Woodward, Oklahoma
The City of Woodward, Oklahoma serves as the county seat of Woodward County, OklahomaTemplate:GR. The population was 11,853 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Woodward is located at 36°25′59″N 99°23′52″W / 36.43306°N 99.39778°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (36.433059, -99.397745)Template:GR, elevation 1,906 feet (581 meters).
The city lies on the North Canadian River, 100 miles (161 kilometers) east-southeast of Guymon, Oklahoma and 85 miles (137 kilometers) west of Enid, Oklahoma.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.2 km² (13.2 mi²). 34.0 km² (13.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.53%) is water.
History
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.
Woodward was established in 1887 at the junction of the Fort Reno Military Road and 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 of 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 Strip of northern Oklahoma on September 19, 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 300 residents. Before statehood to the present, Woodward has served as the county seat of Woodward County, Oklahoma, which is bordered to the north by the Cimarron River. In 1907, the proclamation admitting Oklahoma as a state was signed by Theodore Roosevelt with the quill from an American Eagle captured near Woodward, Oklahoma. In 1912, the U.S. Government, at the urging of Senator Thomas P. Gore, located an agricultural research station there.
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 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 Woodward's first courthouse. The argument, made on behalf of an admittedly guilty prostitute, resulted in her acquittal after ten minutes. Houston served as the role model in Edna Ferber's book Cimarron, and the booming frontier town described in Cimarron was the town in which Houston lived: Woodward. Houston is buried in Woodward's Elmwood Cemetery.
Ranching developed from free land and longhorned cattle originally brought to Mexico by the Spanish conquerors. These cattle were tough and had the bred-in ability to survive, a trait that allowed them to be driven long distances to railroad shipping points. This changed when Hereford cattle were developed. By the early 1900's, the introduction of Hereford cattle took root in Woodward County and by 1930, the ranching and cattle industry dominated its economy. On February 23, 1933, the Woodward Livestock Auction opened. It was the first commercial-grade cattle auction in Oklahoma.
On September 13, 1934, Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh made an unexpected emergency landing 23 miles Northeast of Woodward. The Lindberghs spent two days at a rural farm waiting for a relief plane to arrive at Woodward. Charles Lindbergh, though gracious, refused to give any interviews and said he and his wife were eager for privacy and wanted to stay out of the spotlight. Forty-eight years later, less nine days, another celebrity, Flip Wilson unexpectedly landed his helium balloon seven miles east of Woodward in the town of Mooreland.
As an annual pastime, Woodward ranchers and businessmen organized the Woodward Elks Rodeo, which from 1929 through 1959, served as one of the premier cowboy rodeos in the United States. In many years, Woodward's population would double during the event and as many as 35,000 people would attend the three day show. National rodeo stars 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.
On April 9, 1947, the deadliest tornado in Oklahoma 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.
On May 18, 1956, Charlie Pappe, a local Woodward grocer, opened the second Top-Hat Drive-In Restaurant in the United States, which was the precursor to the Sonic Drive-In. A few months before, Pappe had introduced himself to Sonic's founder, Troy Smith, while visting friends in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
On January 14, 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower, who was accompanied by Ezra Taft Benson, made a 12 mile inspection tour of drouth damaged lands around Woodward and received a reception from a Woodward Municipal Airport crowd of 12,000 people.
Other Notable Facts
Olin E. Teague, military hero and long-term Texas Congressman was born in Woodward, Oklahoma on April 6, 1910.
Will Rogers was employed as a cowboy on a ranch near Woodward.
Charles E. Jones, buffalo hunter, merchant, Indian trader, teamster, and rancher, spent his declining years in Woodward, Oklahoma, and died there on June 3, 1935.
Charles Swindall, Justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1929-1934.
Phil Ferguson, United States Congressman, 8th District, State of Oklahoma, 1935-1941.
Lyle Gaston, songwriter and native of Woodward. Songwriter for Hank Thompson and member of the Brazos Valley Boys. Author of "Blackboard of My Heart", "Mr. and Mrs. Snowman", "How Do You hold a Memory?", "Two Hearts Deep in the Blues", "My Old Flame", and "You'll Be the One" performed by Hank Thompson. Author of "Stockings and Shoes" performed by Eddie Cochran.
Terry "Buffalo" Ware, guitarist and songwriter originally from Woodward. Long-time guitarist for Ray Wylie Hubbard. Guitarist for Jimmy LaFave from 1997-2000. Co-author, with Hubbard, of "Here Comes The Night" and "Love In Vain".
Robert (Bob) Dale Fenimore, football player and native of Woodward. Oklahoma A&M now Oklahoma State University’s first two-time All American football player. Following college, Fenimore was a first draft choice of the Chicago Bears. Fenimore is a member of the Oklahoma Football Hall of Fame, the Big 8 Football Hall of Fame, and the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame. He played on the winning 1945 Cotton Bowl and 1946 Sugar Bowl teams. He received his B.S. degree from Oklahoma A&M in 1947.
Trego's Western Wear. 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 Evans and Roy Rogers. As dress became more casual in the 1980’s and 1990’s, interest in Western wear waned. Trego’s closed its manufacturing plant in 1995.
Ace Soward, Nationally known rodeo cowboy, circa 1930's.
Monte Reger, Rodeo promoter in Southwest United States, horse breeder, father of Virginia Reger Morton
Virginia Reger Morton, Rodeo trick rider and roper
Bobby Joe Cudd, Oilfield firefighter. Founder of Cudd Pressure Control and Bobcat Pressure Control. Cudd Pressure Control was one of two companies retained by the government of Kuwait to control the massive oil field fires left in the wake of the Gulf War.
Woodward's Motto: Everyone is from Woodward
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 11,853 people, 4,787 households, and 3,245 families residing in the city. The population density was 348.8/km² (903.5/mi²). There were 5,561 housing units at an average density of 163.7/km² (423.9/mi²). 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.
Economy
Woodward serves as a market and processing center for wheat and cattle that also produces hay and poultry. The area includes the Southern Plains Range Research Station, a United States agricultural experiment station.
Woodward lies in an oil and natural-gas area. Manufactures include oil field equipment, apparel, crude iodine, and printing and publishing. Clothing factories are a relatively recent addition.
The Museum of Pioneer History and Plains Indians attracts tourists to the city. Boiling Springs State Park lies to the east of Woodward.
