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The Birth of a New
City
Page
2
Statehood
When Oklahoma was added into the union on
November
16,
1907
brought about a turning
point for the citizens
of Oklahoma City.
The population had
increased to 32,452 and
the
city had become
the
undisputed
economic and
social cernter of the
future state. The
State Fair of
Oklahoma
became an
institution
that would play
a large
role in the future of
Oklahoma when it
opened
in 1907.
What had began as many street
fairs in
1892, the
modern state
fair began in
the
offices of the chamber of commerce on
January
18, 1907. The
men present for this meeting were C. G. Jones,
Alexander
W.
McKeand and
Anton
Classen.
The
voted
to charted the
State Fair
Association
of
Oklahoma with a
capital stock
of $100,000
to be
divided into
10,000
shares,
valued at
$10
each. On February 25th the
directors
adoped
an amended
version of
the
constitution and
bylaws
of the Dallas
State
Fair. It was
on
the brink of
bankruptcy after the first fair, however,
Henry Overholser made
several loans to the
association with the
total cash
outlay to
more
than
$85,000.
By
1908 his investment had
handsome
dividents. The State Fair of
1908 had an
estimated
attendance of
100,000. In
December 1908 C.G. Jones
resigned as President
and the board
elected
Henry Overholser
to fill
that
position.
On the day of
statehood the beer
flowed until the Revenue
officers began
dumping
the beer into
the
streets and
gutters.
Packing Town
Or Later Known As
Stockyards
City
All pictures above were taken and submitted by
Haskell Craig, June 06, 2009
Inscription ot plaque above in shown to the
left. This plaue was financed
by the Oklahoma City
Foundation |
Stockyards City
Est
1910
You are
approadching the gate of the
Oklahoma
National Stockyards, the world's largest
stocker-feeder cattle market.
Having always served as
the anchor
tenant in Stockyards City, the inception of
business inside the gate resulted in the
rapid growth of a
district required to
accomadate customers of the
stockyards. Provision of goods and
services to meet the
needs of the
working cowboy and cowgirl became the focus of
Oklahoma County's only western heritage
speciality
district. Always a
driving force in the cattle industry,
the yards are a reminder of the impact
of the cowboy culture
on our states
history. |
In 1908 the
Chamber of
Commerce
President
Sidney L.
Brock
sent
letters to
northern and eastern meat
packing companies giving
them statistical
information on Oklaoma
City's
climate,
population
grownth, and potential
market
area.
Thomas E.
WIlson,
executive
vice-president of
Morris
& Company of
Chicago, then came to
look at
possible
sites
for a
packing plant in
Oklahoma City. After Mr. Wilson had met
with
Anton
Classen, John
Shartel, George
Stone,
and E. K.
Gaylord, he
was continced
that
Oklahoma City
would satisfy his company's
requests. He Set
down
several
conditions. Sidney
Brock and George
Stone
secured options on
575
acres of land in the
area selected by
Wilson. Several
days of
festivites
connected with
Packingtown's opening,
beginning with the
arrival from Chicago of
Morris, Wilson,and
their
wives.
On
October
1,
1910, 15,000 people
visited
Packington.
The
Morris Company
organized
the Oklahoma
National
Stock Yards
Company. An
integral part of the stock
yards operation was
its
commission
firms.
Oklahoma City businessmen met with the
representative of the Nelson
Morris Company of
Chicago in May 1909 to propose building a packing
house, if a $300,000.00 cash bonus and
property concessions could be
obtained. Led by
Anton Classen and Charles Colcord, an Industrial
District Company was formed. A tract of land
west and across the
river south from the
downtown area was obtained and the company
began selling lots to raise money, matching
the gifts pledged by
individuals. A second
packing house followed suit and the beginnings
of "Packingtown: became a reality. This began
one of the most
important building booms in
Oklahoma City history.The Oklahoma
National
Stockyards Company began operating as a public livestock
market in October 1910. Morris and Company
(now Armour) opened a
large meat packing plant
adjoining the stockyards at the same time.
The
following year, Schwartzchild & Sulzberger (now Wilson)
opened a similar plant. Together they
represented an investment of
approximately
$3.5 million. The entire operation generated 2,400 new
jobs in the city with a population of only
60,000. The stockyards
and meat packing plants
were Oklahoma City's first major industrial
installations and represented the heaviest
concentration of labor in
the capitol city.
In the first five years of operation, the volume of livestock
handling increased by 130%. By 1966 the
Oklahoma National Stockyards
had become the
sixth largest market in the nation on the basis of
livestock handling, representing $125 million
in annual business.
When the number of
saleable cattle soared to 919,280 head in 1973,
the stockyards took the nation's lead. Today
the stockyards remains
the world's largest
stocker and feeder cattle market.
From the beginning of this growing industry, a supporting
community of goods and services was
established. The streetcar was
extended to
this business district and it became known as
"Packingtown". A post office was opened along
with a bank, hotels,
restaurants and a wide
variety of businesses related to the cattle
trade.
Much of the original business district remains intact,
maintaining the rugged western flavor but
broadening their marketing
approach to serve
the needs of the larger community. western wear
attracts a wider scope of buyers today and the
original home of
western gear maintains stores
in place where western activities are
still a
way of life.
The colorful, working world of the Stockyards provides a view of
history unique to the present day activities.
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