YUKON, Okla. (KFOR) – Chris Keesee and his son Blake are the rare father and son who can walk the same creek bank and pasture their ancestors purchased in 1894.

Mollie Spencer would have come earlier but she had a baby to consider while her husband, L.M. Spencer, founded the town.

Her great, great grandson grew up with stories of her quiet determination.

“She was a women’s libber before there was women’s liberation,” Chris argues. “The reason being, when her father died, he left her real estate.”

The property just north of Main Street is now called the Mollie Spencer Farm, named in memory of the family matriarch.

The Spencers, then Kirkpatricks, then Keesees weren’t known for tilling the land and much as reaping a profit.

“This is the sheep barn,” Chris points. “Blake, do you recall what kind of sheep those are?”

Blake replies, “I honestly don’t know the names of the typical sheep but we have Merino sheep as well.”

“So farming isn’t exactly part of your daily lives?” we ask.

“We’re bankers,” Chris replies quickly.

Both Chris and Blake recall coming to the farm on Sundays with grandfather John Kirkpatrick to hang out and ride the tractor.

They preferred swimming in the pool to the nearby pond.

“Did you fish or swim here?” we ask.

“No,” answers Chris. “We would never do that. That’s very funny.”

Wise investing and a very successful gas well beneath the property helped insure Mollie Spencer’s legacy, that plus a promise.

“Mollie asked my grandfather to never sell the farm,” he says.

Chris made that promise one better several years ago by opening the remaining 40 acres of property to the public.

The Mollie Spencer Farm now serves as a sanctuary for animals and a place for events like a September open house.

The property shares small gardens, orchards, and the secluded sense of peace only a protected green space can provide.

The Spencers always thought the air smelled extra sweet here, and so do their descendants.

“This morning when I got out of the car, I smelled the same thing,” says Keesee.

For more information on the Mollie Spencer Farm, including a schedule of public events, head to their website.