The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-08-05
HOW ENID, OKLAHOMA,
GOT HER RAILROADS

A 'Dr1er story or now the present
4 railway ines were secured for Enid
in its early days may prove of inter
est to many readers of the Eagle. The
information was received in a talk
builders and also by reference to old
files of this paper.
For many ear the only roa pass.
ing through Enid vas the Rock Isl
and. These were years of trouble,
when that road sought to make North
Enid the railroad center. 1t Is unnec-
essary to recount the difficulties ex-
perienced by the town in securing
recognition from the railroad. The
line next built was the Billings branch
to CARRIER and other towns, and it
was constructed with the intention of
establishing an east and west line
through North Enid. But citizens of
the town then called South Enid, be-
lieving that h Rock Island would
build a westward extension from
North Enid, turned to the Frisco and
tried to interest that company to
build to Enid from Blackwell to Per-
ry and wished to make Blackwell a
rival city of Oklahoma City. Enid cit
liens found it very hard to interest
Mr.. Peckham in Enid and induce him
to change his plans and build his
way. Finally it was agreed that the
line would be built from Blackwell
to Enid in consideration of financial
aid. A $4,000 bonus and a right of
way through the city was offered and
accepted.
The building of the Blackwell, En-
id and Southwestern marked the be-
ginning of the real growth of enid.
When the Bes line. was constructed,
nearly everything was attracted to
Enid. The proposed extension of the
Billings line westward was abandoned
and a line was soon built by the Rock
Island as far west as Ringwood. 1t
was. evident the western territory
was worth having n this line,
known as the E. & A, was construct
ed for the purpose of holding the ter
ritory and to discourage railroad
building in that direction. The Bes
line or the Frisco, as it became later, |
was expected to build in a southwest |
direction, but the Rock Island was
already at Ringwood, where work
ceased for a time. The Frisco start
ed southeast to Hobart and Vernon,
Texas. The Rock Island turned south
ward and ran it's line to Geary and
Anadarko and parallel to the Cnoc-
of the Choctaw to the Rock Island,
the latter road proposed to build a
parallel line all of the way to Ell Re-
no and Chickasha. The Choctaw sold |
out to the Rock Island.
Edmund Frantz conceived the idea
of a road to Guthrie and interested
other Enid citizens in the proposition.
Mr.. Frantz and five other persons
went to st. Louis and secured the
help of Breckenridge Jones in the
scheme and a contest was entered |
to build the line. This was in the
spring of 1902. Mr.. Jones took over
the contract and after several months
of construction the line was run into
Enid Later an extension westward
was made n the road gradually ad-
yanced to Kfowa, connecting two
points on Santa Fe lines. The Santa
Fe thus became interested In the D.,
E. & G. and in 1907 bought the road.
A short time after the D, E. & G..
was completed, there were discussions
and propositions on the building of a
line from Tulsa to Enid. Three repre-
s~entatives from Perry, three from