Volume 10 , Issue 19

Avard, OK

The following information was taken from Ghosttowns of Oklahoma, by John W. Morris, page 20-22.

Avard, Woods County, Sections 26 & 35-26N-15WIM, 7 miles south, 6 miles west of Alva, Oklahoma. The Post office was established June 1, 1895 thru November 22, 1963. The newspaper was the Avard Tribune. The railroads that ran through Avard, Oklahoma were the Southern Kansas Railway (Santa Fe); Arkansas Valley and Western Railway (Frisco).

Avard was incorporated in 1904 when the Frisco tracks were extended westward from Enid to tie in with the Transcontinental line of the Santa Fe.

From the beginning the town was well supplied with mercantile establishments as well as two hotels, a bank, a livestock exchange, an elevator, and a weekly newspaper. Stock pens were adjacent to the tracks, and the town was the cattle shipping point for a large area. By 1909 some 250 people were reported living in Avard.

Since the town was both a railroad town and a cow town, it was a rough and tough place. many exciting events were reported to have happened in Avard during the Gay nineties. The town was wide open, and the saloons kept going all night. It was not uncommon for dead men to be found in the street after a gun battle.

During the years from 1910 to 1930 Avard became an important agricultural center and rail transfer point for both passengers and freight. The Santa Fe passenger trains through Avard made direct runs from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Frisco passenger lines from the East connected with the Santa Fe time schedule. Both lines kept agents and full crews stationed in Avard.

In addition to the livestock market the town had a large broomcorn warehouse, elevators for wheat storage and shipping, and a cotton gin. During this period the town built a community building where plays and concerts were given and public meetings held, churches were active, and an accredited school was developed. For a brief time there was a dance hall in operation, but after one brawl it was closed.

Avard continued to grow until the mid-1930's. Like many other Oklahoma agricultural towns, however, it became a victim of the economic depression, dust storms, farm consolidation, and changing methods of travel.

In 1943 and 1944 the town was struck by tornadoes, each time on a different site. Soon thereafter a tornado-conscious community got busy and, with donated materials and labor, completed a 10 by 20-foot underground shelter. It was made of solid concrete and was big enough to hold the entire population.

In 1973 the Frisco upgraded its line from Tulsa to Avard, at a cost of some four million dollars, so that it could interlock with the main line of the Santa Fe. There were now five or six transcontinental freight trains a day highballing through Avard. This change had little effect on the town. A few unused store buildings remain, but the only services offered were those of a cafe and an elevator. One church continued to function, but the school had been closed.
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