USA > Oklahoma > Oklahoma County > Oklahoma City > The story of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma : "the biggest little city in the world" > Part 13
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24
The first permanent organization of the Eighty-niners As- sociation was perfected on April 8. Sidney Clarke was elected president and W. L. Alexander, secretary, and plans were made for a banquet to be held in observance of the opening.
.
Vol. 1-15
STATE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
--
--
# .
3
.
-
1$
FE
1
-
ca
2
-
4
SECTIONAL VIEW OF ST. ANTHONY'S HOSPITAL
.
.
125 - 126
227
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
Charter members of the association were Sidney Clarke, W. L. Alexander, J. M. Owen, F. V. Brandon, Harry Gerson, James Gerson, Dr. F. S. Dewey, Samuel Bartell, J. B. Gar- rison, E. W. Gaston, J. M. Gaston, Robert Galbreath, J. M. Haley, W. H. Wilson, T. F. MeMechan, Samuel Croker, R. Q. Blakeney, Samuel Murphy, A. L. Welch, . E. Lund- berg, Oscar Reagan, Taz Upshaw and C. F. Colcord.
A deed to the city to a tract of land in the Maywood Ad- dition to be used for park purposes was presented to the city council February 25. It was from Capt. D. F. Stiles and his sons, George and Charles, and Mr. and Mrs. James Geary. Later Stiles Park, the name given the tract, was formally dedicated. Two thousand persons attended the exercises and speeches were made by the mayor and Governor Jenkins.
Skirmishes for a street car franchise enlivened official life during the year. An ordinance was passed early in December granting a franchise to Harold R. Berry, Edmond Harrison and A. S. Craney of New York. It was vetoed by the mayor principally because of certain street exemptions. The ordi- nance was again passed, on December 24, with objectionable features eliminated. Previously the Oklahoma City Street Railway Company, organized by C. F. Coleord, A. H. Classen, H. Brauer, T. K. Hackman and E. W. Johnson, had applied for a franchise. An application had been made also by J. M. Davis of Springfield, Mo. In April the Oklahoma City Street Railway, Light, Power & Improvement Company had given notice of an application. Of this company C. F. Coleord was president, C. E. Bennett, vice president, and C. F. Gilpin, secretary.
C. G. Jones was chosen mayor in the spring election, de- feating Mayor Lee Van Winkle, the democratie nominee, by 193 votes. J. H. Wright was reelected city attorney by a majority of one vote. Ralph Cochran was elected chief of police.
Happenings of historic interest during the year included these: The American National Bank was organized with a capital stock of $100.000 and with W. S. Search, president ; Col. S. E. Moss of Cleburne, Texas, vice president, and J. S. Corley, cashier; Roy Hoffman of Chandler and M. L. Turner and Dr. John Threadgill of Oklahoma City incorporated the
.
228
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
Oklahoma City Trust & Surety Company; E. S. Bronson, for many future years secretary of the Oklahoma Press Associa- tion, came down from Trenton, Mo., and located; J. F. War- ren, who afterward became one of the city's leading bankers and served for several years as president of the Oklahoma State Fair Association, located here, coming down from Wa- bash, Ind., and engaged in the loan business; the Real Estate Association was formed with C. F. Coleord as president, J. H. McCartney, vice president ; J. J. Novak, secretary, and John Holzapfel, treasurer; C. B. Ames, representing Capt. Frank Frantz, presented the City Club with a loving cup as a mark of gratitude for the entertainment afforded under the auspices of that body to the Rough Riders Association in the previous year; the county assessor reported the population of the city to be 14,009; E. A. Neal, formerly of the Wichita Eagle, and Hathaway Harper, formerly city editor of the Oklahoma City Times-Journal, bought the MeMaster printing plant and launched the Evening Herald; J. H. Vosburgh, president; L. G. Tillotson, vice president ; R. K. Sleeper, secretary, and S. Laird, treasurer, and others organized the first golf club in the city; Frank J. Wikoff resigned as territorial bank exam- iner, to become president of the National Bank of Commerce of Stillwater: the Carnegie Library was dedicated on August 29; Edward S. Vaught was elected principal of the high school and A. R. Hickam, teacher of Latin in the high school : on September 10 the corner stone of the city hall was laid under auspices of the Masonic Lodge and C. Porter Johnson delivered the oration: the Illinois Society was formed with a membership of about forty and C. Porter Johnson was elected president, John Miller, first vice president; M. L. Blackwelder, second vice president : Louise Warden, record- ing secretary; R. E. Huron, corresponding secretary, and C. E. Mitchell, treasurer; and the first paving contract was awarded.
