Wagoner County, Oklahoma - Chapter 28: Wagoner County, 1922

Chapter 28: Wagoner County

Wagoner County adjoins Muskogee County on the north, the Arkansas River being the boundary line between them. Perhaps no county in the state affords better agricultural advantages than Wagoner. The very fertile valley of the Arkansas River extends across the entire southern portion of the county, the Verdigris River crosses the central portion from the northwest to the southeast and the Grand River flows southward along the east side. The valleys of these rivers afford many acres of exceedingly fertile soil, adapted to almost every kind of crops. The uplands are mostly prairie, containing the rich black prairie soil. This county is near the border line between the north and the south, from the standpoint of crop raising, and the cotton farmer of the south and the grain producer of the north, each finds soil and climate to his liking. The fertile river valleys of the southern portion of the county are admirably adapted to producing cotton, corn and potatoes, while the prairie land produces good crops of corn, wheat and oats. An excellent quality of hay is also grown on the virgin prairie land, the surplus of which finds a ready market in Kansas City and St. Louis.

Wagoner County is also noted for its shallow oil wells, many of which are less than one thousand feet in depth. Reliable geologists report that there are yet probably thirty million barrels of undeveloped oil in the Wagoner-Muskogee field. Wagoner County was formerly a part of the Creek Nation and many prominent Creeks selected their allotments and established good homes here, especially in the western part of the county. Quite a number of Creek Freedmen selected their allotments in the rich Arkansas River Valley but the greater part of this land is now owned by white farmers. During the Civil war of 1861-65, many Indians who had built homes in this fertile valley were compelled to flee from their homes, some going to Kansas and others to Arkansas and Texas, their destination depending upon whether their sympathies were with the North or South. Their negro slaves were left behind and some of them took possession of their refugee masters' homes, continued the improvements, and afterward, when the slaves were made citizens, they selected these farms which were in their possession, as their allotments.

In 1883 a side track was built on the Katy Railroad about a mile south of the present site of the town and named "Wagoner Switch," in honor of the chief dispatcher of the railroad. The laying of track was continued six miles farther south and Gibson Station was established during the summer of 1871, and until the spring of 1872, during which time the Arkansas River bridge was in process of construction this station was the terminus of the Railroad.

Captain George Shannon, now a resident of Wagoner, conducted the principal store at Gibson Station for forty years following 1880 and is thoroughly familiar with the early settlement and development of that section of the state. He was employed by the railroad as a bridge builder while the track was being laid from Parsons, Kan. to Muskogee, and he enjoys rehearsing the story of the race which the railroads ran in reaching Indian Territory. It appears that the Federal Government had proposed to donate every alternate section of land for ten miles on each side of the track to the first railroad entering Indian Territory, provided that this grant of land should be of no effect unless and until the Indians voluntarily abandoned it. About the time the Katy road arrived at Chetopa, Kan., the Fort Scott & Gulf Road reached Baxter Springs, Mo., both points being within three or four miles from the Indian Territory line. Upon reaching Chetopa, the men in charge of building the Katy road employed an extra force of men, rushed the work and were the first to reach the Territory line. Quite a large crowd of people gathered to witness the entrance of the first railroad into Indian Territory and it is said that Mr. R. S. Stevens, then general manager of the road drove the last spike in Kansas, and Col. E. C. Boudinot, the noted Cherokee lawyer, drove the first spike in Indian Territory.

GIBSON STATION, OKLAHOMA, ON THE M. K. & T. EAILROAD - BEGINNING SEPTEMBER, 1871, IT WAS THE END OF THE ROAD FOR FIVE MONTHS The first permanent depot to be established in Oklahoma was built in 1872. Captain

Shannon built a turn table for reversing the engines, and erected a portable depot, which was shipped to Muskogee upon the completion of the Arkansas River bridge. The permanent depot which was shortly afterward erected at Gibson Station was Indian Territory's first railway depot and it is still in use and in good condition. Gibson Station was a much more important point in those pioneer days than at the present time. For many months it was the nearest railroad point to Fort Gibson, twelve miles toward the southeast and a regular stage line for passengers and freight was maintained between the two places. The soldiers stationed at Fort Gibson and their friends came to this station to- catch the northbound train or to meet their friends coming from the North.

