Enid, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Enid is a city in Garfield County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat
of Garfield County
. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet
in the Land Run of 1893
, and is named after Enid, a character in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King
. In 1991, the Oklahoma state legislature designated Enid the "Purple Martin
Capital of Oklahoma." Enid holds the nickname of "Queen Wheat City" and "Wheat Capital" of Oklahoma and the United States for its immense grain storage capacity, and has the third largest grain storage capacity in the world.
. Disliking the original name, he renamed the station Enid after a character in Alfred Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King
. However, a more fanciful story of how the town received its name is much more popular. According to that tale, in the days following the land run, some enterprising settlers decided to set up a chuckwagon and cook for their fellow pioneers, hanging a sign that read "DINE". Some other, more free-spirited settlers, turned that sign upside down, to read, of course, "ENID". The name stuck.
During the opening of the Cherokee Outlet
in the Land Run of 1893
, Enid was the location of a land office which is now preserved in its Humphrey Heritage Village, part of the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
. Enid, the rail station, (now North Enid, Oklahoma
) was the original town site endorsed by the government. It was platted by the surveyor W. D. Twichell
, then of Amarillo
, Texas
.
The Enid-Pond Creek Railroad War
ensued when the Department of the Interior moved the government site three miles (5 km) south of the station prior to the land run, which was then called South Enid. During the run, due to the Rock Island's refusal to stop, people leaped from the trains to stake their claim in the government endorsed site. By the afternoon of the run, Enid's population was estimated at 12,000 people located in the Enid's 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) town plat. Enid's original plat in 1893 was 6 blocks wide by 11 blocks long consisting of the town square on the northwest end, West Hill (Jefferson) school on the south west end, Government Springs Park in the middle southern section, and East Hill (Garfield) school on the far north east corner. A year later, the population was estimated at 4,410, growing to 10,087 by 1907, the year of Oklahoma statehood.
The town's early history was captured in Cherokee Strip: A Tale of an Oklahoma Boyhood by Pulitzer-winning author Marquis James
, who recounts his boyhood in Enid.
He writes of the early town:
. Enid's economy boomed as a result of the growing oil, wheat, and rail industries, and its population grew steadily throughout the early 20th century in conjunction with a period of substantial architectural development and land expansion. Enid's downtown
saw the construction of several buildings including the Broadway Tower
, Garfield County Courthouse
, and Enid Masonic Temple
. In conjunction with the oil boom, oilmen such as T.T. Eason, H.H. Champlin
, and Charles E. Knox built homes in the area. Residential additions during this period include Kenwood
, Waverley
, Weatherly, East Hill, Kinser Heights, Buena Vista, and McKinley. Union Equity, Continental, Pillsbury, General Mills, and other grain companies operated mills and grain elevators in the area, creating what is now the Enid Terminal Grain Elevators Historic District
, and earning Enid the titles of "Wheat Capital of Oklahoma", "Queen Wheat City of Oklahoma," and "Wheat Capital of the United States"
, Enid sits at the eastern edge of the Great Plains
. It is located at 36°24′2"N 97°52′51"W (36.400583, -97.880784), 70 miles (112.7 km) North of Oklahoma City
. According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 74.1 square miles (191.9 km²), of which 74 square miles (191.7 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.12%) is water.
An ice storm
struck Northwest Oklahoma in late January 2002. The storm caused over $100 million of damage, initially leaving some 255,000 residences and businesses without power. A week later, 39,000 Oklahoma residents were still without power. Enid, with its population of 47,000, was entirely without electricity for days. The Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives reported over 31,000 electrical poles were destroyed across the state. The American Red Cross set up a shelter at Northern Oklahoma College.
Some other notable storms in Enid's history include:
, there were 47,045 people, 18,955 households and 12,567 families residing in the city. The population density
was 636.0 per square mile (245.6/km²). There were 21,255 housing units at an average density of 287.3 per square mile (110.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.18% White, 3.91% African American, 2.12% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 0.58% Pacific Islander, 2.36% from other races, and 2.84% from two or more races. 4.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 18,955 households of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples
living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94.
Age distribution was 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median household income
was $32,227, and the median family income was $39,113. Males had a median income of $29,841 versus $20,865 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,471. 14.8% of the population and 11.1% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.1% of those under the age of 18 and 10.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
; U.S. Representative Page Belcher
; US Congressman and former Enid mayor, Milton C. Garber
; Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb
; U.S. Representative George H. Wilson
; and James Yancy Callahan
, the only non-Republican territorial congressional delegate.
, although formally affiliated with the Disciples of Christ
, was a product of religious collaboration between followers of the Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian Church, and Judaism. Enid is currently the home of La Igelsia Cristiana El Shaddai; with Pastors Francisco y Rosaura Hernandez. Although Phillips University has closed, Enid still has a number of private Christian schools. Enid is home to two Catholic congregations, St. Francis Xavier, founded in 1893, and St. Gregory, founded in 1971. St. Francis Xavier's Bishop Theophile Meerschaert was responsible for founding Calvary Catholic Cemetery
in 1898.
Enid is the home of two Masonic Lodges, the Enid Lodge #80 and the Garfield Lodge #501. The Enid Lodge has many Jewish members. Historically, Enid was home to a small Jewish congregation called Emanuel, which met at the Loewen Hotel, founded by Al Loewen, a local merchant who also served on the committee to create Phillips University. The Enid Cemetery
also has a Jewish section where many of early Enid's Jewish merchants are interred, including the founders of Kaufman's Style Shop, Herzberg's Department Store, Newman Mercantile, and Meibergen and Godschalk, Enid's first clothing store.
in the 1920s, Frank Iddings wrote the city song, "Enid, The City Beautiful". "You're right in the center where the best wheat grows and you've got your share of the oil that flows," his lyrics read. These were the early staples of the Enid economy. Enid's economy saw oil boom
s and agricultural growth in the first half of the 20th century. The Great Depression
, however, caused both of these staples to lose value, and many businesses in Enid closed. However, Enid recovered, prospering and growing in population until a second wave of bad economic times hit in the 1980s, when competition with the local mall and economic factors lead Enid's downtown area to suffer. Since 1994, Enid's Main Street program has worked to refurbish historic buildings, boost the local economy, and initiate local events such as first Friday concerts and holiday celebrations on the town square.
Companies with corporate headquarters in Enid, Oklahoma:
Companies with operations in Enid, Oklahoma:
Historical companies in Enid, Oklahoma:
Enid is home to the annual Tri-State Music Festival which was started in 1932 by Russell L. Wiley, who was Phillips University
Band Director from 1928 to 1934. From 1933 to 1936, Edwin Franko Goldman
headlined the festival. The festival takes place each spring in Enid. In the summertime, Enid's Gaslight Theatre
hosts a production of Shakespeare in the Park
as well as year round theatre productions. The Enid Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1905 and is the oldest symphony in the state, performing year round in the Enid Symphony Center
. Enid's Chautauqua
in the Park takes place each summer in Government Springs Park
, providing five nights of educational performances by scholars portraying prominent historical figures. The Chautauqua program was brought to Enid in 1907 by the Enid Circle Jewish Chautauqua and is now produced by the Greater Enid Arts and Humanities Council.
preserves the local history of the Land Run of 1893
, Phillips University
, and Garfield County, Oklahoma
. The museum originated as the Museum of the Cherokee Strip in the 1970s, and reopened on April 1, 2011. Enid also commemorates its land run history each September by hosting the Cherokee Strip Days and Parade. The Humphrey Heritage Village next to the museum offers visitors a chance to see the original Enid land office and other historical buildings. Visitors to Enid's Railroad Museum of Oklahoma
, located in the former Santa Fe Railway Depot, can see railroad memorabilia, explore historical trains, and watch model railroads in action. The Midgley Museum is operated by the Enid Masonic Lodge #80 and features the rock collection of the Midgley family. Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse, located in the former Alton Mercantile building in downtown Enid is an arts and sciences museum, which features Adventure Quest, an outdoor science-themed playground. Simpson's Old Time Museum is a western-themed museum by local filmmakers Rick and Larry Simpson. The pair closed their downtown business, Simpsons Mercantile in 2006 to convert the building into a movie set and museum. George's Antique Auto Museum features the sole-existing Geronimo car, once manufactured in Enid. The Leona Mitchell Southern Heights Heritage Center and Museum records the history and culture of African Americans and Native Americans, featuring exhibits on Enid's former black schools (George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington), and opera star Leona Mitchell
. Enid also has a number of locations
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, Steve Fuller, Ken Mendenhall
, John Ward
, Jeff Zimmerman, and the CFL
's Kody Bliss
. Brothers Brent Price
and Mark Price
became NBA players, and Don Haskins
is a Hall of Fame basketball coach. USSF
soccer player Andrew Hoxie
, Major League Baseball
pitcher, Lou Kretlow
, Olympian and runner, Chris McCubbins
and Stacy Prammanasudh
an LPGA
golfer all were born or lived in Enid.
. They had a 104-27 record in the 1922 season. The Harvesters along with their earlier counterparts the Railroaders were members of the Western Association
.
The Enid Majors youth baseball team won the American Legion Baseball
World Series in 2005.
Several Enid teams played in the National Baseball Congress
championships, winning the championship in 1945 by the Army Air Field (runners up in 1943 and 1944), in 1940 and 1941 by the Champlins, and in 1937 by the Eason Oilers (runners up in 1938).
Phillips University
baseball teams, coached by Enid native Joe Record, went to the NAIA
World Series three times during his tenure as head coach (1952–1981). Record was the NAIA Coach of the Year in 1973, and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1975.
The Northern Oklahoma College Enid Jets baseball team were conference champions in 2002, 2003, and 2005. They were Region II champions in 2002 and 2004, and runners up in 2009. They were Southwest District Champions in 2002, and also received third place in the NJCAA World Series in that year.
