Volume 17 , Issue 6

Chester (Tailholt), Oklahoma

For those of you who don't know where Chester, Oklahoma is located ... it is a small town in Major County, Northwest part of the state. It's where hwy. 281 intersects in the middle of town with the highway leading east towards Fairview (highway 60).

Chester, Oklahoma was named for Chester Long, U. S. Senator from Kansas. Chester is 5 miles north of Seiling, Oklahoma and it's post office was established April 8, 1895. In the Spring of 1895. Mr. Tedrick hired Ike Devore to build a two-story house on location one-mile north and two-miles east of present location of Chester, Oklahoma. The upper floors were the living quarters and the lower was the store & Post office. Mr. Tedrick named the Post Office after his son (Chester who lived in Ohio). It also goes by the name of Tailholt and Cottonwood Corners.

Cottonwood Corners

Because of the huge cottonwood tree standing in the middle of the intersection and the rows of cottonwood trees lining the road in each direction. (Information taken from the Major County History book at the Oklahoma Historical Society.)

Tailholt

I recently came across some info of "How" Chester, Oklahoma got it's nickname of "Tailholt". If some out there are reading this and have a different version or can enlighten us further, please Email NW Okie. I would love to hear other versions of the story if some of you Major County citizens in Chester, Oklahoma have anymore info.

The Natives Called It Tailholt

Because It seems that way back when (not sure of the date) there were sandy roads in Chester which caused autos to get bogged-down in the sand and unmovable. On one of the corners an elderly man had a couple of Donkeys that he would hitch to the front of the entrapped autos. After everything was set up and tied on, he would take hold the donkey's tails (in a tail-hold) and crank those stubborn mules into motion. Henceforth, the nickname of "Tailholt" was born.
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