Enid-Pond Creek Railroad War
Encyclopedia
The Enid-Pond Creek Railroad War (Oklahoma Territory
, 1893–1894) pitted the citizens of two United States designated county seats against the Rock Island Railroad
.
, entering near Caldwell, Kansas
, and following the Chisholm Trail
. At part of the infrastructure, the company established railroad stations near several of the existing stage stations along the trail. Two of the stations, Pond Creek, built at Pond Stage Stand on Round Pond Creek, and Enid
, built at Skeleton Station near the Skeleton Ranch headquarters, would became involved in a controversy between the railroad and the Department of the Interior.
set about opening the Cherokee Strip
to settlement. Hoping to lessen the problem of county seat war
s, a common event in newly settled areas of the American Old West
, the Department divided the strip into counties and assigned them county seats. They picked Pond Creek
in "L" County and Enid
in "O" County. Following the Interior Department's announcement of the official county seats, several citizens of the Cherokee Nation
exercised their options to select their land allotments in the Cherokee Outlet, and chose them at the two town sites. Railroad officials were accused of conspiring with the Indians to speculate on town development, so officials in the Interior Department moved the government approved towns to different locations nearby.
A land run opened the Cherokee Outlet in 1893, and settlers, mainly from Kansas
, occupied all four town sites; railroad Pond Creek, government Pond Creek, railroad Enid (North Enid
), and government Enid (South Enid). The Rock Island
responded to the government's action by refusing to stop trains at the government towns. Citizens in the government towns at first applied political pressure to get the railroad to provide service, and the Oklahoma Territorial government and United States House of Representatives
backed them up. But the United States Senate
took the railroad's side and refused to act. Government officials then notified the Rock Island that they had to furnish mail service to the two government towns. Rock Island responded by installing a hook to pick up and deliver mail, without slowing their trains. When the mail pouches broke open, citizens accused the railroads of purposely strewing their mail along
the tracks.
With the stalemate in Washington, D.C.
and intransigence by the railroads, citizens of both government towns began direct actions. Enid passed an ordinance setting a speed limit on trains passing through town; the Rock Island ignored it. Citizens in both government towns began attempting to flag down trains, placed dummies on the tracks, and then left wagons and debris across the rails.
With no relief by Washington or by the railroads, citizens began direct action. In June 1894, citizens of Pond Creek tore up about a hundred yards of track and wrecked a freight train. No one was killed, but by then citizens of both South Enid and Pond Creek were taking potshots at trains passing through. By July citizens were placing bombs on the tracks, and, in the most drastic action of all, unknown persons sawed partially through a number of supports on the trestle near Enid, wrecking an unscheduled freight train preceding the scheduled passenger train.
Men of the United States Marshals Service
and troops from Fort Reno
and Fort Supply
were sent in to restore order and patrol the railroad right-of-way, but violence continued.
Finally the U.S. Senate decided to move and on August 8, 1894, President Grover Cleveland
signed an act (28 Stat. 263) requiring railroads "to establish and maintain passenger stations and freight
depots at or within one-fourth of a mile of the boundary limits of
all town sites established prior to August 8, 1894, in said
Territories."
and relocated to higher ground; government Pond Creek
(often called Round Pond by the Rock Island) remained but the Grant County seat (formerly "L" County) was eventually moved to Medford
.
Railroad Enid became North Enid
; government Enid, or South Enid, became simply Enid
, the county seat of Garfield County (formerly "O" County).
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
, 1893–1894) pitted the citizens of two United States designated county seats against the Rock Island Railroad
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
.
Background
In the late 1880s, the Rock Island Railroad built a rail line into Indian TerritoryIndian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
, entering near Caldwell, Kansas
Caldwell, Kansas
Caldwell is a city in Sumner County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,068.-19th century:In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a branch line north-south from Herington to Caldwell...
, and following the Chisholm Trail
Chisholm Trail
The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the late 19th century to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The portion of the trail marked by Jesse Chisholm went from his southern trading post near the Red River, to his northern trading post near Kansas City, Kansas...
. At part of the infrastructure, the company established railroad stations near several of the existing stage stations along the trail. Two of the stations, Pond Creek, built at Pond Stage Stand on Round Pond Creek, and Enid
Enid
-Places:*Enid, Oklahoma, a city**Enid High School, a public secondary school in Enid, Oklahoma*Enid Lake, Mississippi-People:*Enid , a Welsh female given name*Enid or Enide, a character from the King Arthur legend-Entertainment:...
, built at Skeleton Station near the Skeleton Ranch headquarters, would became involved in a controversy between the railroad and the Department of the Interior.