USBL
franchise called Enid home. Through their eight years in Enid (2000-2007 seasons) they were very successful, winning their division several times and the USBL Championship in 2002.
Plainsmen have won six state football championships (1919, 1942, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1983). They went to the Oklahoma State Championship football game in 2006 and lost to the Jenks
Trojans.
The Phillips University
football teams, coached by John Maulbetsch
, beat the University of Oklahoma
and University of Texas
football teams and lost only one game in the 1918 and 1919 seasons.
When Phillips defeated Texas 10-0 in Austin, Texas
, in October 1919, the Longhorns had not lost a game since 1917.
The newest football team in Enid is the Enid Enforcers, a semiprofessional team playing in the Central Football League. Their first season of play was in the spring of 2008. Made up of players from Enid and the surrounding areas, the team has achieved national ranking status, amassing two Northern Division Championships and boasting a 20 -7 record in just three years.
and Chisholm Public Schools
. Pioneer-Pleasant Vale Schools
's elementary school, Pleasant Vale Elementary is also located in Enid. The Cimarron Montessori School and Summerhill Childrens House are the city's two Montessori style schools. Several private Christian schools representing a variety of denominations are also located in Enid: Bethel Bible Academy, Emmanuel Christian School, Enid Adventist School, Hillsdale Christian School, Saint Joseph Catholic School, and Saint Paul's Lutheran School. Enid High School
, Chisholm High School
, and Oklahoma Bible Academy
are the city's largest secondary education schools. Autry Technology Center
serves as the city's only vocational education
institution, Northern Oklahoma College
as its community college
, and Northwestern Oklahoma State University
(NWOSU) provides bachelor and graduate level education. Enid was formerly home to Phillips University
, which closed in 1998.
The The Public Library of Enid and Garfield County, established in 1899, also serves as an educational resource for the community. Enid was once home to a Carnegie library, which opened in 1910. After years of funding shortages, the building was condemned in 1957, and the library's current art deco
building was opened in 1964.
is the city's daily newspaper. Historically, the city had 28 newspapers. The Enid Eagle began publication on September 22, 1893. The Enid Daily Wave (later the Enid Morning News) began on December 11, 1893. In February 1923, the papers were combined to form the Enid Publishing Company.
Historically, Enid was home to television station KGEO, an ABC
affiliate from July 2, 1954 to 1958 when it moved its transmitter to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
. The station is now KOCO-TV
.
104.7 FM, and KQOB
96.9 FM broadcast in a classic rock format. Stations KNID
107.1 FM and KOFM
103.1 FM specialize in country music. KAMG
92.1 FM, KBVV 91.1 FM, and KLGB-LP
94.3 FM are devoted to religious content. KCRC
1390 AM and KFXY
1640 AM broadcast sports games. KGWA
960 AM is a talk radio station, and KXLS
95.7 FM plays various musical genres.
has 207 beds throughout its three facilities. Bass is the oldest hospital in Enid, founded in 1910, and incorporated in 1914 as Enid General Hospital and Training School for Nurses. St. Mary's Regional Medical Center
, a 245 bed facility with 127 licensed professionals, was established in 1915 as Enid Springs Sanatorium. Both Enid hospitals are affiliated with the Oklahoma Hospital Association
, and their CEOs are FACHE
certified. Clinics include the Garfield County Health Department, and Veterans Affairs Clinic. Vance Air Force Base Clinic is operated by the 71st Medical Group which consists of the 71st Medical Operations and Support Squadrons.
. State Highway 45
also runs through North Enid on Carrier Road.
, Enid and Anadarko Railway
, Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railway
, Enid Central Railway and the Denver, Enid and Gulf Railroad
. Enid's railroad history is displayed at the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma
which is housed in the former Santa Fe railroad Depot. The Rock Island Depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Grainbelt Corporation, BNSF Railway
, and Union Pacific Railroad
currently run operations through Enid.
From 1907 to 1929, Enid also had its own streetcar system, operated by Enid City Railway
. The street cars were later replaced by busses, following a declaration by the Enid government that made streetcars illegal.
Since 1984, the Transit, operated by Enid Public Transportation, has been in operation, providing on-demand shuttle services. The Transit also offers service to Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers Airport, Greyhound Bus Service, and Amtrak Train Station.
and natural gas by Oklahoma Natural Gas Company. The City of Enid provides water, wastewater, and trash collection services. Internet, television, and telephone providers include Suddenlink Communications
, Pioneer Telephone
, and AT&T
.
was the seventh and final Oklahoma Territorial Governor. Enid has been home to several successful entrepreneurs from oilman Herbert Champlin
to casino owner, Sam Boyd
, founder of the Boyd Gaming
Corporation. The arts have also flourished among Enid natives, from Native American
painter Paladine Roye
to Pulitzer Prize winning author Marquis James
. Actors Richard Erdman
, Glenda Farrell
, Lynn Herring
, and Thad Luckinbill
were all born in Enid. Many musicians have gotten their start in Enid, including fingerstyle guitarist Michael Hedges
and opera singer Leona Mitchell
, both of whom have streets in Enid bearing their names. Mitchell's brother, Hulon Mitchell Jr (Yahweh Ben Yahweh
) was the founder of the religious group, Nation of Yahweh
. Attorney Stephen Jones
defended Timothy McVeigh
after the Oklahoma City bombing
.
A number of military heroes have also come from Enid, including former US Army Special Forces operator
Bo Gritz
, Medal Of Honor
recipient Harold Kiner, and Pearl Harbor hero USAF General Kenneth M. Taylor
. Enid has a history of aviation professionals from aviation pioneer Clyde Cessna, founder of the Cessna
Aircraft Company, to Irving Woodring
, one of the Army's Three Musketeers of Aviation. One of Enid's main streets is named after Astronaut
Owen K. Garriott
, and Enid's air force base is named for Medal Of Honor
recipient Leon Vance
.
Even some fictional characters hold Enid as their home town, including Paul and Amanda Kirby in Jurassic Park III
, Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, journalist Jean Craddock, in Crazy Heart
, and in The Rifleman
, Lucas McCain
and his son Mark lived in Enid, Oklahoma before settling in North Fork, New Mexico Territory. Some have contemplated moving to Enid, such as in the CBS series The Big Bang Theory
, character Sheldon Cooper contemplates moving to Enid because of its "low crime rate" and "high speed internet" service, but decides against it because the city lacks a model railroad store.
Some even claim two figures from the Abraham Lincoln
assassination lived and died in Enid. In 1901, Osborn H. Oldroyd wrote The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln Flight, Persuit (sic), Capture, and Punishment of the Conspirators which claimed that Sgt. Boston Corbett
, the man who killed John Wilkes Booth in Virginia, resided in Enid, employed as a medicine salesman. Local legend holds that Corbett is buried in one of the unmarked graves in the Enid Cemetery
. In 1907, Finis L. Bates
wrote The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth. The book claimed that David E. George, a tenant at the Grand Avenue Hotel who committed suicide by poison in 1903, was actually John Wilkes Booth
. After sitting for years in Penniman's Funeral Home, George's mummified body later toured the carnival circuit. The 1937 short film The Man in the Barn by Jacques Tourneur
revisits the story of David E. George as Booth.
poll. and in March 2004 issue of Inc.
listed as one of the top 25 small cities in the USA for doing business. Good Morning America listed Enid as one of its top five up and coming areas in a January 2006 episode.
Hollywood has come to Enid, shooting scenes from Dillinger
in front of the Mark Price Arena
and the Grand Saloon, the 1955 short film Holiday for Bands features Enid's Tri-State Music Festival, and portions of the film The Killer Inside Me
were filmed in Enid's downtown square
.
According to television, Enid has been the site of hauntings and exorcisms as Ghost Lab
featured Enid as part of an investigation of sites claimed to be haunted by John Wilkes Booth
, and A Current Affair in a segment on expensive religious exorcisms.
Enid has been the subject of songs, such as Hank Williams, Jr. "Greeted in Enid" from the 1995 album Hog Wild telling the story of a woman he met in Enid. It has been the subject of ridicule, by comedian Bill Hicks
who used to make fun of this town in his act, including a routine on a man named Elmer Dinkley, most likely fictional.
Enid is also mentioned in passing in a few popular novels and films. In chapter 12 of The Grapes of Wrath
, Enid is one of the towns that feeds into Route 66 from the north via Route 64
. The movie Twister references the city just before the chasers leave Aunt Meg's house to chase the "Hailstorm Hill" Tornado. The storm warning on the television broadcast states that the latest warning has been issued "for Garfield County, including the city of Enid". (Subtitles may be needed to find this out.) In the 1995 novel, Left Behind
, primary character Chloe Steele Williams returns home from California by a flight that lands in Enid to make connections. The Enid Woodring Regional Airport
was the only operable airport in the area during the 48 hours after the "vanishings".
During World War II, two Victory Ships from Kaiser's Richmond, California shipyard were named after Enid and Phillips University, the SS Enid Victory
and the SS Phillips Victory
. In 1999, astronomer Tom Stafford
of Oklahoma, named an asteroid
after Enid.
In the 2001 motion picture Jurassic Park 3, the Kirby family is from Enid, Oklahoma and remarks this several times in the film.
Garfield County, Oklahoma
Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma named after President James A. Garfield. As of 2010, the population was 60,580. Enid is the county seat and largest city within Garfield County...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Garfield County
Garfield County, Oklahoma
Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma named after President James A. Garfield. As of 2010, the population was 60,580. Enid is the county seat and largest city within Garfield County...
. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet
Cherokee Outlet
The Cherokee Outlet, often mistakenly referred to as the Cherokee Strip, was located in what is now the state of Oklahoma, in the United States. It was a sixty-mile wide strip of land south of the Oklahoma-Kansas border between the 96th and 100th meridians. It was about 225 miles long and in 1891...
in the Land Run of 1893
Land Run of 1893
The Land Run of 1893, also known as the Cherokee Strip Land Run, marked the opening of the Cherokee Outlet to the public. The run happened on September 16, 1893 at noon with more than 100,000 participants hoping to claim land. The land offices for the run were set up in Perry, Enid, Woodward, and...
, and is named after Enid, a character in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King
Idylls of the King
Idylls of the King, published between 1856 and 1885, is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love for Guinevere and her tragic betrayal of him, and the rise and fall of Arthur's kingdom...
. In 1991, the Oklahoma state legislature designated Enid the "Purple Martin
Purple Martin
The Purple Martin is the largest North American swallow. These aerial acrobats have speed and agility in flight, and when approaching their housing, will dive from the sky at great speeds with their wings tucked.-Description and taxonomy:...
Capital of Oklahoma." Enid holds the nickname of "Queen Wheat City" and "Wheat Capital" of Oklahoma and the United States for its immense grain storage capacity, and has the third largest grain storage capacity in the world.
History
In summer 1889, M.A. Low, a Rock Island official, visited the local railroad station then under construction, and inquired about its name. At that time, it was called Skeleton stationRock Island Depot (Enid, Oklahoma)
The Rock Island Depot is located in Enid, Garfield County, Oklahoma and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.-History:...
. Disliking the original name, he renamed the station Enid after a character in Alfred Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King
Idylls of the King
Idylls of the King, published between 1856 and 1885, is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love for Guinevere and her tragic betrayal of him, and the rise and fall of Arthur's kingdom...
. However, a more fanciful story of how the town received its name is much more popular. According to that tale, in the days following the land run, some enterprising settlers decided to set up a chuckwagon and cook for their fellow pioneers, hanging a sign that read "DINE". Some other, more free-spirited settlers, turned that sign upside down, to read, of course, "ENID". The name stuck.
During the opening of the Cherokee Outlet
Cherokee Outlet
The Cherokee Outlet, often mistakenly referred to as the Cherokee Strip, was located in what is now the state of Oklahoma, in the United States. It was a sixty-mile wide strip of land south of the Oklahoma-Kansas border between the 96th and 100th meridians. It was about 225 miles long and in 1891...
in the Land Run of 1893
Land Run of 1893
The Land Run of 1893, also known as the Cherokee Strip Land Run, marked the opening of the Cherokee Outlet to the public. The run happened on September 16, 1893 at noon with more than 100,000 participants hoping to claim land. The land offices for the run were set up in Perry, Enid, Woodward, and...
, Enid was the location of a land office which is now preserved in its Humphrey Heritage Village, part of the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center museum at the eastern edge of Enid, Oklahoma focuses on the history and culture of the Cherokee Outlet and the Land Run of September, 16, 1893...
. Enid, the rail station, (now North Enid, Oklahoma
North Enid, Oklahoma
North Enid is a town in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 860 at the 2010 census. The town is served by the Chisholm school district...
) was the original town site endorsed by the government. It was platted by the surveyor W. D. Twichell
W. D. Twichell
Willis Day Twichell was a Texas surveyor and civil engineer, based primarily in Amarillo and later Austin, who surveyed 165 of the state's 254 counties.-Background:...
, then of Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
The Enid-Pond Creek Railroad War
Enid-Pond Creek Railroad War
The Enid-Pond Creek Railroad War pitted the citizens of two United States designated county seats against the Rock Island Railroad.-Background:...
ensued when the Department of the Interior moved the government site three miles (5 km) south of the station prior to the land run, which was then called South Enid. During the run, due to the Rock Island's refusal to stop, people leaped from the trains to stake their claim in the government endorsed site. By the afternoon of the run, Enid's population was estimated at 12,000 people located in the Enid's 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) town plat. Enid's original plat in 1893 was 6 blocks wide by 11 blocks long consisting of the town square on the northwest end, West Hill (Jefferson) school on the south west end, Government Springs Park in the middle southern section, and East Hill (Garfield) school on the far north east corner. A year later, the population was estimated at 4,410, growing to 10,087 by 1907, the year of Oklahoma statehood.
The town's early history was captured in Cherokee Strip: A Tale of an Oklahoma Boyhood by Pulitzer-winning author Marquis James
Marquis James
Marquis James was an American journalist and author, twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his works The Raven: A Biography of Sam Houston and The Life of Andrew Jackson....
, who recounts his boyhood in Enid.
He writes of the early town:
Golden Age
Enid experienced a "golden age" following the discovery of oil in the region in the 1910s and continuing until World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Enid's economy boomed as a result of the growing oil, wheat, and rail industries, and its population grew steadily throughout the early 20th century in conjunction with a period of substantial architectural development and land expansion. Enid's downtown
Enid Downtown Historic District
The Enid Downtown Historic District is a , seven block district located in Enid, Oklahoma and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2007...
saw the construction of several buildings including the Broadway Tower
Broadway Tower (Enid, Oklahoma)
The Broadway Tower, located in the Enid Downtown Historic District in Enid, Oklahoma, was constructed in 1931 by McMillen and Shelton Construction Company. The Broadway Development Company hired George Ernst von Blumenauer of Enid, and the Oklahoma City firm Layton, Hicks, and Forsythe to design...
, Garfield County Courthouse
Garfield County Courthouse (Enid, Oklahoma)
The Garfield County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located in Enid, Oklahoma. It is on the National Register of Historic Places both individually and as a part of the Enid Downtown Historic District.-Previous Courthouses :...
, and Enid Masonic Temple
Enid Masonic Temple
The Enid Masonic Temple, also known as the Knox Building, is located in Garfield County, Oklahoma in the city of Enid. It is also the home of the Enid Symphony Center, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984...
. In conjunction with the oil boom, oilmen such as T.T. Eason, H.H. Champlin
H. H. Champlin House
The H.H. Champlin House is a two-and-one half-story sandstone building designed in the Tudor Revival style. The house, completed in 1939, is located at 612 S. Tyler in Enid, Oklahoma. It is located within the Kisner Heights addition to the city of Enid, developed from farmland formerly owned by...
, and Charles E. Knox built homes in the area. Residential additions during this period include Kenwood
Kenwood Historic District (Enid, Oklahoma)
The Kenwood Historic District is located north west of downtown Enid, Oklahoma and is named for Kenwood Boulevard, a diagonal street created in 1894. The neighborhood encompasses of housing created between 1895 and 1915. Houses in the district were designed by A.A. Crowell and R.W. Shaw, and...
, Waverley
Waverley Historic District (Enid, Oklahoma)
The Waverley Historic District is located in Enid, Oklahoma, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2006. It consists of four Waverley additions. The William and Luther Braden farm was the first parcel of land to be platted by the Waverley Development Company in May...
, Weatherly, East Hill, Kinser Heights, Buena Vista, and McKinley. Union Equity, Continental, Pillsbury, General Mills, and other grain companies operated mills and grain elevators in the area, creating what is now the Enid Terminal Grain Elevators Historic District
Enid Terminal Grain Elevators Historic District
The Enid Terminal Grain Elevators Historic District is located in Enid, Garfield County, Oklahoma and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2009...
, and earning Enid the titles of "Wheat Capital of Oklahoma", "Queen Wheat City of Oklahoma," and "Wheat Capital of the United States"
Geography
Located in Northwestern OklahomaNorthwestern Oklahoma
Northwestern Oklahoma is the geographical region of the state of Oklahoma which includes the Oklahoma Panhandle and a majority of the Cherokee Outlet, stretching to an eastern extent along Interstate 35, and its southern extent along the Canadian River to Noble County...
, Enid sits at the eastern edge of the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
. It is located at 36°24′2"N 97°52′51"W (36.400583, -97.880784), 70 miles (112.7 km) North of Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 74.1 square miles (191.9 km²), of which 74 square miles (191.7 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.12%) is water.
Climate
Enid's weather conditions are characterized by hot summers, cold, often snowy winters, and thunderstorms in the spring, which can produce tornadoes. The greatest one-day precipitation total by an official rain gauge in Oklahoma was in Enid, 15.68 inches fell on October 11, 1973. Temperatures can fall below 0 °F (-17.8 °C) in the winter, and reach above 100 °F (37.8 °C) in the summer. The highest recorded temperature was 118 °F (47.8 °C) in 1936, and the lowest recorded temperature was -20 °F in 1905. On average, the warmest month is July, January is the coolest month, and the maximum average precipitation occurs in May.An ice storm
2002 Central Plains ice storm
The 2002 Central Plains ice storm was a major winter storm that affected the American Midwest, causing significant damage especially in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.-The initial storm:...
struck Northwest Oklahoma in late January 2002. The storm caused over $100 million of damage, initially leaving some 255,000 residences and businesses without power. A week later, 39,000 Oklahoma residents were still without power. Enid, with its population of 47,000, was entirely without electricity for days. The Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives reported over 31,000 electrical poles were destroyed across the state. The American Red Cross set up a shelter at Northern Oklahoma College.
Some other notable storms in Enid's history include:
- March 16, 1965, an F4 tornado 18.4 miles (29.6 km) away from the city center injured seven people and caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.
- October 11–13, 1973, the greatest urban rainfall on record occurred in Oklahoma. Known as the "Enid flood", an intense thunderstorm was centered over Enid with rainfall accumulations between 15 and 20 inches within a 100 square miles (259 km²) area. About 12 inches (304.8 mm) fell in three hours. Enid received 15.68 inches (398.3 mm), forcing residents to cut holes in rooftops to reach safety. Nine people died.
