Woodward, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Woodward is a city in and the county seat
of Woodward County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. It is the largest city in a nine-county area. The population was 12,051 at the 2010 census
.
The area was originally home to Kiowa
, Comanche
, Cheyenne
and Arapaho
tribes, but white settlers established the town in 1887. The Land Run of 1893
further opened up the area to settlement.
The city lies just west of Boiling Springs State Park
.
, on the eastern edge of the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. Its geographic coordinates are 36°25′59"N 99°23′52"W (36.433059, -99.397745) and its elevation is 1,906 feet (581 meters).
The city lies on the North Canadian River
, 100 miles (160.9 km) east-southeast of Guymon, Oklahoma
and 85 miles (136.8 km) west of Enid, Oklahoma
. As the largest city in an area of nine counties, it is a commercial hub in northwestern Oklahoma.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 13.2 square miles (34.2 km²), of which 13.1 square miles (33.9 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.53%) is water.
Before the American Civil War
, Woodward and its surrounding area was inhabited by the Kiowa
, Comanche
, Apache
, Cheyenne
, Arapaho
, and Plains tribes. Boiling Springs, near present day Woodward, was a favorite campsite of the Plains Indians
. A wide area around the springs later became the scene of numerous battles between these tribes and the white man. After the war, various military expeditions were led against the Plains tribes in Woodward County by Lieutenant Colonels Alfred Sully
and George Armstrong Custer
, and General Philip Sheridan
, who were stationed near Woodward at Fort Supply
.
history tore through Woodward, killing 107 people and destroying 100 city blocks. The family of storms, known as the Glazier-Higgins-Woodward tornadoes
, ranked as the sixth deadliest in US history, having caused many fatalities and much damage in other communities in Texas
, Oklahoma, and Kansas
.
, the area was inhabited by various tribes including the Kiowa
, Comanche
, Kiowa Apache, Cheyenne
, and the Arapaho
. A battles between the Kiowa
and Cheyenne
tribes took place nearby in 1838. The Kiowa
and Comanche
tribes also battled the United States Army in 1868.
In the 1880s, the area was part of "Commancheria", the unofficial name of the area traveled by the Comanche
tribe that stretched from Kansas
to Mexico
. White settlers established Woodward in 1887 at the junction of the Fort Reno
Military Road and the Southern Kansas Railway (a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad) on the south bank of the North Canadian River
. It soon became an important shipping point, both for provisioning Fort Supply
and as a place for loading cattle grazed in the Cherokee Outlet
. Before statehood, Woodward was one of the most extensive cattle shipping points in Oklahoma Territory. The Great Western Cattle Trail
crossed where Woodward now stands.
More than fifty thousand individuals and families settled across the old Cherokee Outlet
of northern Oklahoma on September 16, 1893 in the greatest land run
in American history. The settlers founded cities that day from Woodward all the way to Enid, Oklahoma
and Ponca City, Oklahoma
. In the summer of 1893, carpenters erected the first government building at the railroad depot called Woodward. By that time, Woodward had approximately 200 residents. Since before statehood, Woodward has served as the county seat of Woodward County, Oklahoma.
Woodward, like Dodge City, Kansas
to the North, boasted the usual array of saloons, gambling halls, and brothels. Woodward's Equity, Midway, Shamrock, and Cabinet saloons, and Dew Drop Inn, were widely known as watering holes for drovers at the end of a cattle drive. The latter, which also served as a brothel, was owned and managed by Dollie Kezer, who before her arrival in Woodward, worked at some of Denver, Colorado
's most famous brothels and was known to have attended lavish parties thrown by Horace Tabor.
In its early years, Woodward was home to Temple Lea Houston, the son of Texas revolutionary Samuel Houston, and Jack E. Love. It was in Woodward's Cabinet Saloon that Houston, a gun-slinging lawyer, shot the brother of the outlaw Al Jennings
after a personal disagreement with Jennings' brother and father. His close friend, Jack E. Love, joined Houston in the gun-fight. Houston was tried for murder in Woodward but was acquitted on grounds of self-defense. Love was later elected to the office of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission
and served as its first chairman.