1902-MORE BUSINESS, LESS SOCIETY
The chief events of this year were the concluding of ar- rangements for installing a system of trolley ears, the reor- ganization of the City Club as a Chamber of Commerce with social features eliminated, the selection of a site for Epworth University, and a renewal of efforts to secure the passage of a statehood bill.
On January 30 the city council passed an ordinance grant- ing a street railway franchise to the Metropolitan Street Railway Company and shortly thereafter it was announced that Anton H. Classen had purchased the franchise granted to IL. B. Berry and associates. On March 5 a deal was com- pleted whereby the interests of Classen were merged with the Metropolitan company. In due time the City Council cleared its records of franchises granted and applied for, which gave the Metropolitan company an unobstructed field, and its of- ficials announced that the laying of track would start in a short time. Four miles of the line were to be in operation within one year.
The Metropolitan Street Railway Company, of which the present Oklahoma Railway Company is the successor, was organized with a capital stock of $500,000, with W. W. Storm as president and John Shartel as secretary and treasurer, and these men and S. T. Alton, Dr. John Threadgill and E. HI. Cooke constituted the board of directors.
A site for Epworth University was selected on May 6. It was situated one and three-quarter miles northwest of the business center of the city. The executive committee, which also constituted the building committee, was composed of the Rev. J. B. Riley, the Rev. E. B. Rankin, the Rev. D. G. Thompson, the Rev. C. F. Roberts, George G. Green, C. B. Ames and Joseph B. Thoburn. Mr. Thoburn was elected see- rotary. A committee of citizens representing the committee and the business interests, consisting of Dr. John Threadgill,
229
230
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
J. M. Owen, G. B. Stone, J. H. Hess and W. G. Guthrie, was appointed to solicit contributions to a fund of $100,000 to be used in construction of buildings and for endowment pur- poses. This fund was agreed upon by the Methodist com- mittee in accepting a proposition submitted by the University Development Company, represented at the meeting by John Shartel. This proposition involved a donation of fifty aeres of land for a campus and building site.
This project had endorsement of the conferences of the North and South branches of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In fact, the plan of erecting a university here was conceived at a joint meeting of representatives of the churches many months before. Interest was slow in manifesting itself, al- though several enthusiastic meetings of church men were held during the previous year. The project was welcomed by the City Club and business interests outside the club, and it was heralded as the beginning of a movement toward giving the city recognition over the Southwest as an important seat of higher learning.
Consummation of plans for the institution came alnost concurrently with the street railway conclusions and officials of the Metropolitan company entered heartily into the uni- versity enterprise. These facts are significant stepping stones in the history of the city, which was ascending toward met- ropolitan proportions, and men of means who built temporary frame residences near the business district began looking for- ward to permanent homes farther out. The university project and the assurance of street railway service drew attention toward the Northwest. In a short time residential lots were put on the market on Thirteenth street and beyond, and this was the first step toward establishment of residential districts that within fifteen years contained homes with values aggre- gating millions of dollars.
Upon the resignation of Clifton George as secretary of the City Club, Joseph B. Thoburn was chosen to fill the office temporarily, his term depending upon a call to Guthrie to assume the position of secretary of the Territorial Board of Agriculture, which had been offered him by the governor. Thoburn's investigations of the club's purposes, his knowl- edge of its activities, and his conception of its duties sug-
.
231
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
gested need for reorganization. In substance his idea was that the club should be a strictly business enterprise with all the machinery required to make it a success. That it had been of great value to the city was not gainsaid, but that its fifty per cent of social purpose was a bar to a larger and more- enthusiastic membership was undoubted. The new see- retary was given permission to make inquiry as to the ma- chinery of successful commercial organizations. He appro- priated from the constitutions of Kansas City, St. Louis and other cities the best provisions that could be made applicable here and wrote a new constitution for the club. At the last meeting of the year the constitution was adopted. This created what afterwards was known as the Chamber of Commerce, and it is virtually the same constitution under which that body operates today.
The necessity of this organization was made apparent to Secretary Thoburn by the rapid growth of the city. It was a period of unprecedented and rapidly increasing business. Many of the city's leading men were enthusiastic boosters but they were too much engrossed in their own business to give much serious thought to the future, while proper direc- tion of events of the future required intelligent and more concentrated organization than many events of the present.