- May 2, 1979, an F4 tornado 7.5 miles (12.1 km) away from the Enid city center killed one person, injured 25 people and caused between $500,000 and $5,000,000 in damages.
- April 25, 2009, an EF-2 tornado damaged the Chisholm Trail Expo Center. No one was injured or killed.
Demographics
At the 2000 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, there were 47,045 people, 18,955 households and 12,567 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 636.0 per square mile (245.6/km²). There were 21,255 housing units at an average density of 287.3 per square mile (110.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.18% White, 3.91% African American, 2.12% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 0.58% Pacific Islander, 2.36% from other races, and 2.84% from two or more races. 4.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 18,955 households of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94.
Age distribution was 24.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
was $32,227, and the median family income was $39,113. Males had a median income of $29,841 versus $20,865 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,471. 14.8% of the population and 11.1% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.1% of those under the age of 18 and 10.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Politics
Enid has been predominantly a Republican stronghold since its days as part of Oklahoma Territory, owing to the influence of settlers from neighboring Kansas. Several politicians have called Enid home, including Oklahoma Territory's last governor Frank FrantzFrank Frantz
Frank Frantz was an American Rough Rider and politician who served as the seventh and final Governor of Oklahoma Territory. Frantz ran on the Republican ticket to serve as the first Governor of Oklahoma. Frantz lost the election to Democrat Charles N. Haskell.-Early life:On May 7, 1872, Frank...
; U.S. Representative Page Belcher
Page Belcher
Page Henry Belcher was a Republican politician and a U.S. representative from Oklahoma.-Biography: Belcher was born in Jefferson in northern Oklahoma to George Harvey Belcher and Jessie Ray. He was educated at public schools in Jefferson, and Medford, Oklahoma...
; US Congressman and former Enid mayor, Milton C. Garber
Milton C. Garber
Milton Cline Garber was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma. In 1942, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.-Personal life:...
; Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb
Todd Lamb (politician)
Todd Lamb is a Republican United States politician from Oklahoma who is currently serving as the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, was a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 2004 to 2011. For the 52nd Oklahoma Legislature, Lamb's fellow Republican Senators elected him as their Majority Floor...
; U.S. Representative George H. Wilson
George H. Wilson
George Howard Wilson was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma.-Early life and education:Born in Mattoon, Illinois, Wilson moved with his parents in 1910 to Enid. There he attended Enid Public Schools. He graduated from Phillips University in 1926...
; and James Yancy Callahan
James Yancy Callahan
James Yancy Callahan was a late 19th century politician. Callahan would represent the Oklahoma Territory as a Delegate to the United States House of Representatives from 1887 to 1899...
, the only non-Republican territorial congressional delegate.
Religion
Of the people in Enid, 61.92% claim affiliation with a religious congregation; 9.41% are Catholic, 39.21% are Protestant, 1.09% are Latter Day Saints and 12.17% are another Christian denomination. By 1987, there were 90 churches of 27 different denominations of Christianity. Enid's Phillips UniversityPhillips University
Phillips University was a private, coeducational institution of higher education located in Enid, Oklahoma, United States, from 1906 to 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church . It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary...
, although formally affiliated with the Disciples of Christ
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Christian Church is a Mainline Protestant denomination in North America. It is often referred to as The Christian Church, The Disciples of Christ, or more simply as The Disciples...
, was a product of religious collaboration between followers of the Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian Church, and Judaism. Enid is currently the home of La Igelsia Cristiana El Shaddai; with Pastors Francisco y Rosaura Hernandez. Although Phillips University has closed, Enid still has a number of private Christian schools. Enid is home to two Catholic congregations, St. Francis Xavier, founded in 1893, and St. Gregory, founded in 1971. St. Francis Xavier's Bishop Theophile Meerschaert was responsible for founding Calvary Catholic Cemetery
Enid Cemetery and Calvary Catholic Cemetery
The Enid Cemetery and Calvary Catholic Cemetery is a cemetery in Enid, Oklahoma that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996. Opened in the 1890s, the two cemeteries were designed in the rural cemetery style...
in 1898.
Enid is the home of two Masonic Lodges, the Enid Lodge #80 and the Garfield Lodge #501. The Enid Lodge has many Jewish members. Historically, Enid was home to a small Jewish congregation called Emanuel, which met at the Loewen Hotel, founded by Al Loewen, a local merchant who also served on the committee to create Phillips University. The Enid Cemetery
Enid Cemetery and Calvary Catholic Cemetery
The Enid Cemetery and Calvary Catholic Cemetery is a cemetery in Enid, Oklahoma that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996. Opened in the 1890s, the two cemeteries were designed in the rural cemetery style...
also has a Jewish section where many of early Enid's Jewish merchants are interred, including the founders of Kaufman's Style Shop, Herzberg's Department Store, Newman Mercantile, and Meibergen and Godschalk, Enid's first clothing store.
Economy
When Enid participated in the City Beautiful movementCity Beautiful movement
The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy concerning North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of using beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. The movement, which was originally associated mainly with Chicago,...
in the 1920s, Frank Iddings wrote the city song, "Enid, The City Beautiful". "You're right in the center where the best wheat grows and you've got your share of the oil that flows," his lyrics read. These were the early staples of the Enid economy. Enid's economy saw oil boom
Oil boom
An oil boom is a boom in the oil producing sector of an economy. Generally, this short period initially brings economical benefits, in term of increased GDP growth, but might later lead to a resource curse.-Consequences:...
s and agricultural growth in the first half of the 20th century. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, however, caused both of these staples to lose value, and many businesses in Enid closed. However, Enid recovered, prospering and growing in population until a second wave of bad economic times hit in the 1980s, when competition with the local mall and economic factors lead Enid's downtown area to suffer. Since 1994, Enid's Main Street program has worked to refurbish historic buildings, boost the local economy, and initiate local events such as first Friday concerts and holiday celebrations on the town square.
Companies with corporate headquarters in Enid, Oklahoma:
- Continental Resources Inc. (oil and natural gas exploration and production) - the company's oil and gas revenues for 2008 neared $1B.
- AdvancePierre Foods (prepared food products, primarily for institutional customers)
- AtwoodsAtwoodsAtwoods is a farm and ranch supply company based in Enid, Oklahoma. After relocating to Enid from Marshall, Minnesota, Wilbur and Fern Atwood founded the store in 1960, selling farm, home, and auto supplies. Today the company is run by their son, Brian Atwood. Atwoods has 40 stores in 5 states:...
Distributing, Inc. (farming supplies, hardware, pet supplies) - Johnston Enterprises Inc. (grain processing, storage, and transportation; founded 1893)
- GEFCO, George E. Failing Company (manufacturer of portable drilling rigs for oil, gas, water wells and other applications; founded 1931)
- STECO (manufacturer of transfer and dump trailers)
- Pumpstar (manufacturer of concrete pumping equipment)
- Groendyke Transport (tank truck fleet operator; bulk liquid transport)
Companies with operations in Enid, Oklahoma:
- The Koch IndustriesKoch IndustriesKoch Industries, Inc. , is an American private energy conglomerate based in Wichita, Kansas, with subsidiaries involved in manufacturing, trading and investments. Koch also owns Invista, Georgia-Pacific, Flint Hills Resources, Koch Pipeline, Koch Fertilizer, Koch Minerals and Matador Cattle Company...
plant produces 10% of the anhydrous ammonia in the United States, a primary ingredient in fertilizer, and was the state's third largest polluter in 2007. - Computer Sciences CorporationComputer Sciences CorporationComputer Sciences Corporation is an American information technology and business services company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, USA...
provides aircraft maintenance and base operations services at nearby Vance Air Force BaseVance Air Force BaseVance Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located 6 km south of downtown Enid, Oklahoma, and within its city limits, about north northwest of Oklahoma City...
.
Historical companies in Enid, Oklahoma:
- Champlin Petroleum: The company was founded in 1916 by H.H. Champlin and grew to operate service stations in 20 different states by 1944. In 1984, after a series of different owners, American Petrofina closed the operation. What remains is the H.H. Champlin MansionH. H. Champlin HouseThe H.H. Champlin House is a two-and-one half-story sandstone building designed in the Tudor Revival style. The house, completed in 1939, is located at 612 S. Tyler in Enid, Oklahoma. It is located within the Kisner Heights addition to the city of Enid, developed from farmland formerly owned by...
, which is one of many Enid sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. - Geronimo Motor Company: Founded by William C. Allen and incorporated in 1917, it made tractors, a roadster, and a five-passenger, full-size automobile. The company manufactured 1000 cars that were distributed by agencies in Kansas, Nebraska, West Texas, and Oklahoma. Geronimo ended production in 1920, when its 30,000-square-foot factory burned.
Annual cultural events
Phillips University
Phillips University was a private, coeducational institution of higher education located in Enid, Oklahoma, United States, from 1906 to 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church . It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary...
Band Director from 1928 to 1934. From 1933 to 1936, Edwin Franko Goldman
Edwin Franko Goldman
Edwin Franko Goldman is one of America's prominent band composers of the early 20th century. He composed over 150 works, more notably his marches. He is known for founding the renowned Goldman Band of New York City and the American Bandmasters Association...
headlined the festival. The festival takes place each spring in Enid. In the summertime, Enid's Gaslight Theatre
Gaslight Theatre
The Gaslight Theatre is a theatre troupe and venue in Enid, Oklahoma. Founded in 1966 as the Enid Community Theatre, the group stages productions of eight plays per year, including Shakespeare in the Park and dinner theatre...
hosts a production of Shakespeare in the Park
Shakespeare in the Park
Shakespeare in the Park is a concept used across the world, as a form of free public presentation of William Shakespeare's works. Such performances exist in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America....
as well as year round theatre productions. The Enid Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1905 and is the oldest symphony in the state, performing year round in the Enid Symphony Center
Enid Masonic Temple
The Enid Masonic Temple, also known as the Knox Building, is located in Garfield County, Oklahoma in the city of Enid. It is also the home of the Enid Symphony Center, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984...