Houston, who won a reputation as a brilliant trial lawyer known for his courtroom dramatics, delivered his famous Soiled Dove Plea
in a makeshift courtroom in Woodward's opera house. The argument, made on behalf of a prostitute who worked at the Dew Drop Inn, resulted in her acquittal after ten minutes. Houston served as the inspiration for the character Yancey Cravat in Edna Ferber
's book Cimarron
, and the booming frontier town described in the book is easily recognized as the town in which Houston lived: Woodward. Houston is buried in Woodward's Elmwood Cemetery.
On September 7, 1907, William Jennings Bryan
spoke to 20,000 people gathered in Woodward and urged the ratification of Oklahoma's proposed constitution and the election of a democratic ticket. Two months later the proclamation admitting Oklahoma as a state was signed by Theodore Roosevelt
with the quill from an American Golden Eagle
captured near Woodward.
By a 1911 Act of Congress, Woodward became a designated court town for the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. A United States Post Office and Courthouse was constructed in Woodward in 1918, and federal court dockets were held each November in Woodward until 1948 and sporadically thereafter.
In 1947, Woodward was struck by a tornado causing over 100 deaths and destroyed over 100 city blocks. (See 1947 Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes).
of 2000, there were 11,853 people, 4,787 households, and 3,245 families residing in the city. The population density
was 903.5 inhabitants per square mile (348.8/km²). There were 5,561 housing units at an average density of 423.9 per square mile (163.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.98% White, 0.25% African American, 1.96% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.26% from other races
, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.06% of the population.
There were 4,787 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples
living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,441, and the median income for a family was $39,766. Males had a median income of $29,222 versus $19,102 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,040. About 9.2% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Woodward serves as a market and processing center for wheat, cattle, hay and poultry. The city has grown around the Southern Plains Range Research Station, a United States agricultural experiment station established in 1912.
Woodward also lies in an oil and natural-gas area on the shelf of Oklahoma's Anadarko Basin
. In 1956, natural gas was discovered in Woodward County. Thereafter, Woodward enjoyed significant growth due to the opening and location of oil field service and drilling companies in Woodward. In addition to hydrocarbons, many portions of Woodward County are underlain by one of the world's largest deposits of iodine
. Since 1977, numerous companies have explored for and produced crude iodine in Woodward County. Woodward Iodine and Deepwater Chemicals are located in Woodward. In 2003, Florida Power & Light Company's subsidiary, FPL Energy, and the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority, began commercial production of electricity generated from wind turbines constructed seven miles (11 km) north of Woodward.
Manufacturers include oil field equipment, apparel, crude iodine, and printing and publishing. Clothing factories are a relatively recent addition.
The Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum attracts tourists to the city. Boiling Springs State Park
http://www.oklahomaparks.com/detail.asp?id=1+5U+3586 lies to the east of Woodward.
Woodward is the corporate headquarters for Beaver Express Service, L.L.C., Oklahoma's largest and oldest Oklahoma-based small package express and LTL motor freight carrier. Beaver Express serves the states of Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Missouri, and Texas.
In 1929, Woodward ranchers and businessmen organized the Woodward Elks Rodeo, which through 1959 was one of the premier cowboy rodeo
s in the nation. As many as 35,000 people would attend the three-day event. National rodeo champions such as Bob Crosby, Paul Carney, Toots Mansfield, Homer Pettigrew, Ace Soward, Eddie Curtis, Jess Goodspeed, Ike Rude, Jim Shoulder, Sonny Davis, Sonny Linger, and Tater Decker all competed at the Woodward Elks Rodeo.
and Roy Rogers
. As dress became more casual in the 1980s and 1990s, interest in Western wear waned. Trego’s closed its manufacturing plant in 1995.
On May 18, 1956, Charles Woodward Pappe, an entrepreneur from Kingfisher, opened the second Top-Hat Drive-In Restaurant in the United States, which was the precursor to the Sonic Drive-In
. A few months earlier, Pappe had introduced himself to Troy Smith, while visiting friends in Shawnee, Oklahoma
. With Pappe's inspiration, Sonic was founded and eventually became one of the largest chain of fast food restaurants in the US.
