Downtown OKC 1889 – 1899

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Pre-Run "Cavalry"	Just Before Run	Day 1	Same Day?	Later	Main Street
Post Offices	Birdseye View	OKC 1890	Main Street	Masonic Temple	Oklahoman
Santa Fe Depot	Military Report

THE CAVALRY This is from the National Acrhives, saying about this picture, "57. Troop 'C,' 5th Cavalry,

which arrested boomers and squatters prior to opening of Oklahoma, ca. 1888. 111-SC-87369." Above, the pic is reduced in size but its segments are shown below.

JUST HOURS BEFORE THE RUN This is from the National Acrhives, saying about this picture, "158. Oklahoma City, lnd. Terr., in 1889

showing U.S. Government dwellings, water tank, railroad station, hotel, post office and store, stage stables, tents of 13th Infantry detachment guarding lumber and an uncompleted cemetery. 111-SC-87337.

APRIL 22, 1889 Oklahoma City opened to legal settlement on April 22, 1889. The difficult and treacherous time is described in a report by William Willard Howard in a May 1889 Harper's Weekly magazine, which you can read here.

LAND RUN DAY (?) April 22, 1889

A BIT LATER Probably May 1889. Eat More Beef!

MAIN Someone has typed a date on the pic. The Santa Fe tracks may be in the foreground (but the tracks may be not be Santa Fe).

EARLY POST OFFICES Left: 1st Post Office, May 1889, 8 West Main. QUERY: Why is that guy holding a rifle - Macho Man or did the need exist? Right: 1890 Post Office, 107 North Broadway.

1890 BIRDS EYE DRAWING An article by Larry Johnson  at the Okc Metropolitan Library System describes this picture. (Once there, you may need to click your refresh button for the target page to load.) AND, note that Oklahoma City was NOT part of Indian Territory, that being an error by the artist.

1890 I don't recall the source of this picture but it gives an actual look at the city in 1890.

MAIN STREET Looking west to east, probably 1893-1899 since the building in the background with the turret (center-right) appears to be the Masonic Temple built in 1893 on the NW corner of Main & Broadway (below).

MASONIC TEMPLE Originally, the Masonic Temple built in 1893 at the NW corner of Broadway & Main (101 W Main). In pictures before 1921, the building's turret serves as a reference point in identifying location and compass orientation of other locations. In 1902, it became Western National Bank. In 1921, the building was razed and the Tradesmen's National Bank was built at the same location. Presently, the later building is occupied by BankFirst. See the 1920s.

THE OKLAHOMAN Newspaper offices in 1896 at 26 West Main. To see the 1910 Oklahoman building, click here.

SANTA FE STATION Looking South. The depot existed before Oklahoma City did. According to Larry Johnson's article at the Okc Metropolitan Library System, "A. W. Durham, who arrived as stationmaster for the Santa Fe in February of 1888 described Oklahoma Station as a busy place. In addition to serving the fort and the Indian agencies (about a million pounds of freight per month), he estimates over 1000 carloads of cattle went through Oklahoma Station in his year of service there. (cont ...)

...(cont) Durham also indicates that there were seven buildings at Oklahoma Station: the depot, the stationmaster's house, a section house (a sort of bunkhouse for railroad crews), a post office, the quartermaster's house, a boarding house and a stockade for government freight." For the full article,  click here (after clicking the link, you may need to click your refresh button for the target page to open).

LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF WAR The United States Army was charged with keeping the peace and good order during the Land Run days. The United States Senate adopted a Resolution, Resolved: That the Secretary of War be directed to transmit to the Senate copies of the various reports of military officers in relation to the affairs at Guthrie and Oklahoma City, Ind.T., from the opening to settlement of said Territory. Those documents were transmitted by the Secretary of War on February 25, 1890, and were ordered to be printed. The letters and telegrams present a first-hand account of the Land Run days through January 1890, tales of claim-jumping, the 'Committee of 15' who apparently intended to force an illegal election, gamblers and whisky sellers, and much more. Pages 14 through 54 of the 61 page report relate to Oklahoma City and are within these pages. Click here to read the report which will open in a separate window. Top