. Enid's Chautauqua
Chautauqua
Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with...
in the Park takes place each summer in Government Springs Park
Government Springs Park
Government Springs Park is a park located in Enid, Oklahoma. Prior to Oklahoma statehood, the park was a natural spring used by Native Americans, and later soldiers and cattle drivers along the Chisholm Trail. Skeleton Ranch, was another stop on the trail, served by stage coach lines after 1874...
, providing five nights of educational performances by scholars portraying prominent historical figures. The Chautauqua program was brought to Enid in 1907 by the Enid Circle Jewish Chautauqua and is now produced by the Greater Enid Arts and Humanities Council.
Museums and other points of interest
Enid's Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage CenterCherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center museum at the eastern edge of Enid, Oklahoma focuses on the history and culture of the Cherokee Outlet and the Land Run of September, 16, 1893...
preserves the local history of the Land Run of 1893
Land Run of 1893
The Land Run of 1893, also known as the Cherokee Strip Land Run, marked the opening of the Cherokee Outlet to the public. The run happened on September 16, 1893 at noon with more than 100,000 participants hoping to claim land. The land offices for the run were set up in Perry, Enid, Woodward, and...
, Phillips University
Phillips University
Phillips University was a private, coeducational institution of higher education located in Enid, Oklahoma, United States, from 1906 to 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church . It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary...
, and Garfield County, Oklahoma
Garfield County, Oklahoma
Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma named after President James A. Garfield. As of 2010, the population was 60,580. Enid is the county seat and largest city within Garfield County...
. The museum originated as the Museum of the Cherokee Strip in the 1970s, and reopened on April 1, 2011. Enid also commemorates its land run history each September by hosting the Cherokee Strip Days and Parade. The Humphrey Heritage Village next to the museum offers visitors a chance to see the original Enid land office and other historical buildings. Visitors to Enid's Railroad Museum of Oklahoma
Railroad Museum of Oklahoma
The Railroad Museum of Oklahoma is a railroad museum located in the former Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe freight depot in Enid, Oklahoma. The museum began in 1977 and is a non-profit operated by the Enid chapter of the National Railway Historical Society....
, located in the former Santa Fe Railway Depot, can see railroad memorabilia, explore historical trains, and watch model railroads in action. The Midgley Museum is operated by the Enid Masonic Lodge #80 and features the rock collection of the Midgley family. Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse, located in the former Alton Mercantile building in downtown Enid is an arts and sciences museum, which features Adventure Quest, an outdoor science-themed playground. Simpson's Old Time Museum is a western-themed museum by local filmmakers Rick and Larry Simpson. The pair closed their downtown business, Simpsons Mercantile in 2006 to convert the building into a movie set and museum. George's Antique Auto Museum features the sole-existing Geronimo car, once manufactured in Enid. The Leona Mitchell Southern Heights Heritage Center and Museum records the history and culture of African Americans and Native Americans, featuring exhibits on Enid's former black schools (George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington), and opera star Leona Mitchell
Leona Mitchell
Leona Mitchell , is an African-American and Chickasaw operatic soprano and an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee....
. Enid also has a number of locations
National Register of Historic Places listings in Garfield County, Oklahoma
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Garfield County, Oklahoma.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States...
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Sports
Enid has produced several athletes, including NFL football players Todd FranzTodd Franz
Stephen Todd Franz was a defensive back in the National Football League who played for five different teams. He played in 46 games over a 6 year career. He played college football at the University of Tulsa. He is a Real Estate Professional in Oklahoma City Metro Area since 2006....
, Steve Fuller, Ken Mendenhall
Ken Mendenhall
Ken E. Mendenhall is a former American football center who played ten seasons in the National Football League for the Baltimore Colts.Born in Stillwater, Mendenhall grew up in Pawhuska in Osage County, Oklahoma...
, John Ward
John Ward (American football)
John Henry Ward is a former National Football League lineman who played from 1970 to 1976 for the Minnesota Vikings, the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
, Jeff Zimmerman, and the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's Kody Bliss
Kody Bliss
Kody Andrew Bliss is an American football punter. He attended Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee before signing in 2003 to play collegiately at Auburn University.-College career:...
. Brothers Brent Price
Brent Price
Hartley Brent Price, better known as Brent Price , is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. He is the younger brother of former Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Mark Price.- Career :...
and Mark Price
Mark Price
William Mark Price is a retired American basketball player who played for 12 seasons in the NBA, from 1986 to 1998...
became NBA players, and Don Haskins
Don Haskins
Donald Lee Haskins, nicknamed "The Bear" , was an American collegiate basketball coach and player. He played for three years under legendary coach Henry Iba at Oklahoma A&M...
is a Hall of Fame basketball coach. USSF
USSF Division 2 Professional League
USSF Division 2 Professional League was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation in 2010 to last just one season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding United Soccer Leagues and the North American Soccer League...
soccer player Andrew Hoxie
Andrew Hoxie
Andrew Jerod Hoxie is an American soccer player currently playing for Rochester Rhinos in the USL Professional Division.-College and amateur:...
, Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher, Lou Kretlow
Lou Kretlow
Louis Henry Kretlow was an American baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers , St...
, Olympian and runner, Chris McCubbins
Chris McCubbins
Raymond Chris McCubbins was a middle-distance runner from the United States. He won the gold medal in the men's 3,000 metres steeplechase event at the 1967 Pan American Games. McCubbins later competed for Canada at the 1976 Olympics in the 10,000 meter event...
and Stacy Prammanasudh
Stacy Prammanasudh
Stacy Prammanasudh is a Thai American golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour.-Amateur career:Stacy was born in Enid, Oklahoma to an American mother and a native Thai father who immigrated to the United States from Thailand...
an LPGA
LPGA
The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
golfer all were born or lived in Enid.
Baseball
The Enid Harvesters (active from 1920–1924) were named as the 20th-best minor league farm team ever by Minor League BaseballMinor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
. They had a 104-27 record in the 1922 season. The Harvesters along with their earlier counterparts the Railroaders were members of the Western Association
Western Association
The Western Association was the name of five different leagues in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries.The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western Association on October 28, 1887...
.
The Enid Majors youth baseball team won the American Legion Baseball
American Legion Baseball
American Legion Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played by teenage boys in 50 states in the USA. More than five thousand teams participate each year. The American Legion Department of South Dakota established the program in 1925 at Milbank, South Dakota...
World Series in 2005.
Several Enid teams played in the National Baseball Congress
National Baseball Congress
The National Baseball Congress of Wichita, Kansas is an organization of 15 amateur and semi-professional baseball leagues operating in the United States and Canada...
championships, winning the championship in 1945 by the Army Air Field (runners up in 1943 and 1944), in 1940 and 1941 by the Champlins, and in 1937 by the Eason Oilers (runners up in 1938).
Phillips University
Phillips University
Phillips University was a private, coeducational institution of higher education located in Enid, Oklahoma, United States, from 1906 to 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church . It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary...
baseball teams, coached by Enid native Joe Record, went to the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
World Series three times during his tenure as head coach (1952–1981). Record was the NAIA Coach of the Year in 1973, and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1975.
The Northern Oklahoma College Enid Jets baseball team were conference champions in 2002, 2003, and 2005. They were Region II champions in 2002 and 2004, and runners up in 2009. They were Southwest District Champions in 2002, and also received third place in the NJCAA World Series in that year.
Basketball
The Oklahoma StormOklahoma Storm
The Oklahoma Storm was a United States Basketball League team located in Enid, Oklahoma. Founded by sports agent and attorney James Sears Bryant, the Storm successfully captured the USBL championship under head coach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2002, defeating Kansas with a final score of 122-109. The...
USBL
United States Basketball League
The United States Basketball League , often abbreviated to the USBL, was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985. The final champions are the Kansas Cagerz, who won the title game on July 1, 2007.-History:...
franchise called Enid home. Through their eight years in Enid (2000-2007 seasons) they were very successful, winning their division several times and the USBL Championship in 2002.
Football
The Enid High SchoolEnid High School
Enid High School is a public secondary school in Enid, Oklahoma operated by the Enid Public Schools school district. With a student body of about 1,700 in grades 9-12, Enid High School has about a 65 percent matriculation rate...
Plainsmen have won six state football championships (1919, 1942, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1983). They went to the Oklahoma State Championship football game in 2006 and lost to the Jenks
Jenks, Oklahoma
Jenks is a city in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States, and a suburb of Tulsa, in the northeastern part of the state. It is situated between the Arkansas River and U.S. Route 75. Jenks is one of the fastest growing cities in Oklahoma...
Trojans.
The Phillips University
Phillips University
Phillips University was a private, coeducational institution of higher education located in Enid, Oklahoma, United States, from 1906 to 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church . It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary...
football teams, coached by John Maulbetsch
John Maulbetsch
John F. "Johnny" Maulbetsch was an All-American football halfback at Adrian College in 1911 and for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1914 to 1916...
, beat the University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
and University of Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
football teams and lost only one game in the 1918 and 1919 seasons.
When Phillips defeated Texas 10-0 in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, in October 1919, the Longhorns had not lost a game since 1917.
The newest football team in Enid is the Enid Enforcers, a semiprofessional team playing in the Central Football League. Their first season of play was in the spring of 2008. Made up of players from Enid and the surrounding areas, the team has achieved national ranking status, amassing two Northern Division Championships and boasting a 20 -7 record in just three years.
