Arguably, the rarest artifact in the Pioneer Woman Museum is an unassuming piece of wood, split in two. It was found by woodcutters on George Nieman's Riverby Ranch north of Ponca City in 1962.
What makes it so rare and unique is that it is an example of a Witness Blaze, which is when a surveyor takes advantage of a natural feature to mark the coordinates of a specific location, often because they have used up or lack their usual posts. This tree was marked by government surveyors in 1890 who were mapping out the Cherokee Outlet in preparation for the 1893 Land Run. Over time, the tree grew around and over the original marker, concealing it from view until it just happened to be cut down and broken open in a fashion which exposed it in 1962.
Though some of it was not preserved, "R2E" marks it as being 2 township ranges east of the principle meridian, while "S14" designates it as being Section 14 out of the 36 sections within the township.
That the marker remained affixed was improbable. That the tree preserved it was unlikely. That it was revealed when the tree was trimmed or cut down was an absolute fluke. That the workers recognized its historical importance was downright miraculous. Each step along the path which lead it to the Museum was exponentially less likely than the last. It may not look like much, but it's pretty special indeed.
Tough life of a spoiled pet.