Many noted persons stopped over night with Captain Shannon at Gibson Station, while en route to the Fort, among whom were James G. Blaine and Colonel Coppenger, his son-in-law, Carl Schurz, secretary of the Interior, General U. S. Grant and General W. T. Sherman. It was not unusual in those days for several hundred Indians and negroes to assemble at the station daily, to watch for the arrival of the daily train, for a locomotive was a strange and wonderful sight to many of them.

Quite a little war occurred in this vicinity in 1878, between the Cherokees and Creeks, caused by a dispute concerning the ownership of certain cattle, followed by one or two murders. Before much blood was shed, however, William Penn Adair, influential Cherokee, and James Childers, prominent Creek assisted by a few others, succeeded in effecting peace between the two belligerent bands.

Wagoner, the county seat of the county bearing the same name, is located fifteen miles north of Muskogee, at the junction of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas (Katy line), with the branch of the Missouri Pacific, known as the Iron Mountain Railroad, but originally called the Kansas & Arkansas Valley Road. This latter road crossed the Katy line in 1887, and the town of Wagoner was placed on the map at this railroad crossing. Captain Shannon furnished the lumber and W. H. McAnally built the first house which was occupied by McAnally as an eating house and patronized principally by the railroad men. It was located about a block south of the lot upon which the Axtell Hotel was afterward built. The second house was built just east of the present site of the old Phoenix Hotel by a man by the name of Albright. He died soon thereafter, and his widow sold the house to Captain Shannon.

The third building was erected by Miller & Co. on the present site of the First National Bank, who went up there from Muskogee in 1888 and established the first general store in Wagoner. About this time the settlers began to think that a post office would be a nice thing for Wagoner to have, and after considerable hustling, Mr. McAnally secured the requisite number of signatures to a petition, which was forwarded to Capt. G. W. Grayson, delegate for the Creek Nation at Washington, and in due course of time a post office was granted, William Teague receiving the honor of being Wagoner's first postmaster.

In August, 1888, Captain Shannon built the first hotel, called the Bernard, and a store building adjoining the hotel. During the following year, this store was sold to the Davis & Jones Mercantile Co. who filled it with a good stock of general merchandise. This company soon sold out to Terry Parkinson, who still resides in Wagoner, and his partner, Mr. McQuarie.

Terry Parkinson landed in Wagoner in 1890, and, although then only about twenty-five years of age, he, assisted by his father, quickly built up a good business which was continued for many years. Before going to Wagoner he had gained some experience in selling goods to Indians by being associated with his father in Red Fork and Okmulgee. The Parkinsons had also been extensively interested in the cattle business in the northern part of Indian Territory in the days when the broad prairies afforded unlimited range for cattle.

About 1889, the " Wagoner Switch," located on the Katy railroad about a mile south, was moved up to the new townsite. This switck had been built by the railroad fifteen years before the town of Wagoner began its existence, and it was used principally for loading walnut logs which were gathered from the valley of the Verdigris River and shipped to northern furniture factories. In 1889 Mrs. Percival built and furnished the first hotel, called the Valley Hotel. It is claimed that hers was the first wedding in Wagoner, when she was married to Mr. W. H. Harris.

junction of the two railroads was completed and served both companies as telegraph manager. A few years later he established a drug store which he continued to manage for several years, at the same time being interested in the ice business, He was elected mayor of the city a few years after it was incorporated. He was also interested in the livery business in those days antedating the arrival of the automobile, when the pony teams were very much in demand.

The Cumberland Presbyterians were the first religious organization to locate in Wagoner, although the other leading denominations soon followed, the Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Christians and Catholics being now well represented.