Education
Enid has several institutions of education and is served by two school districts: Enid Public SchoolsEnid Public Schools
Enid Public Schools is a public school district located in Enid, Oklahoma. The school district has an enrollment of 6,636 students as of October 2008.-Elementary schools:*Adams Elementary School*Coolidge Elementary School*Eisenhower Elementary School...
and Chisholm Public Schools
Chisholm Public Schools
Chisholm Public Schools is a public school district located in Enid, Oklahoma. District enrollment was approximately 900 students in the 2005-2006 school year. It consists of Chisholm Elementary School, Chisholm Middle School, and Chisholm High School....
. Pioneer-Pleasant Vale Schools
Pioneer-Pleasant Vale Schools
Pioneer-Pleasant Vale Schools is a school district in Garfield County, Oklahoma. The district consists of two schools, Pioneer High School in Waukomis, Oklahoma and Pleasant Vale Elementary in Enid, Oklahoma....
's elementary school, Pleasant Vale Elementary is also located in Enid. The Cimarron Montessori School and Summerhill Childrens House are the city's two Montessori style schools. Several private Christian schools representing a variety of denominations are also located in Enid: Bethel Bible Academy, Emmanuel Christian School, Enid Adventist School, Hillsdale Christian School, Saint Joseph Catholic School, and Saint Paul's Lutheran School. Enid High School
Enid High School
Enid High School is a public secondary school in Enid, Oklahoma operated by the Enid Public Schools school district. With a student body of about 1,700 in grades 9-12, Enid High School has about a 65 percent matriculation rate...
, Chisholm High School
Chisholm High School
Chisholm High School is the second largest high school in Enid, Oklahoma, and is located in the northern part of the city. The school has a student body of approximately 300 students in grades 9-12 with a curriculum that includes normal and AP academic courses.-Athletics:Chisholm's athletic...
, and Oklahoma Bible Academy
Oklahoma Bible Academy
The Oklahoma Bible Academy is an interdenominational Christian private school located in Enid, Oklahoma. OBA is the oldest coeducational private school in the state of Oklahoma.-History:...
are the city's largest secondary education schools. Autry Technology Center
Autry Technology Center
Autry Technology Center is a public career and technology education center located in Enid, Oklahoma. Autry Technology Center is accredited by the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, the Oklahoma Department of Education and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools...
serves as the city's only vocational education
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
institution, Northern Oklahoma College
Northern Oklahoma College
Northern Oklahoma College is a community college located in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, with additional campuses located in Enid, Oklahoma and Stillwater, Oklahoma. Student enrollment is approximately 2,700.-History:...
as its community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
, and Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Northwestern Oklahoma State University, also known as NWOSU, is a university in Alva, Oklahoma, United States, with satellite campuses in Enid and Woodward. A state university, it offers both bachelor's and master's degrees.-Establishment:...
(NWOSU) provides bachelor and graduate level education. Enid was formerly home to Phillips University
Phillips University
Phillips University was a private, coeducational institution of higher education located in Enid, Oklahoma, United States, from 1906 to 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church . It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary...
, which closed in 1998.
The The Public Library of Enid and Garfield County, established in 1899, also serves as an educational resource for the community. Enid was once home to a Carnegie library, which opened in 1910. After years of funding shortages, the building was condemned in 1957, and the library's current art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
building was opened in 1964.
Newspaper
The Enid News & EagleEnid News & Eagle
The Enid News & Eagle is a daily newspaper published each morning in Enid, Oklahoma, USA. The publication covers several counties in northwest Oklahoma and is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc....
is the city's daily newspaper. Historically, the city had 28 newspapers. The Enid Eagle began publication on September 22, 1893. The Enid Daily Wave (later the Enid Morning News) began on December 11, 1893. In February 1923, the papers were combined to form the Enid Publishing Company.
Television
Enid has two local television stations:- Public-access televisionPublic-access televisionPublic-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
station, PEGASYSPEGASYS-TVPEGASYS is a non-profit Public, educational, and government access cable TV station located in Enid, Oklahoma.-History:PEGASYS premiered as a community bulletin board in September 1986 on Channel 33. The first day of regular broadcast programming aired on Channel 33 on May 18, 1987. In 1991,...
, which broadcasts locally produced programming on cable channels 11 and 12, and a community bulletin boardCommunity bulletin boardA Community bulletin board is a digital signage system that Public, educational, and government access cable television providers use as a Barker channel to keep communities up to date of events listings, weather and other news that can be delivered by using digital on-screen graphic s. The...
on channel 19. - UHF channel 32, KXOK-LPKXOK-LPKXOK-LP is a low-power television station in Enid, Oklahoma, broadcasting locally in analog on UHF channel 32 and digitally as KXOK-LD on VHF channel 31 as an affiliate of both the Pursuit Channel and America One....
, which currently broadcasts America One and The Pursuit Channel.
Historically, Enid was home to television station KGEO, an ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate from July 2, 1954 to 1958 when it moved its transmitter to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
. The station is now KOCO-TV
KOCO-TV
KOCO-TV, virtual channel 5 , is the ABC affiliate in the Oklahoma City television market. The station is owned by Hearst Television, Inc., but uses "Ohio/Oklahoma Hearst Television, Inc." as their end tag during their newscasts, the same licensing purpose corporation as sister Cincinnati, Ohio...
.
Radio
Enid's public radio station, KEIFKEIF-LP
KEIF-LP 104.7 FM is a low-power non-commercial community radio station in Enid, Oklahoma. It broadcasts classic rock, local news and weather, and specialty programs that feature blues and novelty songs.-History:...
104.7 FM, and KQOB
KQOB
KQOB is a classic rock radio station serving the Oklahoma City area and is owned by Champlin Broadcasting. The station is currently in a LMA with Cumulus Media.-History:...
96.9 FM broadcast in a classic rock format. Stations KNID
KNID (FM)
KNID 107.1 FM is a country music radio station licensed to North Enid, Oklahoma. Previously, the station was broadcast on 99.7 FM, and until 2000, at 96.9 FM ....
107.1 FM and KOFM
KOFM (FM)
KOFM is a radio station based in Enid, Oklahoma. The station goes under the moniker as "Continuous Country Favorites".-History:The heritage KOFM call letters were on an Oklahoma City Top 40 station on 104.1. Audio from this era can be found at...
103.1 FM specialize in country music. KAMG
KAMG-LP
KAMG-LP is a low-power FM radio station licensed to Enid, Oklahoma, USA. The station is currently owned by Amigos Ministry.-History:...
92.1 FM, KBVV 91.1 FM, and KLGB-LP
KLGB-LP
KLGB-LP is a low-power radio station broadcasting a religious format. Licensed to Enid, Oklahoma, USA, the station is currently owned by Covenant Life Ministries, Inc....
94.3 FM are devoted to religious content. KCRC
KCRC (AM)
KCRC is a radio station licensed to Enid, Oklahoma, USA. The station is currently owned by Chisholm Trail Broadcasting Co.. The station was founded in the 1920s by oilman and banker, H.H. Champlin, Sr., and was the first radio station in Enid. H.H. Champlin, Jr...
1390 AM and KFXY
KFXY
KFXY is a radio station broadcasting a Southern Gospel format. Licensed to Enid, Oklahoma, USA, the station is currently owned by Chisholm Trail Broadcasting Co.-History:...
1640 AM broadcast sports games. KGWA
KGWA
KGWA is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Enid, Oklahoma, USA, the station serves the Oklahoma City area. The station is currently owned by Williams Broadcasting LLC and features programing from Fox News Radio....
960 AM is a talk radio station, and KXLS
KXLS
KXLS is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Contemporary music format. Licensed to Lahoma, Oklahoma, USA. The station is currently owned by Chisholm Trail Broadcasting Co. and features programing from Citadel Broadcasting....
95.7 FM plays various musical genres.
Healthcare
Enid has a number of medical clinics and two hospitals. INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health CenterINTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center
INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center is the oldest hospital in Enid, Oklahoma, and consists of three main facilities. Its main facility has been located at 600 S. Monroe Street since 1914. In 1996, the hospital acquired Enid Regional Hospital , creating its Long Term Acute Care Hospital, and in...
has 207 beds throughout its three facilities. Bass is the oldest hospital in Enid, founded in 1910, and incorporated in 1914 as Enid General Hospital and Training School for Nurses. St. Mary's Regional Medical Center
St. Mary's Regional Medical Center (Enid)
St. Mary's Regional Medical Center is a hospital located in Enid, Oklahoma. It was founded in 1915 as Enid Government Springs Sanatorium by Dr. G.A. Boyle and Dr. T.B. Hinson. In 1921, Boyle retired, leaving Hinson in charge. Ownership and operations were transferred to the Sisters Adorers of the...
, a 245 bed facility with 127 licensed professionals, was established in 1915 as Enid Springs Sanatorium. Both Enid hospitals are affiliated with the Oklahoma Hospital Association
Oklahoma Hospital Association
The Oklahoma Hospital Association is the state affiliate of the American Hospital Association. It was established on May 21, 1919 after meeting of representatives from 20 Oklahoma hospitals, electing Dr. Fred S. Clinton as the first president. He served as president for the first nine years of the...
, and their CEOs are FACHE
FACHE
Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives is a professional certification sponsored by the American College of Healthcare Executives , which is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois...
certified. Clinics include the Garfield County Health Department, and Veterans Affairs Clinic. Vance Air Force Base Clinic is operated by the 71st Medical Group which consists of the 71st Medical Operations and Support Squadrons.
Transportation
The main highways serving the City of Enid are U.S. Highway 81 Van Buren and U.S. Highway 412 Owen K. Garriott. U.S. Highway 64 runs west down Garriott and U.S. Highway 60 runs east. Both of these highways join together with highway 81 in North Enid, OklahomaNorth Enid, Oklahoma
North Enid is a town in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 860 at the 2010 census. The town is served by the Chisholm school district...