The city's High Plains Technology Center
offers courses and degrees in career and technical education. Woodward is also home to the Woodward campus of Northwestern Oklahoma State University
, which offers courses and degrees to the local population.
has been the local news source since 1926. It is currently distributed six days a week and owned by Community Newspaper Holdings
Inc., It is distributed freely to the town's residents.
and Bill Dalton robbed the railroad station at Woodward, Oklahoma Territory, taking an undisclosed amount of money.
On September 13, 1934, Charles Lindbergh
and Anne Morrow Lindbergh
made an unexpected emergency landing 23 miles (37 km) northeast of Woodward. The Lindberghs spent two days at a rural farm waiting for a relief plane to arrive at Woodward. Charles Lindbergh graciously refused to give any interviews, saying he and his wife were eager for privacy and no longer wanted to be in the public spotlight. Forty-eight years later another celebrity, Flip Wilson
, unexpectedly landed his helium balloon seven miles (11 km) east of Woodward in the town of Mooreland.
On January 14, 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower, who was accompanied by Ezra Taft Benson
, made a 12 miles (19.3 km) inspection tour of drought damaged lands around Woodward and was received by a crowd of 12,000 people at the Woodward Municipal Airport
.
On July 3 and 4, 2009, former President George W. Bush
was involved in Fourth of July festivities and gave a speech at Crystal Beach Park on Independence Day
itself. It was the first time any President of the United States
, past or present, had entered Woodward proper
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Woodward County
Woodward County, Oklahoma
Woodward County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 18,486. Its county seat is Woodward. Woodward County was originally known as "N" County and was composed of present day Woodward County and portions of Harper, Ellis, and Woods County...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the largest city in a nine-county area. The population was 12,051 at the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
.
The area was originally home to Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
, Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
, Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
and Arapaho
Arapaho
The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...
tribes, but white settlers established the town in 1887. The Land Run of 1893
Land Run of 1893
The Land Run of 1893, also known as the Cherokee Strip Land Run, marked the opening of the Cherokee Outlet to the public. The run happened on September 16, 1893 at noon with more than 100,000 participants hoping to claim land. The land offices for the run were set up in Perry, Enid, Woodward, and...
further opened up the area to settlement.
The city lies just west of Boiling Springs State Park
Boiling Springs State Park
Boiling Springs State Park is a park built near Woodward, Oklahoma, by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and named for one of the several natural springs which occur in the park....
.
Geography
Woodward is located in northwestern OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, on the eastern edge of the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. Its geographic coordinates are 36°25′59"N 99°23′52"W (36.433059, -99.397745) and its elevation is 1,906 feet (581 meters).
The city lies on the North Canadian River
North Canadian River
The North Canadian River is a tributary of the Canadian River, approximately long, that flows through New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma in the United States....
, 100 miles (160.9 km) east-southeast of Guymon, Oklahoma
Guymon, Oklahoma
Guymon is a city in and the county seat of Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,442, making it the largest city on the Oklahoma Panhandle. Corporate hog farms and cattle feedlots dominate its economy....
and 85 miles (136.8 km) west of Enid, Oklahoma
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...
. As the largest city in an area of nine counties, it is a commercial hub in northwestern Oklahoma.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 13.2 square miles (34.2 km²), of which 13.1 square miles (33.9 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.53%) is water.
Before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Woodward and its surrounding area was inhabited by the Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
, Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
, Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
, Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
, Arapaho
Arapaho
The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...
, and Plains tribes. Boiling Springs, near present day Woodward, was a favorite campsite of the Plains Indians
Plains Indians
The Plains Indians are the Indigenous peoples who live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. Their colorful equestrian culture and resistance to White domination have made the Plains Indians an archetype in literature and art for American Indians everywhere.Plains...
. A wide area around the springs later became the scene of numerous battles between these tribes and the white man. After the war, various military expeditions were led against the Plains tribes in Woodward County by Lieutenant Colonels Alfred Sully
Alfred Sully
Alfred Sully , was a military officer during the American Civil War and during the Indian Wars on the frontier. He was also a noted painter.-Biography:...
and George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
, and General Philip Sheridan
Philip Sheridan
Philip Henry Sheridan was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S...
, who were stationed near Woodward at 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...
.
