NW Okie's Journey
September 30, 1999 -- "Odds & Ends of NW Oklahoma Towns with
(Information from Oklahoma Historical Library).
FREEDOM - You've heard me talk of Freedom before and how it was born in 1918 as a result of the Waynoka-Buffalo Railroad up the Cimarron Valley. If it hadn't been for the courageous pioneers (W. W. Vincent and A. T. Walker) that undertook construction of the Railroad with their own resources and later sold to Santa Fe Railroad when work progressed as far as Freedom, Freedom may never have been born.
Did you know that Freedom was originally named "Annis" after one of the pioneers, but when submitted to the US Post Office Department it was rejected because the name was already in use by another post office in the state. The name Freedom was substitutued by the postal authorities. Things happen for a reason and the name of "Freedom" seems to fit this quaint open rodeo country town and it's people. The first merchant of Freedom was Q. A. Winningham.
The early ranchers, shippers, builders and boosters for the Freedom Community were Jim Brown, R. E. Eden, Robert Spencer, and Bunk Snapp. Marion Clothier, in 1889, established the first post office of the county west of Alva.
Other businesses of Freedom were the Farmers Co-operative Co.; Frank Kamis (Kamas) General Store; Art Hepner's Grocery; Reily and Dygert Grocery; Clifford and Parsons Hardware; Sam Updegraph Hardware; Starr Lumber Company; and Freedom State Bank (cashier and manager was Sen. D. H. Powers). Sometime later, Alph Updegraph moved and located his Starr Lumber Company business to the Alva Community.
WAYNOKA - If you travel 25 miles southwest of Alva you will run into the quaint Santa Fe Railroad town of Waynoka (Indian origin is "Winneoka," meaning good water). This townsite was offered by John Keifer who had filed on land he had homesteaded. Keifer, George Nickerson, Charles Cecil and W. H. Olmstead joined together in platting the town of Waynoka. Nickerson put in the first store while Olmstead established the lumber yard and carried farm implements.
The Santa Fe was built 7 years before the opening of the "Strip" as a shipping station and section house and freight division point. The Santa Fe employed 100 employees and a Harvey Eating House was established next door to the Depot.
Operating in connection of the railroad was the Guggenheim Transcontinental Air Service that was established in Waynoka. Passengers would travel by air during the day and by fast train at night.
AVARD - Through the efforts of A. F. Wolf from Fayetteville, Arkansas., who anticipated the extension of the Frisco Railroad line westward from Enid, Avard was born.September 30, 1999
Avard was named from the mother of Frank Todd, who owned the land where Avard was located. Ed S. Roberts established the Bank at the beginning of the town with his wife as vice-president. Mrs. Roberts was also author of several books, "Genealogy of the Oklahoma Daughters of American Revolution," "Four Revolutionary Soldiers & Their Descendants," and "Some Colonial Families."
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