Wagoner was one of the first towns in Indian Territory to establish public schools. In 1898, before any funds could be raised by taxation, the citizens contributed liberally toward the construction of a private school building which was called Central College. This school afforded educational facilities for the pupils of that vicinity until the law provided for the formation of school districts and taxation for the maintenance of schools. Soon after the school district was organized, the Board of Education bought the Central College building and it has since been converted into a public high school. The public school system has kept pace with the growth of the city, and at this time, twenty-eight teachers are regularly employed in the city school system, which includes all the grades from the primary, up to and including, a good high school course.

The enterprising spirit of the business men of Wagoner is shown by the fact that for the past six years they have successfully maintained a free county fair which has steadily grown better during each successive year. It is held during one week < >f September, each year, and aside from the customary horse racing and side shows, it is fast becoming an educational institution, especially for the farmers. Special effort is also made to encourage the boys' and girls' clubs throughout the county under the direction of an efficient county agent and home demonstration agent, valuable prizes being offered for the best pigs, poultry, corn, vegetables, cooking and sewing exhibited by the young people.

From year to year it is also noticeable that the farmers are taking more interest in producing high grade hogs, cattle and horses, and a better quality of corn, cotton, wheat and potatoes.

Wagoner now has, in addition to the M., K. & T. and the Iron Mountain railroads, the Kansas, Oklahoma & Gulf line, built several years ago to connect Wagoner and Muskogee on the south with Miami and its rich lead and zinc mines on the north. These three railroads give Wagoner excellent railroad advantages, connecting the city with the leading towns in almost every direction. It is one of the stations of the famous Jefferson Highway which extends from Canada to Texas and one of the East and West highways will probably pass this way. A lively interest is being aroused upon the subject of permanent road building and most of the townships have already voted bonds for this purpose.

The city has built and owns a good system of electric lights and a system of water works of which the citizens are proud. The streets are unusually wide and the principal ones are paved. The homes, business houses and shops are all heated with natural gas which is found in abundance in the nearby fields. The gradual development of the oil industry of the county is encouraged and assisted by the business men and in return, the oil business adds materially to the business of the city. Oil is obtained at a much shallower depth in this vicinity than in most other fields, and while the output of the wells is not as great as in some other localities, the comparatively small cost of drilling a well renders the business both attractive and profitable.

Some years ago it was discovered that certain portions of the water found in Wagoner possessed valuable medicinal qualities, a sanitarium was built and many cures, especially of rheumatic and skin diseases, have been effected. The city has two banks, a national and a state bank, which have taken care of the financial needs of the citv and communitv for manv vears past.

The First National Bank has on deposit, at this time, about six hundred thousand dollars, while the First State Bank's deposits are about three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The city also has three flour mills and elevators, a large brick manufacturing plant, three cotton gins, one cotton oil mill, two good newspapers, a number of good general stores, shops and small factories, and the usual number of secret societies, social and literary clubs.

Porter

Porter is a town of 600 inhabitants, located in the western part of Wagoner County on the branch of the M., K. & T. Railroad, which extends up the Arkansas River Valley from Muskogee to Tulsa and Osage Junction. The town is located about half way between the Arkansas and Verdigris rivers and is the trading point for the farmers of the fertile valleys of these two streams. A good quality of coal is found near the surface of the ground in this vicinity and underneath the coal in some places is found a good grade of fire clay.

The citizens of Porter take special pride in their public school. They have a consolidated school district including about twentyfive square miles of land, which enables them to maintain an accredited high school as well as all of the common school grades, without an excessive rate of taxation. The enrollment in their public school is equal to one-half the population of the town and nine teachers are regularly employed. In the various county school contests which have been held for several years past, the Porter School has been awarded its full share of the prizes. The town maintains three churches, two banks, three cotton gins, two grain elevators, two hardware stores, two drug stores, ten general stores and groceries and several shops of various kinds.

