Located in north east Oklahoma, Craig county was sparsely populated until after the civil war. The area was part of the Cherokee nation after they were forcibly moved to the territory in the 1830s. Cattle trails ran through the territory and as farmers and ranchers begin to settle in the area, and a store was opened. The store was successful, and other enterprising merchants soon followed, and on November 1st, 1892, a post office was established with the name of Lucas. William M. McGee was the first post master. The early town was a commerce hub, with whiskey being one of the primary products sold. There was also some coal mining in the area, but the seams played out after a few years. As the population continued to grow, John Trotter was hired as the first town marshal in 1888. A townsite was plotted in 1898, and the post office was renamed Centralia on April 11th, 1899 with George W. Jamison as the postmaster. Opinons differ on where the name came from. One source claims is was named after Centralia Illinois, another, more likely, is that it was named after Centralia Missouri, where the townsite founder was originally from. The town prospered and petitioned for rail service, and though proposed, was never built. The nearest rail service was at the county seat of Vinita, 27 miles away by "roads" of the era. The isolation of the town was what led to Centralia's initial success, as roads were primitive and travel difficult, limited to horse and buggy. A wide variety of merchants and stores were located around a central town square. Centralia was the only town in Craig county with a town square, which covered just over two acres. The square was used for community events and a courthouse and jail were eventually added. A four room wooden school house was built, replaced by a larger brick structure in 1925. In 1907, a large fire swept through the town, destroying about a third of the business district, which had been primarily of wooden construction. Many of the businesses were rebuilt using brick and stone. The Centralia Standard newspaper began publishing in 1903, and two banks were in operation, the Farmers and Merchants Bank and the First National Bank of Centralia. The town prospered through the early 1900s, and into statehood in 1907, but by the mid teens, the town was beginning to decline. The Farmers and Merchants Bank was liquidated on May 1st, 1915, and the First National Bank of Centralia converted to the First State Bank of Centralia in 1919. Interestingly, Centralia was the first recorded instance of a bank robbery in the state using an automobile. On November 18th, 1916, the Poe-Hart gang robbed the bank and escaped in a Ford touring car. A posse was quickly formed and followed in pursuit, but the horses were unable to keep up with the sustained speed of the new automobile. The gang, emboldened by their success went on to rob several banks in the area, until their invevitible demise in a shootout with the law. Peak poulation estimates vary, ranging from 750 to over 1000 people. Improvements in transportaton, such as the arrival of the automobile, new highways allowed people to reach neighboring larger towns where they could get better prices and larger selection of goods. The lack of rail service or major highways near the town resulted in continuing decline. The arrival of the Great Depression, forced many farms and ranches to consolidate, and people moved away. Both newspapers, the Centralia Standard and Centralia Register ceased publication in 1927. The remaining First State Bank was liquidated on April 5th, 1930, it's assets sold to the First National Bank of Vinita. The School and post office remained, serving the surrounding area. The school continued until 1968 and the post office was finally closed in 1990. The Hill Top cememtery, a few crumbling building remain around near the old town square, and somewhere around 10 families still call Centralia home, surrounded by the memories of what once was. Ironically, the reason for Centralias initial success, its isolation, was also one of the primary reasons for its demise.
Search This Blog
12/22/15
Ghost town of Centralia, Oklahoma
Located in north east Oklahoma, Craig county was sparsely populated until after the civil war. The area was part of the Cherokee nation after they were forcibly moved to the territory in the 1830s. Cattle trails ran through the territory and as farmers and ranchers begin to settle in the area, and a store was opened. The store was successful, and other enterprising merchants soon followed, and on November 1st, 1892, a post office was established with the name of Lucas. William M. McGee was the first post master. The early town was a commerce hub, with whiskey being one of the primary products sold. There was also some coal mining in the area, but the seams played out after a few years. As the population continued to grow, John Trotter was hired as the first town marshal in 1888. A townsite was plotted in 1898, and the post office was renamed Centralia on April 11th, 1899 with George W. Jamison as the postmaster. Opinons differ on where the name came from. One source claims is was named after Centralia Illinois, another, more likely, is that it was named after Centralia Missouri, where the townsite founder was originally from. The town prospered and petitioned for rail service, and though proposed, was never built. The nearest rail service was at the county seat of Vinita, 27 miles away by "roads" of the era. The isolation of the town was what led to Centralia's initial success, as roads were primitive and travel difficult, limited to horse and buggy. A wide variety of merchants and stores were located around a central town square. Centralia was the only town in Craig county with a town square, which covered just over two acres. The square was used for community events and a courthouse and jail were eventually added. A four room wooden school house was built, replaced by a larger brick structure in 1925. In 1907, a large fire swept through the town, destroying about a third of the business district, which had been primarily of wooden construction. Many of the businesses were rebuilt using brick and stone. The Centralia Standard newspaper began publishing in 1903, and two banks were in operation, the Farmers and Merchants Bank and the First National Bank of Centralia. The town prospered through the early 1900s, and into statehood in 1907, but by the mid teens, the town was beginning to decline. The Farmers and Merchants Bank was liquidated on May 1st, 1915, and the First National Bank of Centralia converted to the First State Bank of Centralia in 1919. Interestingly, Centralia was the first recorded instance of a bank robbery in the state using an automobile. On November 18th, 1916, the Poe-Hart gang robbed the bank and escaped in a Ford touring car. A posse was quickly formed and followed in pursuit, but the horses were unable to keep up with the sustained speed of the new automobile. The gang, emboldened by their success went on to rob several banks in the area, until their invevitible demise in a shootout with the law. Peak poulation estimates vary, ranging from 750 to over 1000 people. Improvements in transportaton, such as the arrival of the automobile, new highways allowed people to reach neighboring larger towns where they could get better prices and larger selection of goods. The lack of rail service or major highways near the town resulted in continuing decline. The arrival of the Great Depression, forced many farms and ranches to consolidate, and people moved away. Both newspapers, the Centralia Standard and Centralia Register ceased publication in 1927. The remaining First State Bank was liquidated on April 5th, 1930, it's assets sold to the First National Bank of Vinita. The School and post office remained, serving the surrounding area. The school continued until 1968 and the post office was finally closed in 1990. The Hill Top cememtery, a few crumbling building remain around near the old town square, and somewhere around 10 families still call Centralia home, surrounded by the memories of what once was. Ironically, the reason for Centralias initial success, its isolation, was also one of the primary reasons for its demise.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
© 2012-2024. The content on this website is owned by us and our licensors. Do not copy any content (including images) without our consent.
No comments:
Post a Comment
For Purchases and Marketing help, please use our email form.