27/07/2023
The Middle of Nowhere and
The Center of Everything
Enid has some of the most interesting railroad history in the state of Oklahoma. The photo shows a 1917 map of tracks radiating from our city in 10 different directions. As late as 1920, Enid surpassed Oklahoma City and Tulsa with the number of rail lines entering and leaving the city. A number of towns on the map (Johah, Blanton, Ituna, Steen, Cloworth, Cropper, Kennedy, Burns, Shea, Fritz) no longer exist. If you look for them on the satellite views of Google Maps or Google Earth, nature has erased these communities, sometimes leaving but faint traces of their physical history. Interestingly, several towns (Breckenridge, Ames, Drummond) were named after officials of railroads that basically established those townsites. What did the railroads mean to the early settlers of our state? What happened to many communities when they were never served, or were bypassed, by the railroads? And how has the railroad landscape changed from the time prior to statehood to today? Visit the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma to find the answers to these, and many other railroad-related questions. It really is a fascinating story!