Assisting Secretary Thoburn in the preliminary steps of reorganization was a committee appointed by President Clas- sen consisting of Seymour Heyman, George E. Gardner, J. M. Owen, C. B. Ames and J. W. Wykoff. Under the new plan Seymour Heyman was elected president, Thomas F. Me- Mechan, vice president ; Weston Atwood, treasurer, and J. B. Thoburn, secretary. The board of directors consisted of C. E. Bennett, Joseph Hess. T. F. MeMechan, O. D. Halsell. Weston Atwood, W. P. Dilworth, Seymour Herman, George G. Sohlberg, A. T. Alton, C. V. Topping, C. F. Colcord, L. F. Lee, George L. Cooke, Dr. A. K. West and G. E. Gardner.
Indications were favorable early in the year for the pas- sage of a statehood bill, but this was rendered less certain when a disagreement arose in Congress, as well as among a few representative Oklahomans, as to whether one state or two should be created out of the territories. The democrats controlled the House of Representatives and the party was
232
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
pledged to statehood for Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. A bill introduced by Representative John HI. Stephens of Texas provided that one state should be created out of Okla- homa and Indian Territory. Representative Moon of Tennes- see, reflecting the sentiment of a considerable mimber of democrats who favored two states in order that democratic representation in both the House and the Senate might be in- creased. introduced a bill creating the state of Jefferson out of Indian Territory and designating MeAlester as the capital. The Committee on Territories made a favorable report on the Moon bill. It was opposed by Wall Street which objected to an increase in the number of senators, and it failed of pas- sage. In its stead the House passed what was known as the Omnibus bill, granting statehood to Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. On the floor of the House, Representative Me- Rae of Arkansas, who twenty years later was governor of his state, made a vain effort to have the bill amended so as to include Indian Territory in the State of Oklahoma. Delegate Flynn of Oklahoma, who believed that his constituents were in favor of virtually any sort of statehood and had supported the democratic majority, opposed the MeRae amendment un- less another amendment should provide an appropriation to counterbalance the lack of public lands in the Indian Terri- tory.
That ended statehood agitation in Oklahoma for several months. C. G. Jones, the Oklahoma City representative in Washington, said upon his return home that the Senate prob- ably would hold an inquest over the Omnibus bill and consign it to oblivion.
Late in the Autumn the Senate began an investigation of the desires of the territories. A committee headed by Senator Albert Beveridge of Indiana came out in November and toured the territories, spending a few hours in Oklahoma City on November 24. It was given a cordial reception by represent- ative business men and the representatives of half a score of towns who were permitted to make arguments before it in a parlor of the Lee Hotel. A week later a convention was held in Claremore to prepare to fight the Oumibus bill in the Senate. Resolutions passed by this convention. written
.
233
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
by C. B. Ames, again asserted that the people of the territories desired single statehood.
William Cross of Oklahoma City was nominated for Dele- gate to Congress by the democrats in territorial convention at Enid on April 23, after a long siege of balloting. On one of the ballots votes were cast for C. B. Ames, whose name had not been presented as a candidate and who was chairman of the resolutions committee. Bird S. MeGuire was the re- publican nominee, and was elected. Cross filed a contest, claiming the perpetration of fraud but the count of the ter- ritorial election board was sustained.
County officials elected this year were M. A. O'Brien, sher- iff ; J. S. Alexander, treasurer; J. L. Mitch, register of deeds; Ralph Ramer, county attorney ; J. H. Harpen, probate judge; Mrs. Mary D. Couch, superintendent of schools; D. W. Wright, assessor; Dr. J. F. Messenbaugh, coroner; J. P. Bar- nard, surveyor, and J. S. Morrow, county commissioner.
Reports of the discovery of minerals in the Wichita Moun- tains created a sensation almost equal to the discovery of oil in the preceding year. Scores of men joined in a perfune- tory rush into the prospective territory, only to have their hopes crushed later by a report of Charles N. Gould of the Oklahoma Geological Survey that mineral did not exist in paying quantities. Publication of the Gould report aroused the ire of Frank MeMaster, at that time a resident of Lawton, who hurried into print in support of the prospectors. "Come out, Professor," said an open communication from a com- mittee of prospectors to Mr. Gould, "and let the boys show you an old extinet crater near Craterville, take a bath in Lost Lake, pan free gold on Deep Red Rum, examine the porphyry that makes a checkerboard of the Otter Creek, make yourself a jungle bell of a phonolite, select von a charm out of our amethyst quartz, examine the rose quartz, the hornblende and the feldspar; come for a while to the shad- ows of Mount Sheridan, seale its summit and get a birdseye view of the miners' camps, examine the native copper on Sandy, look back to the ninety-foot shaft of Campbell Broth- ers and the 103-foot shaft of Quanah Parker's, and be con- vinced that the progressive American miner is proving rich resources in these old hills."