Climate
On April 9, 1947, the deadliest tornado in OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
history tore through Woodward, killing 107 people and destroying 100 city blocks. The family of storms, known as the Glazier-Higgins-Woodward tornadoes
Glazier-Higgins-Woodward Tornadoes
The 1947 Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes was a system of related tornadoes that swept through Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas on April 9, 1947. Most of the damage and all the deaths are still blamed on one large F5 tornado, known as the Glazier-Higgins-Woodward Tornado, that traveled nearly 125...
, ranked as the sixth deadliest in US history, having caused many fatalities and much damage in other communities in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Oklahoma, and 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...
.
History
Prior to the Land Run of 1893Land Run of 1893
The Land Run of 1893, also known as the Cherokee Strip Land Run, marked the opening of the Cherokee Outlet to the public. The run happened on September 16, 1893 at noon with more than 100,000 participants hoping to claim land. The land offices for the run were set up in Perry, Enid, Woodward, and...
, the area was inhabited by various tribes including the Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
, Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
, Kiowa Apache, Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
, and the Arapaho
Arapaho
The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...
. A battles between the Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
and Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
tribes took place nearby in 1838. The Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
and Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
tribes also battled the United States Army in 1868.
In the 1880s, the area was part of "Commancheria", the unofficial name of the area traveled by the Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
tribe that stretched 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...
to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. White settlers established Woodward in 1887 at the junction of the 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...
Military Road and the Southern Kansas Railway (a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad) on the south bank of the North Canadian River
North Canadian River
The North Canadian River is a tributary of the Canadian River, approximately long, that flows through New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma in the United States....
. It soon became an important shipping point, both for provisioning 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...
and as a place for loading cattle grazed in the Cherokee Outlet
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...
. Before statehood, Woodward was one of the most extensive cattle shipping points in Oklahoma Territory. The Great Western Cattle Trail
Great Western Cattle Trail
The Great Western Cattle Trail was used in the 19th century for movement of cattle to markets in the East. It ran west of and roughly parallel to the Chisholm Trail. The Great Western Trail began at Bandera west of San Antonio and passed near Buffalo Gap and Abilene in West Texas...
crossed where Woodward now stands.
More than fifty thousand individuals and families settled across the old Cherokee Outlet
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...
of northern Oklahoma on September 16, 1893 in the greatest land run
Land run
Land run usually refers to an historical event in which previously restricted land of the United States was opened for homesteading on a first arrival basis. Some newly opened lands were sold first-come, sold by bid, or won by lottery, or by means other than a run...
in American history. The settlers founded cities that day from Woodward all the way to Enid, Oklahoma
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...
and Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City is a small city in Kay and Osage counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, which was named after the Ponca Tribe. Located in north central Oklahoma, it lies approximately south of the Kansas border, and approximately east of Interstate 35. 25,919 people called Ponca City home at the...
. In the summer of 1893, carpenters erected the first government building at the railroad depot called Woodward. By that time, Woodward had approximately 200 residents. Since before statehood, Woodward has served as the county seat of Woodward County, Oklahoma.
Woodward, like Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
to the North, boasted the usual array of saloons, gambling halls, and brothels. Woodward's Equity, Midway, Shamrock, and Cabinet saloons, and Dew Drop Inn, were widely known as watering holes for drovers at the end of a cattle drive. The latter, which also served as a brothel, was owned and managed by Dollie Kezer, who before her arrival in Woodward, worked at some of Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
's most famous brothels and was known to have attended lavish parties thrown by Horace Tabor.
In its early years, Woodward was home to Temple Lea Houston, the son of Texas revolutionary Samuel Houston, and Jack E. Love. It was in Woodward's Cabinet Saloon that Houston, a gun-slinging lawyer, shot the brother of the outlaw Al Jennings
Al Jennings
Alphonso J. "Al" Jennings was an attorney in the western USA who at one time robbed trains. He later became a silent film star and made many appearances in films as an actor and technical advisor.-Biography:...
after a personal disagreement with Jennings' brother and father. His close friend, Jack E. Love, joined Houston in the gun-fight. Houston was tried for murder in Woodward but was acquitted on grounds of self-defense. Love was later elected to the office of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission
Oklahoma Corporation Commission
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the public utilities commission of the state of Oklahoma run by three state-wide elected Commissioners, assisted by over 400 employees...
and served as its first chairman.
