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    Muskogee
    Muskogee
    Muskogee
    Ebook171 pages31 minutes

    Muskogee

    By Roger Bell and Jerry Hoffman

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    About this ebook

    Muskogee was formed in 1872, when the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT or the Katy ) established a depot on an open plain just a few miles to the south of the confluence of the Arkansas, Grand, and Verdigris Rivers in Indian Territory. A small settlement there soon grew to become the center of political and commercial activity in the territory prior to Oklahoma becoming a state in 1907. Muskogee, once known as the Queen City of the Southwest, enjoyed major growth after statehood due to oil, cattle, cotton, and the railroads. This book features a diverse collection of Muskogee postcard images that take readers on a trip back in time on a virtual tour of the city.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateDec 8, 2014
    ISBN9781439648902
    Muskogee
    Author

    Roger Bell

    Authors Roger Bell and Jerry Hoffman have been interested in Muskogee history and its preservation for over 30 years. Bell is the chairman of the Three Rivers Museum in Muskogee. Hoffman is a longtime board member at Three Rivers Museum, and the postcard images are from his vast personal collection.

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      Book preview

      Muskogee - Roger Bell

      collection.

      INTRODUCTION

      Muskogee was formed in 1872 when the Missouri, Kansas & Texas (MKT) Railroad established a terminus named Muskogee Station upon the billowing grasslands near to the confluence of the Arkansas, Grand, and Verdigris Rivers in Indian Territory. Soon afterwards, a ragtag settlement formed and a group of progressive pioneers began to slowly cultivate Muskogee’s growth.

      By the end of the 19th century, Muskogee was well established as a progressive city in Indian Territory and seemed poised for a bright future. Then, on February 23, 1899, a large and destructive fire ravaged block after block of the central business district. Overnight, a large number of residents lost their entire way of living, and many wondered whether Muskogee would ever recover from this devastating blow.

      Muskogee citizens, though, reacted with vigor and seized the opportunity to build back their town bigger and better. Almost immediately, plans were established to create more substantial buildings and to create ordinances and planning to further establish Muskogee as a First Class City. The sounds of hammers and saws soon echoed throughout the streets of the city, and a new period in the city’s history began.

      At the dawn of the 20th century and for about 15 years afterwards, Muskogee was thrust into the strongest phase of growth in its history. Spurred on by oil discoveries, new railroads, and increases in federal activity relating to the Five Civilized Tribes, the city’s population surged. New buildings began to spring up all over the core central business district, and residential growth exploded onto the east and west sides of the city.

      In 1905, investors from Pennsylvania brought electric-traction streetcar service to Muskogee and also established substantial resort parks on the east (Hyde Park) and west (Benson Park) sides of the city. Other first-class improvements to Muskogee soon followed, including an impressive vaudeville theater (the Hinton), the first five-story building (Indianola), and the completion of a large convention hall facility.

      Businessmen, entrepreneurs, investors, promoters, politicians, and the like all began to flow regularly into Muskogee, with its great promise of opportunity. Among these new faces was an entrepreneur from Indiana named Charles Haskell, who had been invited to come and see Muskogee in 1901. Upon arrival, Haskell became a great promoter of Muskogee and was successful in obtaining investment funding for the establishment of new railroads and commercial buildings. Haskell’s efforts attracted the attention of the entire region, and while living in Muskogee, he was elected as the first governor of the new state of Oklahoma in 1907.

      Oklahoma statehood further enhanced interest in Muskogee, both nationally and regionally. The city was hailed as one of the fastest-growing communities in the southwestern United States, and by 1912, it had reached a population estimated at almost 40,000, after only being about 3,000 in 1900. Muskogee, which was larger in population than nearby Tulsa during this period, was promoted as The New Metropolis of a New State and was also often referred to as The Queen City of the Southwest.

      By 1910, large skyscrapers of eight or more stories soon began to be built all across the downtown area. Many national publications made mention of the great amount of construction activity and growth in Muskogee. A 100,000 club was formed by city promoters in hopes that the community would grow to 100,000 residents.

      At about the same time as Muskogee’s explosion in growth came the popularity of postcards in the United States. In 1903, the Kodak Company introduced the No. 3A Folding Pocket Kodak. This camera and similar ones from competitors were designed for postcard-size film, which allowed photographic images to be taken and then printed on postcard backs for mailing.

      In 1907, federal legislation allowed users, for the first time, to write a message on a penny postcard. Prior to that time, only the address was allowed on one side, while the other side could only present a photograph or artwork. At this time, the backs of postcards were divided, allowing space for the address on the right side and space for a written message on the left side. The popularity of postcards soon soared nationwide, and collecting them became a craze in the United States.

      Postcards of important buildings, parades, fires, and floods were produced and sent around the nation. Postcards became expressions of pride in communities across the United States and were sold as souvenirs in local drugstores and stationery shops. Some postcards were even enhanced by being colorized for a realistic view, and humorous and promotional postcards also became popular.

      Muskogee was no stranger to this craze, as thousands of different types of postcards were produced of Muskogee from around 1900 through the 1920s. Many of these were real-photo postcards, which were actual photographs taken by local photographers and turned into postcards. The strong growth of the period was well documented by the many postcards that were produced and sold during this time.

      Muskogee’s growth phase would wane by the start of the 1920s. Tulsa, with closer significant oil discoveries and better railroad access into the oil fields, soon overtook Muskogee as the center of commerce and activity in early Oklahoma. The postcard craze also slowed down at about the same time, at the start

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