234
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
The mineral excitement blew over in a few weeks, so far as Oklahoma City was concerned, but it contimed with vigor for some months in Lawton, Hobart and Anadarko.
On the first of this year the headquarters of the Oklahoma Historical Society was transferred from the University at Norman to Oklahoma City and its effects installed in the Carnegie Library.
E. H. Cooke and G. W. Wheeler, principal owners of the Oklahoma Gas & Electric Power Company, sold the business to New York capitalists for approximately $140,000.
C. F. Colcord sold an interest in a quarter-section of land adjoining the city on the Southwest to G. W. Baumhoff and associates of St. Louis for $12,000. The purchasers announced their intention of spending $25,000 in converting part of the tract into a park and of asking for a street railway franchise. A consequence of this sale was the establishment of Delmar Garden, which succeeded Coleord Park, and which for sev- eral years was the leading publie amusement place of the city.
Isaac M. Holcomb on March 1 resigned as superintendent of schools to accept an appointment as deputy to the clerk of the District Court. He was succeeded by Edward S. Vaught. who was promoted from the high school principalship. A. R. Hickam, high school teacher of Latin, succeeded to the prin- cipalship.
C. H. Thompson resigned as United States marshal and was succeeded by W. D. Fossett.
A. H. Branch of Denver was elected president and general manager of the Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company. Charles Gillette of New York was elected vice president and C. B. Ames, secretary and treasurer. Some board members elected were E. H. Cooke, G. W. Wheeler and G. B. Stone.
A country club was organized that purposed improving a sylvan spot near Spencer. The directors were Clarence Ben- nett, J. H. Wheeler, Dick Ragon, Weston Atwood, W. M. Grant, Harry Gerson, C. B. Pope, W. S. Guthrie and Dr. John Threadgill.
The Oklahoma Medical College, with a capital stock of $15,000, was organzied this year and a complete faculty se- lected. Dr. John Threadgill was elected president, Dr. W. T. Salmon, secretary and treasurer: Dr. G. A. Wall, dean; Dr.
...
232-256
يحتلـ
หัดปักษ์กับสลิมหันต์
2
$ 1
LLT
لسما
-
TT
WIL.
I ENZ
-
THE BAUM BUILDING
THE CONTINENTAL BUILDING
237
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
R. T. Edwards, vice president, and Dr. W. E. Dicken, a mem- ber of the board of directors.
The establishment of a modern park at Dehar Garden and the probability of a line of the street car system being laid to that place revived interest in baseball during the year and a baseball association was formed that purposed promo- tion of a permanent league. Seymour Heyman was elected president of the association, Harry Robare, secretary, and Byron D. Shear, treasurer. These men and Hugh MeCredie, C. F. Colcord, C. J. Bowman, E. I. Leach and F. E. Patterson constituted the board of directors.
On May 12, J. B. Wheeler, a pioneer resident and one of the city's leading citizens, proposed to the mayor and city council to donate to the city forty-four acres of his land sit- uated along the north side of the Canadian River immediately south of the city, to be used for park purposes. The con- tract he presented provided that the city should expend $2,000 a year during the succeeding five years in improving and beautifying the tract, that no intoxicating liquors should ever be sold thereon, and that it should be known as Wheeler Park. The council indicated that the contract was acceptable and the mayor took steps to have a park commission created.
Efforts were renewed during the year to get an appropria- tion by Congress for a Federal building. J. W. Hunt was selected to represent the city before Congress and the brief that was prepared for his use showed that during the year ending June 30, 1901, the post office receipts had amounted to $36,041, and that this was $2,644 more than the receipts for that year of the post offices at Guthrie and El Reno combined.
An organization designed to assist in the promotion and location of factories and other industrial enterprises was formed with a capital stock of $50,000. A dozen or more prominent men took stock. Dr. John Threadgill was elected president, George Gardner, vice president : J. M. Owen, see- retary, and J. L. Wilkin treasurer. A. II. Classen and G. G. Sohlberg were members of the board of directors.
