Andy Pyper

Andy Pyper clears weeds away from one of 28 Chisholm Trail markers that follow the historical cattle-drive route through Grant County, Okla. Andy, son of Maj. Vaughn Pyper of the 25th Flying Training Squadron at Vance AFB, organized the service project to fulfill a requirement for Eagle Scout. Grant County is north of Garfield County where Vance AFB is located. (Photo by Liesl Maloy)

Andy Pyper

Andy Pyper, left, and Jacklyn Maloy paint one of 28 Chisholm Trail markers that follow the historical cattle-drive route through Grant County, Okla. Andy, son of Maj. Vaughn Pyper of the 25th Flying Training Squadron at Vance AFB, organized the service project to fulfill a requirement for Eagle Scout. Jacklyn is the daughter of Maj. Dan Maloy with the 8th Flying Training Squadron at Vance. Grant County is north of Garfield County where Vance AFB is located. (Photo by Liesl Maloy)

Andy Pyper

One of the 28 markers following the Chisholm Trail, the historical cattle-drive route, through Grant County after Andy Pyper and 32 volunteers cleared weeds and repainted the markers. Andy, the son of Maj. Vaughn Pyper of the 25th Flying Training Squadron at Vance AFB, is working toward Eagle Scout. Grant County is north of Garfield County, where Vance AFB is located. (Photo by Liesl Maloy)

Son of Vance pilot organizes restoration of Chisholm Trail markers

Published Sept. 2, 2009
By Joe B. Wiles
71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- It is easier to follow the Chisholm Trail through Grant County now, thanks to an Eagle Scout service project completed by Andy Pyper and 32 volunteers from his church.

Andy, the son of Maj. Vaughn Pyper with the 25th Flying Training Squadron here, led the volunteers in clearing away weeds and repainting 28 concrete markers. Those 28 white columns with black lettering follow the historical cattle drive trail from the northern border of Garfield County to the southern border of Kansas.

The idea of using the restoration of the Chisholm Trail markers as a step toward earning Eagle Scout rank was suggested to Andy by the man who built and placed those markers - Robert Klemme.

Between 1990 and 1997, Mr. Klemme designed and placed 400 of the 200-pound trail markers across Oklahoma, from the Red River to the Kansas border. Each marker is 7 and a half feet long and has "Chisholm Trail" in sunken letters along each side.

"He first told me about the idea June 26," said Andy. "He took me out to a few of the posts and we looked at them. That's when I first started planning the project."

Andy took on the Grant County markers and his friend, Robert Maloy, will begin restoring the markers in Garfield County on Sept. 5. He still needs volunteers for the project. Call 234-5100 for more information.

Robert is also working on the rank of Eagle Scout and is the son of Maj. Dan Maloy, chief of the 71st Flying Training Wing Base Closure and Realignment Commission office and a T-6 instructor pilot with the 8th Flying Training Squadron here.

"I made an announcement at my church about needing volunteers for the project, and they turned out in droves," said Andy, an Enid High School junior. He attends the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Andy divided the volunteers into six teams and was able to finish the project in six hours. "We put black weed cloth around the bottom of the markers to keep weeds from growing up too close for a while," he said.

Ten gallons of paint was donated to the project. "We only used about two gallons on all 28 posts," the year-round soccer player said.