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Cordell's History |
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 The
history of Cordell, Oklahoma and its surrounding territories blends
a rich mixture of Native American and pioneer cultures. Traversed
for centuries by the plains native tribes, then by federal decree
following the Civil War, as lands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Wichita,
Caddo, Delaware, Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache tribes.Four pistol shots rang out during the noon hour of April 19, 1892, and some 5,000 settlers raced into County “H” which later became Washita County to stake claims to homesteads. Preparations for the run followed a proclamation issued April 12, 1892 which set high noon of April 19 as the time the race into the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservations for claims was to begin. More than 2,000 had gathered at the present site of Mountain View while others gathered near the points of Colony, Rocky and Tacola (Cloud Chief) from which the runs were made. Washita County area was quite wild and untamed in the early years. Most men wore guns and almost every town had at least one frontier saloon and a dance hall or two. There are many satirical stories telling of killings, shootouts and the like in the early days in the pioneer settlements.  Following the famous land run of 1892, Cordell sprang up as a center
of housing and commerce. Soon thereafter, an unsatisfied factory
water supply forced the relocation of Cordell one mile to the
southwest, the present location of New Cordell, now the town’s
legal- but seldom used-name.The move also created one of Cordell’s endearing features. Our Courthouse sits in the middle of the road, resulting in a beautiful approach to the city, particularly for travelers along Highway 152. This unusual arrangement can be credited to A.J. Johnson and J.C. Harrel, who each donated half the land needed for a courthouse on either side of the section line later used to demark the highway. The two had platted the lands surrounding their respective sides for the growth of the city, and Cordell naturally rose around the town square. Despite the donation of land in 1897, it was not until 1899 that county voters approved a move of the Washita County seat to Cordell from Cloud Chief, in the county’s southeast corner. The decision was not a unanimous one, however and county government was not officially moved until 1904, following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling and a special Act of Congress. The original courthouse of that era was a small two-story, wooden building located on the east side of the square, about where the Liberty Bell replica can now be found.  The original wood structure burned in the early morning of August 4,
1909, but most of the county records were saved. The county selected
the young architect Solomon Andrew Layton to rebuild the courthouse,
and the beautiful present building –now on the National Register of
Historic Places- was designed in 1910 and completed in 1911 at a
cost of $75.000.The railroad was thought to be the lifeblood of rural Oklahoma communities in the early days following the land run, and Cordell won a hard-fought battle to land the Bes Line Railroad (later the Frisco) in 1902. The public water supply was established in 1903 with three deep wells. A public reservoir was built in 1915, and water filtration plant followed in 1922. Electric distribution facilities were in place by 1910, and gas distribution was available by 1926. Fifty-two blocks of street were paved in 1925 with a tax that proved to be highly controversial, at least among optimistic real estate speculators who were addressed the tax on land that was not yet occupied and was not generating any income. The City of New Cordell is centered on a town square in which the Washita County Courthouse is located. The downtown business district developed around this area between 1900 and 1920. Many of these historic buildings remain and have been carefully preserved.  You could say that Cordell is a “High Noon—Gary Cooper” kind of town
or it could be described as where the wind daily sweeps through the
plains. As you drive through Washita County, you will be able to see
wheat harvesters at work. Early to mid June, wheat fields will be
bustling with activities as farmers reap the benefits of their
September sown crops. It’s called the “golden harvest” as winter
wheat turns from green to a deep golden color. Harvest time is a
unique and rewarding time as combines thrash the grain in the
fields, trucks haul the harvest, and grain elevators store the
precious crop.Today, Washita County is one of the most diversified agricultural counties in Oklahoma. It is know for its agricultural productivity and innovation. Cattle, sheep, hogs, deer, and an occasional turkey will dot the pasture landscape along your western Oklahoma trip. Falcons, owls, eagles, coyotes, foxes, and other prairie land creatures may be seen as you travel through our county. Washita County and Cordell also boasts innumerable leaders both of pioneer stock and those contemporary leaders that continue to shape the economic and social landscape. Come visit this unique western community and see the renovations that are featured in the historic district of the downtown square in New Cordell, Oklahoma. Facts About Cordell
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