Controversy
The troubles began when the United States Department of the InteriorUnited States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
set about opening the Cherokee Strip
Cherokee Outlet
The Cherokee Outlet, often mistakenly referred to as the Cherokee Strip, was located in what is now the state of Oklahoma, in the United States. It was a sixty-mile wide strip of land south of the Oklahoma-Kansas border between the 96th and 100th meridians. It was about 225 miles long and in 1891...
to settlement. Hoping to lessen the problem of county seat war
County seat war
A county seat war is a phenomenon that occurred in the American West as it was being settled, although incidences elsewhere, such as in West Virginia, have been also been recorded. As new towns sprang up and county lines were drawn, there was intense competition for the status and tax benefits...
s, a common event in newly settled areas of the American Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
, the Department divided the strip into counties and assigned them county seats. They picked Pond Creek
Pond Creek, Oklahoma
Pond Creek is a city in Grant County, Oklahoma, along the Salt Fork Arkansas River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 856.-History:...
in "L" County and Enid
Enid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
in "O" County. Following the Interior Department's announcement of the official county seats, several citizens of the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
exercised their options to select their land allotments in the Cherokee Outlet, and chose them at the two town sites. Railroad officials were accused of conspiring with the Indians to speculate on town development, so officials in the Interior Department moved the government approved towns to different locations nearby.
A land run opened the Cherokee Outlet in 1893, and settlers, mainly from Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, occupied all four town sites; railroad Pond Creek, government Pond Creek, railroad Enid (North Enid
North Enid, Oklahoma
North Enid is a town in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 860 at the 2010 census. The town is served by the Chisholm school district...
), and government Enid (South Enid). The Rock Island
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
responded to the government's action by refusing to stop trains at the government towns. Citizens in the government towns at first applied political pressure to get the railroad to provide service, and the Oklahoma Territorial government and United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
backed them up. But the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
took the railroad's side and refused to act. Government officials then notified the Rock Island that they had to furnish mail service to the two government towns. Rock Island responded by installing a hook to pick up and deliver mail, without slowing their trains. When the mail pouches broke open, citizens accused the railroads of purposely strewing their mail along
the tracks.
With the stalemate in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and intransigence by the railroads, citizens of both government towns began direct actions. Enid passed an ordinance setting a speed limit on trains passing through town; the Rock Island ignored it. Citizens in both government towns began attempting to flag down trains, placed dummies on the tracks, and then left wagons and debris across the rails.
With no relief by Washington or by the railroads, citizens began direct action. In June 1894, citizens of Pond Creek tore up about a hundred yards of track and wrecked a freight train. No one was killed, but by then citizens of both South Enid and Pond Creek were taking potshots at trains passing through. By July citizens were placing bombs on the tracks, and, in the most drastic action of all, unknown persons sawed partially through a number of supports on the trestle near Enid, wrecking an unscheduled freight train preceding the scheduled passenger train.
Men of the United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
and troops from Fort Reno
Fort Reno (Oklahoma)
Fort Reno was established as a permanent post in July 1875, near the Darlington Indian Agency on the old Cheyenne-Arapaho reservation in Indian Territory, in present-day central Oklahoma. Named for General Jesse L. Reno, who died at the Battle of South Mountain, it supported the U.S...
and Fort Supply
Fort Supply
Fort Supply was a United States Army post established on November 18, 1868, in Indian Territory to protect the Southern Plains...
were sent in to restore order and patrol the railroad right-of-way, but violence continued.
Finally the U.S. Senate decided to move and on August 8, 1894, President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
signed an act (28 Stat. 263) requiring railroads "to establish and maintain passenger stations and freight
depots at or within one-fourth of a mile of the boundary limits of
all town sites established prior to August 8, 1894, in said
Territories."
Aftermath
Railroad Pond Creek was renamed JeffersonJefferson, Oklahoma
Jefferson is a town in Grant County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 37 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jefferson is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
and relocated to higher ground; government Pond Creek
Pond Creek, Oklahoma
Pond Creek is a city in Grant County, Oklahoma, along the Salt Fork Arkansas River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 856.-History:...
(often called Round Pond by the Rock Island) remained but the Grant County seat (formerly "L" County) was eventually moved to Medford
Medford, Oklahoma
Medford is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,172 at the 2000 census.-History:Medford was founded by Hobart Johnstone Whitley, a land developer, banker, farmer and Rock Island Railroad executive....
.
Railroad Enid became North Enid
North Enid, Oklahoma
North Enid is a town in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 860 at the 2010 census. The town is served by the Chisholm school district...
; government Enid, or South Enid, became simply Enid
Enid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
, the county seat of Garfield County (formerly "O" County).