Houston, who won a reputation as a brilliant trial lawyer known for his courtroom dramatics, delivered his famous Soiled Dove Plea
Soiled Dove Plea
The Soiled Dove Plea was a speech delivered by the attorney Temple Lea Houston on behalf of a hopelessly guilty prostitute, Minnie Stacey, in 1899 in Woodward, Oklahoma. The accused prostitute was scheduled to be tried for prostitution one morning and the judge discovered she had neither attorney...
in a makeshift courtroom in Woodward's opera house. The argument, made on behalf of a prostitute who worked at the Dew Drop Inn, resulted in her acquittal after ten minutes. Houston served as the inspiration for the character Yancey Cravat in Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were especially popular and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big , Show Boat , and Giant .-Early years:Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan,...
's book Cimarron
Cimarron
Cimarron is the title of a novel published by popular historical fiction author Edna Ferber in 1929. The book was adapted into a critically acclaimed film in 1931 through RKO Pictures. In 1960, the story was again adapted for the screen to meager success by MGM...
, and the booming frontier town described in the book is easily recognized as the town in which Houston lived: Woodward. Houston is buried in Woodward's Elmwood Cemetery.
On September 7, 1907, William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
spoke to 20,000 people gathered in Woodward and urged the ratification of Oklahoma's proposed constitution and the election of a democratic ticket. Two months later the proclamation admitting Oklahoma as a state was signed by Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
with the quill from an American Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
captured near Woodward.
By a 1911 Act of Congress, Woodward became a designated court town for the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. A United States Post Office and Courthouse was constructed in Woodward in 1918, and federal court dockets were held each November in Woodward until 1948 and sporadically thereafter.
In 1947, Woodward was struck by a tornado causing over 100 deaths and destroyed over 100 city blocks. (See 1947 Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes).
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 11,853 people, 4,787 households, and 3,245 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 903.5 inhabitants per square mile (348.8/km²). There were 5,561 housing units at an average density of 423.9 per square mile (163.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.98% White, 0.25% African American, 1.96% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.26% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.06% of the population.
There were 4,787 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,441, and the median income for a family was $39,766. Males had a median income of $29,222 versus $19,102 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,040. About 9.2% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Woodward is the principal center of trade for Northwest Oklahoma and a ten-county region including counties in Kansas and Texas. It serves a trade area of greater than 50,000 people. Agriculture, petroleum, wind energy, and manufacturing all contribute to Woodward's economy.Woodward serves as a market and processing center for wheat, cattle, hay and poultry. The city has grown around the Southern Plains Range Research Station, a United States agricultural experiment station established in 1912.
Woodward also lies in an oil and natural-gas area on the shelf of Oklahoma's Anadarko Basin
Anadarko Basin
The Anadarko Basin is a geologic depositional and structural basin centered in the western part of the state of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, and extending into western Kansas and southeast Colorado.-Geology:...
. In 1956, natural gas was discovered in Woodward County. Thereafter, Woodward enjoyed significant growth due to the opening and location of oil field service and drilling companies in Woodward. In addition to hydrocarbons, many portions of Woodward County are underlain by one of the world's largest deposits of iodine
Iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
. Since 1977, numerous companies have explored for and produced crude iodine in Woodward County. Woodward Iodine and Deepwater Chemicals are located in Woodward. In 2003, Florida Power & Light Company's subsidiary, FPL Energy, and the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority, began commercial production of electricity generated from wind turbines constructed seven miles (11 km) north of Woodward.
Manufacturers include oil field equipment, apparel, crude iodine, and printing and publishing. Clothing factories are a relatively recent addition.
The Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum attracts tourists to the city. Boiling Springs State Park
Boiling Springs State Park
Boiling Springs State Park is a park built near Woodward, Oklahoma, by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and named for one of the several natural springs which occur in the park....
http://www.oklahomaparks.com/detail.asp?id=1+5U+3586 lies to the east of Woodward.
Woodward is the corporate headquarters for Beaver Express Service, L.L.C., Oklahoma's largest and oldest Oklahoma-based small package express and LTL motor freight carrier. Beaver Express serves the states of Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Missouri, and Texas.