. State Highway 45
State Highway 45 (Oklahoma)
State Highway 45 is a state highway in Oklahoma. It runs west-to-east through Woods, Alfalfa and Garfield counties.-Route description:SH-45 begins at the US-281/SH-14 junction in Waynoka...
also runs through North Enid on Carrier Road.
Railroads
Railroad development in Garfield County began four years prior to the land opening, and Enid became a central hub within the county, with rail systems running in ten directions. Historical railroads included Enid and Tonkawa RailwayEnid and Tonkawa Railway
The Enid and Tonkawa Railway Company was incorporated on March 20, 1899 under the laws of the territory of Oklahoma. The company constructed a railroad line from North Enid, Oklahoma to Billings, Oklahoma. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad purchased the company on December 22, 1899....
, Enid and Anadarko Railway
Enid and Anadarko Railway
The Enid and Anadarko Railway Company was incorporated on March 9, 1901 under the laws of the territory of Oklahoma by M.A. Low, J.C. Marshall, I.G. Conkling, H.D. Crossley and S.H. Thompson. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway purchased the Enid and Anadarko Railway on October 21, 1903.In...
, Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railway
Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railway
The Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railway was built as a short line railroad operating in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.It was founded in March 1900 to link the Frisco Beaumont, Kansas subdivision and Vernon, Texas...
, Enid Central Railway and the Denver, Enid and Gulf Railroad
Denver, Enid and Gulf Railroad
The Denver, Enid and Gulf Railroad was built as a short line railroad operating in Kansas, and Oklahoma. Incorporated in Oklahoma as the Denver, Enid and Gulf Railroad Company, March 31, 1902, by the five Frantz Brothers....
. Enid's railroad history is displayed at the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma
Railroad Museum of Oklahoma
The Railroad Museum of Oklahoma is a railroad museum located in the former Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe freight depot in Enid, Oklahoma. The museum began in 1977 and is a non-profit operated by the Enid chapter of the National Railway Historical Society....
which is housed in the former Santa Fe railroad Depot. The Rock Island Depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Grainbelt Corporation, BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
, and Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
currently run operations through Enid.
From 1907 to 1929, Enid also had its own streetcar system, operated by Enid City Railway
Enid City Railway
The Enid City Railway Company was a street car franchise in Enid, Oklahoma, from 1907 to 1929.-History:On January 4, 1907, the Enid City Council awarded a street car franchise to C.H. Bosler of Dayton, Ohio, who had also constructed the Tulsa Street Railway...
. The street cars were later replaced by busses, following a declaration by the Enid government that made streetcars illegal.
Enid Public Transportation
Airports
- Enid Woodring Regional AirportEnid Woodring Regional AirportEnid Woodring Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located four nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Enid, a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. It is also referred to as Woodring Airport and was formerly known as Enid Woodring Municipal Airport...
(KWDG) (1167 feet above mean sea level) is located four miles (6 km) southeast of Enid at 36 degrees 22.75 north latitude and 97 degrees 47.47 west longitude. This Class D facility has a 6249 feet (1,904.7 m) primary runway and a 3149 secondary runway. There is no scheduled air service.
- Vance Air Force BaseVance Air Force BaseVance Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located 6 km south of downtown Enid, Oklahoma, and within its city limits, about north northwest of Oklahoma City...
(KEND) (1,307 feet above mean sea level) is located four miles (6 km) south of the city at 36 degrees 20.21 north latitude and 97 degrees 54.59 west longitude. It was founded in 1941 on land leased by the city of Enid to the United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air ForcesThe United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, now the United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. Vance also uses the KWDG facility for military training flights. Since its establishment the base, named after Lt. Col Leon Robert Vance, Jr., has been a major employer in the area.
Utilities
Enid's electricity is provided by Oklahoma Gas & ElectricOklahoma Gas & Electric
Oklahoma Gas & Electric is a regulated electric utility company that serves over 750,000 customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas. On December 9, 2007 OG&E experienced the worst power outage in Oklahoma history with over 250 thousand customers without power and over 630 thousand state wide...
and natural gas by Oklahoma Natural Gas Company. The City of Enid provides water, wastewater, and trash collection services. Internet, television, and telephone providers include Suddenlink Communications
Suddenlink Communications
Suddenlink Communications, formerly Cebridge Connections, is a top-10 cable broadband services provider in the United States with approximately 1.4 million subscribers. Suddenlink operates in 18 states in primarily medium-sized communities. With its corporate headquarters in St. Louis, MO,...
, Pioneer Telephone
Pioneer Telephone Cooperative (Oklahoma)
Pioneer Telephone Cooperative is a cooperatively owned telecommunications company that provides telephone and other telecommunications services in a large portion of the state of Oklahoma.Its headquarters are in Kingfisher, Oklahoma...
, and AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
.
Notable residents
Enid's Frank FrantzFrank Frantz
Frank Frantz was an American Rough Rider and politician who served as the seventh and final Governor of Oklahoma Territory. Frantz ran on the Republican ticket to serve as the first Governor of Oklahoma. Frantz lost the election to Democrat Charles N. Haskell.-Early life:On May 7, 1872, Frank...
was the seventh and final Oklahoma Territorial Governor. Enid has been home to several successful entrepreneurs from oilman Herbert Champlin
H. H. Champlin House
The H.H. Champlin House is a two-and-one half-story sandstone building designed in the Tudor Revival style. The house, completed in 1939, is located at 612 S. Tyler in Enid, Oklahoma. It is located within the Kisner Heights addition to the city of Enid, developed from farmland formerly owned by...
to casino owner, Sam Boyd
Sam Boyd
Samuel A. "Sam" Boyd , was a businessman.Born in Enid, Oklahoma, he arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1941 with only $80 in his pocket. He was able to work his way up through the gaming industry by first working as a dealer, then as a pit boss, and as a shift supervisor.Eventually he saved enough...
, founder of the Boyd Gaming
Boyd Gaming
Boyd Gaming Corporation is a Paradise, Nevada based business engaged in the development, ownership and operation of hotels and casinos throughout the United States...
Corporation. The arts have also flourished among Enid natives, from Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
painter Paladine Roye
Paladine Roye
Paladine Roye was an award-winning Native American painter.-Background:Paladine H. Roye was born December 8, 1946 in White Eagle, Oklahoma. He was a full blood, enrolled member of the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma...
to Pulitzer Prize winning author Marquis James
Marquis James
Marquis James was an American journalist and author, twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his works The Raven: A Biography of Sam Houston and The Life of Andrew Jackson....
. Actors Richard Erdman
Richard Erdman
Richard Erdman is an American film and television actor and director.-Notable roles:...
, Glenda Farrell
Glenda Farrell
-Career:Farrell came to Hollywood towards the end of the silent era. Farrell began her career with a theatrical company at the age of 7. She played Little Eva in Uncle Tom's Cabin...
, Lynn Herring
Lynn Herring
Sheryl Lynn Herring is an American soap opera actress.-Early life:Before acting, Herring was Miss Virginia USA 1977, and was 4th runner-up to Kimberly Tomes for the title of Miss USA 1977...
, and Thad Luckinbill
Thad Luckinbill
Thaddeus Rowe "Thad" Luckinbill is an American actor best known for playing J.T. Hellstrom on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless for 11 years...
were all born in Enid. Many musicians have gotten their start in Enid, including fingerstyle guitarist Michael Hedges
Michael Hedges
Michael Alden Hedges was an American composer, Acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter.-Background:...
and opera singer Leona Mitchell
Leona Mitchell
Leona Mitchell , is an African-American and Chickasaw operatic soprano and an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee....
, both of whom have streets in Enid bearing their names. Mitchell's brother, Hulon Mitchell Jr (Yahweh Ben Yahweh
Yahweh ben Yahweh
Yahweh ben Yahweh was the adopted name of Hulon Mitchell, Jr. , founder and leader of the Nation of Yahweh, a black supremacist new religious movement founded in 1979....
) was the founder of the religious group, Nation of Yahweh
Nation of Yahweh
The Nation of Yahweh is a predominantly African-American religious group that is the most controversial offshoot of the Black Hebrew Israelites line of thought. It was founded in 1979 in Miami by Hulon Mitchell, Jr., who went by the name Yahweh ben Yahweh. Its goal is to return African Americans,...
. Attorney Stephen Jones
Stephen Jones (attorney)
Stephen Jones, , is an attorney and Republican activist from Enid, Oklahoma. He is best known for serving as Timothy McVeigh's lead defense lawyer during McVeigh's trial on 11 counts regarding his actions in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing....
defended Timothy McVeigh
Timothy McVeigh
Timothy James McVeigh was a United States Army veteran and security guard who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995...
after the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
.
A number of military heroes have also come from Enid, including former US Army Special Forces operator
Bo Gritz
Bo Gritz
James Gordon "Bo" Gritz is a former United States Army Special Forces officer who served in the Vietnam War. His post-war activities notably attempted POW rescues in conjunction with the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue have proven controversial. Gritz lives near Sandy Valley, Nevada with his wife...
, Medal Of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient Harold Kiner, and Pearl Harbor hero USAF General Kenneth M. Taylor
Kenneth M. Taylor
Kenneth Marlar Taylor was a new United States Army Air Forces Second Lieutenant pilot stationed at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. Along with his fellow pilot and friend George Welch, they got airborne while under fire and Taylor shot down four Japanese dive bombers...
. Enid has a history of aviation professionals from aviation pioneer Clyde Cessna, founder of the Cessna
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
Aircraft Company, to Irving Woodring
Enid Woodring Regional Airport
Enid Woodring Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located four nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Enid, a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. It is also referred to as Woodring Airport and was formerly known as Enid Woodring Municipal Airport...