Of a visit to Oklahoma of the Senate Committee on Ter- ritories this year, Mr. Thoburn has written : "The Committee on Territories traveling on a special train on the Panhandle
238
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
Division of the Santa Fe Railway, entered Oklahoma unan- nounced, on the afternoon of Saturday, November 22, 1902. Brief stops were made at Woodward and Alva, whence tele- grams were sent to Guthrie, Oklahoma City and possibly other points. The telegram addressed to the Oklahoma City Com- mercial Club was very brief, merely announcing that the Senate Committee on Territories would arrive in Oklahoma City at + P. M. the next day ( Sunday). This intelligence was immediately transmitted from Oklahoma City to the friends and leaders of the single statehood movement in many towns in both Oklahoma and Indian territories, with invitation to send delegations to meet the members of the committee. But, in this, Oklahoma City almost reckoned without its host be- cause of a change in the program which the members of the committee were induced to make after arriving in Guthrie.
"The committee's special train arrived at Guthrie about midnight and expected to remain there until time to start to Oklahoma City the next afternoon. The members of the com- mittee were met and persuaded that it would be best to hold but one hearing for both territories and that at Guthrie. In order to let them see something of the country in the two territories, it was also proposed that their train should pro- ceed to Oklahoma City early the following morning, make a brief stop there and thence go east on the Rock Island to Shawnee and MeAlester; thence north on the Missouri, Kan- sas & Texas to Muskogee and Wagoner ; thence over the Iron Mountain to Claremore: thence back to Oklahoma City on the St. Louis & San Francisco and return to Guthrie Monday morning. When the Senatorial Committee arrived in Okla- homa City at an early hour Sunday morning, practically un- heralded, save for the brief announcement in the morning papers, there was dismay among the advocates of single state- hood. They had not been outgeneraled-they had just been 'scooped,' with no chance to present their side of the case, and they were dumbfounded when Senator Beveridge assured them that it had all been arranged and agreed that there should be but one general hearing for the people of both terri- tories and that it should be held at Guthrie. The heavy clouds whence fell intermittent showers during the day, could scarcely add to the gloom which prevailed in Oklahoma City as the
.
239
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
Senate Committee's special train departed for Shawnee. But, even as every cloud is said to have a silver lining, so there were a few sparks of optimism unextinguished in the group which gathered for consultation at the Lee Hotel shortly afterward. The one question uppermost in every mind was that of finding some plan by means of which the Senatorial Committee could le induced to change its plan and hold part of its hearings in Oklahoma City on the following day. Various expedients were suggested and rejected. Finally, one man present said he believed he could write a telegram that would keep the senators in Oklahoma City part of the day. . Let us see it,' was the instant response from several quarters. When the telegram was written, it read thus:
"'OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 23, 1902. " . HON. A. J. BEVERIDGE, Chairman, Senate Committee on Territories, South MeAlester, Ind. Ter.,
"'Sir :- South MeAlester, Muskogee, Vinita, Claremore, Tulsa, Sapulpa, Chandler, Wewoka, Holdenville, Shawnee, Tecumseh, Norman, Lexington, Purcell, Pauls Valley, Wymmewood, Davis, Ardmore, Chickasha, Lawton, Mangum. Hobart, Anadarko and Oklahoma City delegations respect- fully but insistently urge that they be accorded a hearing in Oklahoma City tomorrow.
"'(Signed) , ",
"It should be stated that there were not actually that many delegations in sight at the time but it was hoped that there might be within a few hours. Late that night a telegram came from Senator Beveridge saying: . Will endeavor to hold brief hearing in Oklahoma City, tomorrow, though nothing is cer- tain.' Early the next morning a second message came from him saying: 'Arrive in Oklahoma City at 9 A. M., leave for (inthrie at 11 A. M.' And so there was a hearing held in Oklahoma City. The members of the committee agreed to take the testimony of the mayor and president of the comer- vial organization and two wholesale merchants of Oklahoma City and of one spokesman from each of the visiting delega- tions. (Fortunately for the committee, there were fewer del- egations present than might have been expected from the statement contained in the foregoing telegram. ) It was nearly
240
THE STORY OF OKLAHOMA CITY
noon when the hearing was completed and it was half an hour after noon before their special train got under way for Guthrie. The stay of the committee at Guthrie was even more brief than the one at Oklahoma City, as the special train departed from the territorial capital at 3:30 o'clock."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.