Porter also boasts of being a town of home-owners, there being but very few rented houses in the village. One of the institutions of which this vicinity is specially proud is what is known as Nunn's Pedigreed Seed Farms, where two thousand acres or more of land are devoted to the production of high grade cotton seed, corn, oats and barley, under the supervision of expert plant breeders. Scientific methods of farming, including systematic crop rotation and building up soils, are employed in a manner that afford practical object lessons in agriculture to the farmers of this community.

The town of Coweta is located in the western part of Wagoner County, about half way between Muskogee and Tulsa, on the branch line of the M., K. & T. Railroad extending from Muskogee to Osage Junction. Coweta is an old and familiar name among the Creeks, there having been a town by that name back in Georgia in the olden times. In their ancient home the Creeks were divided into two classes known as Upper and Lower Creeks, the Upper Creeks residing in Alabama and the Lower Creeks having their hunting grounds in Georgia. The Cherokees called the L'pper Creeks "Ani-Kusa" from their ancient town of "Kusa," and the Lower Creeks were known as " Ani-Kawita ' ? from their old town of "Kawita" or "Coweta."

When the Creeks came to this countrv thev divided their reservation into towns, meaning districts or counties, one of their most important districts ever after being known as "Coweta Town." Thus the name of the present town of Coweta is fraught with much historic significance to the old-time Creeks. For many years prior to the building of the railroad and the beginning of the present town of Coweta, Mr. A. D. Orcutt, one of the pioneers of this country, maintained a store and post office about a mile west of the present site of the town and was one of the influential men of that vicinity. He was born in Kentucky in 1841 and had resided in Illinois, Arkansas and Kansas. He enlisted as a private in the Union army in 1861 and was promoted to the position of captain. In 1874 he drifted down into the Indian Territory and established his Coweta stoic and dealt in livestock. A few lears later he became interested in the hardware business in Tulsa and about the beginning of the present century, at the approach of the railroad, he assisted in founding the present town of Coweta. Another fact which made this neighborhood a prominent place in the minds of the Creeks, was that this was the location of one of the most important Creek boarding schools known as the Coweta Mission School. It consisted of three two-story buildings and 160 acres of land located on a beautiful ridge just east of the present town. This boarding school was established by the Creek Council in 1843 and until a few years ago it was considered one of the best schools of the Creeks. Many of the leading members of that tribe were educated here and it was with regret that they saw the buildings and grounds sold a few years ago when the school was abolished.

Coweta is now a flourishing town of 1,500 inhabitants located in a good farming community, and only about two miles from the fertile valley of the Arkansas River. The uplands produce such staple crops as corn, wheat, oats and hay, while the bottom lands are very productive of cotton, potatoes, corn and alfalfa. Livestock raising is also one of the profitable industries of that section.

some of the old Indian Territory ranches being still in operation. The Bright ranch, formerly known as the Edwards ranch, is one of the best known ranches of Eastern Oklahoma ; and the Walter Naylor ranch is another important one. Oil has been found within two miles of Coweta, of the shallow well structure. Quite a number of wells have been drilled, and although the daily flow of oil is not so great as in some other fields, yet the comparatively slight cost of drilling and the inconsiderable risk and loss in case a dry hole is found, make this an attractive field for oil operators.

Some time after statehood was granted to Oklahoma, Coweta aspired to be the county seat of Wagoner County, but the town of Wagoner, being somewhat more centrally located and being more easily reached by the majority of the residents of the county by reason of its having two railroads, was selected as the county seat town.

Coweta supports several churches and Sunday schools, and a good public school in which thirteen teachers are regularly employed. Its two-story brick school building contains a very commodious auditorium which serves as a community center for the residents of the town. In addition to furnishing a convenient place of meeting for the various societies of the town, this public use of the auditorium tends toward bringing about a closer union and a more intimate acquaintance between the school and its patrons.