Agriculture
By the early 1900s, the introduction of Hereford cattle took root in Woodward County. With this development, cattlemen such as Dan Waggoner http://www.waggonerranch.com/ and his son, W.T. Waggoner, attempted to lease school lands in Woodward County for grazing. These attempts led to the formation of the Oklahoma Livestock Association by Woodward County ranchers. By 1930, the ranching and cattle industry dominated Woodward's economy. At the urging of Senator Thomas P. Gore and the former law partner of Temple Houston, David P. Marum, the United States government located an agricultural research station in Woodward in 1912. On February 23, 1933, Oklahoma's first commercial-grade cattle auction, the Woodward Livestock Auction, opened in Woodward.In 1929, Woodward ranchers and businessmen organized the Woodward Elks Rodeo, which through 1959 was one of the premier cowboy rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
s in the nation. As many as 35,000 people would attend the three-day event. National rodeo champions such as Bob Crosby, Paul Carney, Toots Mansfield, Homer Pettigrew, Ace Soward, Eddie Curtis, Jess Goodspeed, Ike Rude, Jim Shoulder, Sonny Davis, Sonny Linger, and Tater Decker all competed at the Woodward Elks Rodeo.
Businesses
Between 1934 and 1999, the Trego’s Westwear Company of Woodward manufactured Western cut clothing for customers all over the world. Rodeo and movie stars were customers of the company and costumes were frequently made for Dale EvansDale Evans
Dale Evans, was an American writer, movie star, and singer-songwriter. She was the third wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers.-Early life:...
and Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
. As dress became more casual in the 1980s and 1990s, interest in Western wear waned. Trego’s closed its manufacturing plant in 1995.
On May 18, 1956, Charles Woodward Pappe, an entrepreneur from Kingfisher, opened the second Top-Hat Drive-In Restaurant in the United States, which was the precursor to the Sonic Drive-In
Sonic Drive-In
Sonic Drive-In is an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, complete with carhops who sometimes wear rollerskates. As of August 31, 2010, there were 3,500 restaurants in 43 U.S. states. Sonic serves approximately 3 million customers daily.-1950s:Following...
. A few months earlier, Pappe had introduced himself to Troy Smith, while visiting friends in Shawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area; it is also the county seat of Pottawatomie County and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical...
. With Pappe's inspiration, Sonic was founded and eventually became one of the largest chain of fast food restaurants in the US.
Education
Woodward is home to an early childhood center, three elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. The Woodward school district serves more than 2,500 students. The city also has a private school, the Woodward Christian Academy, that serves fewer than 100 students.The city's High Plains Technology Center
High Plains Technology Center
High Plains Technology Center is a public career and technology education center located in Woodward, Oklahoma and is part of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education system.-Student organizations:...
offers courses and degrees in career and technical education. Woodward is also home to the Woodward campus of Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Northwestern Oklahoma State University, also known as NWOSU, is a university in Alva, Oklahoma, United States, with satellite campuses in Enid and Woodward. A state university, it offers both bachelor's and master's degrees.-Establishment:...
, which offers courses and degrees to the local population.
Newspapers and media
The Woodward NewsWoodward News
The Woodward News is a six-day daily newspaper based in Woodward, Oklahoma. The newspaper is distributed six mornings per week, Tuesday through Sunday. The newspaper is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. The newspaper is 50 cents daily and $1 Sunday. It began publication in 1984....
has been the local news source since 1926. It is currently distributed six days a week and owned by Community Newspaper Holdings
Community Newspaper Holdings
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. is a publisher of newspapers and advertising-related publications throughout the eastern part of the United States. The company was formed in 1997 by Ralph Martin, and is based in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is financed by the Retirement Systems of...
Inc., It is distributed freely to the town's residents.
Visitors
On March 13, 1894, outlaws Bill DoolinBill Doolin
William "Bill" Doolin was an American bandit and founder of the Wild Bunch, an outlaw gang that specialized in robbing banks, trains and stagecoaches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas during the 1890s.- Early life :...
and Bill Dalton robbed the railroad station at Woodward, Oklahoma Territory, taking an undisclosed amount of money.
