned, the neighbor went to investigate and discovered Estes' horse wandering alone. Continuing his search down the mountain, the neighbor made a grim discovery at approximately 2 p.m. Game Warden Estes lay dead, having been shot once in the abdomen with a. 33 caliber rifle. His revolver, cartridge belt, and money had all been stolen.
The investigation into the murder of Game Warden Estes was swift to begin but slow to yield answers. Although he had been investigating a duck hunter, it was suspected that the fatal shot came from a high-powered rifle, leading some to believe that moonshiners or counterfeiters known to operate in the Turkey Mountain area were responsible. Despite these suspicions, the killer was never identified, and no arrests were ever made in the case. Charles W. Estes, who had only been with the agency for two months, was survived by his wife, and his murder remains unsolved to this day.