, one of the Army's Three Musketeers of Aviation. One of Enid's main streets is named after Astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Owen K. Garriott
Owen K. Garriott
Owen Kay Garriott, Ph.D. is a former NASA astronaut who spent 60 days aboard Skylab in 1973 and 10 days aboard Spacelab-1 in 1983. He is also the father of Robert Garriott and fellow spacefarer Richard Garriott, with whom he helped found Origin Systems.-Education and background:Garriott was born...
, and Enid's air force base is named for Medal Of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient Leon Vance
Leon Vance
Leon Robert "Bob" Vance, Jr. was a Medal of Honor recipient who served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.-Early life and family:...
.
Even some fictional characters hold Enid as their home town, including Paul and Amanda Kirby in Jurassic Park III
Jurassic Park III
Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American science fiction film and the third of the Jurassic Park franchise. It is the only film in the series that is neither directed by Steven Spielberg nor based on a book by Michael Crichton, though numerous scenes in the movie were taken from Crichton's two books,...
, Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, journalist Jean Craddock, in Crazy Heart
Crazy Heart
Crazy Heart is a 2009 American musical-drama film, written and directed by Scott Cooper and based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb. Jeff Bridges plays a down-and-out country music singer-songwriter who tries to turn his life around after beginning a relationship with a young...
, and in The Rifleman
The Rifleman
The Rifleman is an American Western television program that starred Chuck Connors as homesteader Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show, filmed in black-and-white with a half hour running time, ran...
, Lucas McCain
Lucas McCain
Lucas McCain is the rancher and widowed father with a penchant for using his Winchester firearm -- as a last resort -- in the Western television series, The Rifleman, which ran on ABC from 1958-1963. The part was portrayed by the former athlete-turned-actor Chuck Connors...
and his son Mark lived in Enid, Oklahoma before settling in North Fork, New Mexico Territory. Some have contemplated moving to Enid, such as in the CBS series The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
, character Sheldon Cooper contemplates moving to Enid because of its "low crime rate" and "high speed internet" service, but decides against it because the city lacks a model railroad store.
Some even claim two figures from the Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
assassination lived and died in Enid. In 1901, Osborn H. Oldroyd wrote The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln Flight, Persuit (sic), Capture, and Punishment of the Conspirators which claimed that Sgt. Boston Corbett
Boston Corbett
Thomas P. "Boston" Corbett was the Union Army soldier who shot and killed Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth. He disappeared after 1888, but circumstantial evidence suggests that he died in the Great Hinckley Fire in 1894, although this remains impossible to substantiate.-Early...
, the man who killed John Wilkes Booth in Virginia, resided in Enid, employed as a medicine salesman. Local legend holds that Corbett is buried in one of the unmarked graves in the Enid Cemetery
Enid Cemetery and Calvary Catholic Cemetery
The Enid Cemetery and Calvary Catholic Cemetery is a cemetery in Enid, Oklahoma that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996. Opened in the 1890s, the two cemeteries were designed in the rural cemetery style...
. In 1907, Finis L. Bates
Finis L. Bates
Finis Langdon Bates was a Memphis, Tennessee, lawyer and author of The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth . In this 309-page book, Bates claimed that John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, not only was not mortally wounded by Union Army Sergeant Thomas P...
wrote The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth. The book claimed that David E. George, a tenant at the Grand Avenue Hotel who committed suicide by poison in 1903, was actually John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
. After sitting for years in Penniman's Funeral Home, George's mummified body later toured the carnival circuit. The 1937 short film The Man in the Barn by Jacques Tourneur
Jacques Tourneur
Jacques Tourneur was a French-American film director.-Life:Born in Paris, France, he was the son of film director Maurice Tourneur. At age 10, Jacques moved to the United States with his father. He started a career in cinema while still attending high school as an extra and later as a script clerk...
revisits the story of David E. George as Booth.
In popular culture
Enid was ranked the 28th best place in the USA to raise a family in a 1998 Reader's DigestReader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
poll. and in March 2004 issue of Inc.
Inc. (magazine)
Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is a monthly publication focused on growing companies. The magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., the "Inc...
listed as one of the top 25 small cities in the USA for doing business. Good Morning America listed Enid as one of its top five up and coming areas in a January 2006 episode.
Hollywood has come to Enid, shooting scenes from Dillinger
Dillinger (1973 film)
Dillinger is a 1973 gangster film about the life and criminal exploits of notorious bank robber John Dillinger.It stars Warren Oates as Dillinger and Ben Johnson as his pursuer, FBI Agent Melvin Purvis. The film, narrated by Purvis, chronicles the last few years of Dillinger's life as the FBI and...
in front of the Mark Price Arena
Mark Price Arena
The Mark Price Arena is a 2,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Enid, Oklahoma.In addition to hosting concerts and high school sports, the arena was home to the Oklahoma Storm, a basketball team in the USBL. President George H. Bush spoke at the venue while campaigning in 1992. The Skeltur Conference...
and the Grand Saloon, the 1955 short film Holiday for Bands features Enid's Tri-State Music Festival, and portions of the film The Killer Inside Me
The Killer Inside Me
The Killer Inside Me is a 1952 novel by American writer Jim Thompson published by Fawcett Publications. In the introduction to the anthology Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s, it is described as "one of the most blistering and uncompromising crime novels ever written."- Plot summary :The...
were filmed in Enid's downtown square
Enid Downtown Historic District
The Enid Downtown Historic District is a , seven block district located in Enid, Oklahoma and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2007...
.
According to television, Enid has been the site of hauntings and exorcisms as Ghost Lab
Ghost Lab
Ghost Lab is a weekly American paranormal documentary television series that premiered on October 6, 2009 on the Discovery Channel. Produced by Paper Route Productions and Go Go Luckey Entertainment, the program is narrated by Mike Rowe...
featured Enid as part of an investigation of sites claimed to be haunted by John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
, and A Current Affair in a segment on expensive religious exorcisms.
Enid has been the subject of songs, such as Hank Williams, Jr. "Greeted in Enid" from the 1995 album Hog Wild telling the story of a woman he met in Enid. It has been the subject of ridicule, by comedian Bill Hicks
Bill Hicks
William Melvin "Bill" Hicks was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material largely consisted of general discussions about society, religion, politics, philosophy, and personal issues. Hicks' material was often controversial and steeped in dark comedy...
who used to make fun of this town in his act, including a routine on a man named Elmer Dinkley, most likely fictional.
Enid is also mentioned in passing in a few popular novels and films. In chapter 12 of The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962....
, Enid is one of the towns that feeds into Route 66 from the north via Route 64
U.S. Route 64
U.S. Route 64 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles from eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 160 in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. The highway's eastern terminus is at NC 12 and U.S. Route...
. The movie Twister references the city just before the chasers leave Aunt Meg's house to chase the "Hailstorm Hill" Tornado. The storm warning on the television broadcast states that the latest warning has been issued "for Garfield County, including the city of Enid". (Subtitles may be needed to find this out.) In the 1995 novel, Left Behind
Left Behind
Left Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with Christian dispensationalist End Times: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological viewpoint of the end of the world. The primary conflict of the series is the members of the Tribulation...
, primary character Chloe Steele Williams returns home from California by a flight that lands in Enid to make connections. The Enid Woodring Regional Airport
Enid Woodring Regional Airport
Enid Woodring Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located four nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Enid, a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. It is also referred to as Woodring Airport and was formerly known as Enid Woodring Municipal Airport...
was the only operable airport in the area during the 48 hours after the "vanishings".
During World War II, two Victory Ships from Kaiser's Richmond, California shipyard were named after Enid and Phillips University, the SS Enid Victory
SS Enid Victory
The SS Enid Victory' , was a type VC2-S-AP2 victory ship built by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard 2, of Richmond, California. The Maritime Administration cargo ship was named after Enid, Oklahoma. It was the 730th ship built at the Kaiser yards. Its keel was laid on May 17, 1945. The boat was...
and the SS Phillips Victory
SS Phillips Victory
The SS Phillips Victory , was a type VC2-S-AP2 victory ship built by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard 2, of Richmond, California. It was one of 150 victory ships named after educational institutions. The Phillips Victory was named after Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. The ship was...
. In 1999, astronomer Tom Stafford
Tom Stafford (astronomer)
Tom Stafford is an astronomer who has discovered a number of asteroids since 1997, including 12061 Alena, 12533 Edmond, 13436 Enid, 13688 Oklahoma and 15904 Halstead at Zeno Observatory in Edmond, Oklahoma. He is the son of Joseph W. Stafford and Alena Ruth Robbins, both now deceased, and has a...
of Oklahoma, named an asteroid
13436 Enid
13436 Enid is an outer main-belt asteroid discovered on November 17, 1999 by T. Stafford at the Zeno Observatory.- External links :*...
after Enid.
In the 2001 motion picture Jurassic Park 3, the Kirby family is from Enid, Oklahoma and remarks this several times in the film.
Sister city
-
KolloKollo-Sister city:-References:...
, NigerNigerNiger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
was declared as Enid's sister city on August 1, 2010 by Mayor John Criner.
Further reading
- James, Marquis. Cherokee Strip: A Tale of an Oklahoma Boyhood Viking Press, 1945.
- Marshall, Frank Hamilton. Phillips University's first fifty years (October 9, 1906-October 9, 1956) Phillips University, 1957.
- Rockwell, Stella, ed., Garfield County, Oklahoma, 1907–1982, Vol. I & II, Garfield Historical Society, Josten's Publishing Company, Topeka, Kansas. 1982.
- Klemme, Michael. Celebrating Enid!, 2010.