On September 13, 1934, Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
and Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Morrow Lindbergh was an American author, aviator, and the spouse of fellow aviator Charles Lindbergh.She was an acclaimed author whose books and articles spanned the genres of poetry to non-fiction, touching upon topics as diverse as youth and age; love and marriage; peace, solitude and...
made an unexpected emergency landing 23 miles (37 km) northeast of Woodward. The Lindberghs spent two days at a rural farm waiting for a relief plane to arrive at Woodward. Charles Lindbergh graciously refused to give any interviews, saying he and his wife were eager for privacy and no longer wanted to be in the public spotlight. Forty-eight years later another celebrity, Flip Wilson
Flip Wilson
Clerow Wilson, Jr. , known professionally as Flip Wilson, was an American comedian and actor. In the early 1970s, Wilson hosted his own weekly variety series, The Flip Wilson Show...
, unexpectedly landed his helium balloon seven miles (11 km) east of Woodward in the town of Mooreland.
On January 14, 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower, who was accompanied by Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.-Biography:Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of...
, made a 12 miles (19.3 km) inspection tour of drought damaged lands around Woodward and was received by a crowd of 12,000 people at the Woodward Municipal Airport
West Woodward Airport
West Woodward Airport is a general aviation airport, located west of the City of Woodward, Oklahoma downtown business district....
.
On July 3 and 4, 2009, former President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
was involved in Fourth of July festivities and gave a speech at Crystal Beach Park on Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
itself. It was the first time any President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, past or present, had entered Woodward proper
Famous residents
- Bob FenimoreBob FenimoreRobert Dale Fenimore known as the Blonde Bomber was a halfback for the Oklahoma A&M football team from 1943 to 1946. He was the first two-time All America selection from Oklahoma A&M and finished third in the Heisman voting in 1945, but still led the nation in rushing with 142 carries for 1,048...
, football player. - Temple Lea Houston, last born child of Sam HoustonSam HoustonSamuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, Texas State Senator, famous trial lawyer, moved to Woodward, Oklahoma in 1894. - Dick Thompson MorganDick Thompson MorganDick Thompson Morgan was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma.-Early life and education:Born at Prairie Creek, Indiana, Morgan attended the country schools and the Prairie Creek High School. In 1876 he received a bachelor's degree and in 1878 a master's degree both from Union Christian College,...
, United States Congressman, 2nd District, Oklahoma 1909-15, 8th District, Oklahoma 1915-20. - Jerry CovingtonJerry Covington- Background :Jerry started building custom motorcycles in the early seventies and founded Covington's Cycle City in Woodward Oklahoma in 1993....
a renowned fabricator of high-end custom motorcycles that are frequently featured on television and in cycle magazines, and owner of Covingtons Cycle City,http://www.covingtonscyclecity.com based in Woodward. - Terry PeachTerry PeachTerry Peach is an American farmer and politician from Oklahoma. Peach previously served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture under Governor of Oklahoma Brad Henry from 2003 to 2011...
, farmer, rancher, Secretary and Commissioner of the Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture (2003–present), Oklahoma State Executive Director, United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (1993–2000) - Will RogersWill RogersWilliam "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
was employed as a cowboy at a ranch near Woodward. Day, Donald. - Charles SwindallCharles SwindallCharles Swindall was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma.-Early life:Born at College Mound, near Terrell, Texas, Swindall attended the public schools and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee....
, United States Congressman, Oklahoma; Justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1929-1934. - Olin E. TeagueOlin E. TeagueOlin Earl "Tiger" Teague was a notable World War II veteran and Congressional representative for Texas's 6th congressional district for 32 years, from 1946 to 1978...
, military hero and long-term Texas Congressman was born in Woodward, Oklahoma on April 6, 1910.
Further reading
- Sand in My Eyes, Laune, Siegniora Russell (1956)
- Below Devil's Gap: The Story of Woodward County, James, Louise B. (1984)
- Temple Houston, Lawyer with a Gun, Shirley, Glenn (1980)
- Fort Supply, Indian Territory: Frontier Outpost on the Plains, Carriker, Robert C. (1970, repr. 1990)
- Jack Love: Eighty Niner, Adams, Grace Hunter (1988)