History of Weleetka
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Only a few "old timers" are familiar with the early history of Weleetka. It would not be here today had it not been for Charles Curtis, Vice-President of the United States; or if there had been no town of Henryetta, I. T.; or if Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock had approved some early day coal leases; or if three young newspaper men could have made a livlihood running Indian Territory country newspapers: or if there had been a nervous "trigger finger" in a camp of armed men on a crisp February morning in 1902.

The Townsite of Weleetka, Indian Territory; was opened February 10, 1902. Before relating some of the facts concerning the opening of the town and its early history, it might be well to know just how and why a town was located here and who were the principals in the town's beginning.

In 1899 George F. Clarke was manager of the Vinita Leader and O. W. Meacham was a printer 'employed by the same newspaper. Twenty miles distant at Fairland, Lake Moore was attempting to gain a livlihood publishing a paper. He had little more success than did Clarke and Meacham. The three, Clarke, a Mississippian, Meacham a Kansan, and Moore an Alabamian, became well acquainted and finding their financial difficulties mutual, decided to quit newspaper work and take the first opportunity for something offering more hope of monetary return. The opportunity came when the Frisco railroad started to build south from Sapulpa to Denison,Texas. The three formed a Partnership and secured from the railroad townsite group the privilege of establishing a town, picking the present site of Henryetta and having it surveyed and platted.

This was in 1900 and the three young men had extreme difficulty in opening Henryetta and in keeping the Interior Department of the United States from blocking them in every effort; for then there was no townsite law and everybody in the new towns were simply squatters and titles were unknown. The townsite land being an Indian allotment, the settler received only an occupancy permit with the right to build and to remove improvements. This was years before statehood and the United States Courts were the governing authority of the country.

At this time, Charles Curtis, then a Kansas congressman, later vice-president of the United States, secured the passage through Congress of the Frisco right of way act. Henry G. Beard, of Shawnee, was closely identified with the promotion of this legislative act and was the active member of the railway townsite group in establishing Henryetta.

The deriviation of the name "Henryetta" has long been a matter of dispute. The facts in connection therewith are as follows: Henry Beard's wife was named Etta and it was on her allotment that the town of Shawnee was built. The town of Henryetta was on the allotment of Hugh Henry, a mixed blood Creek Indian, and the name "Henry City" had been suggested but had been turned down by the Post-Office Department. After that, and while the land was being surveyed and platted, Mr. Beard made the suggestion to Messrs. Meacham, Clarke and Moore that the town be called Henryetta and that in this way three persons could be honored: Hugh Henry, the allotee, Mr. Beard's wife, and himself, Henry Beard. That is how the town was called Henryetta and why It is spelled as it is instead of "Henrietta".

The going in Henryetta was so tough and lot buyers so few that Mr. Moore went to Holdenville where he opened a law office. Meacham remained in Henryetta, starting a newspaper, and giving up townsite development. Clarke remained in Henryetta, trading in real estate and leases. All were flat broke and still looking for fortune to knock.

The Frisco Railroad, just then building wanted to develop the coal fields around Henryetta and its General Counsel, Luman F. Parker, of St. Louis, sent for Clarke and Moore and asked them to have all the unallotted lands in the coal area adjoining the railroad, selected for allotment. Shortly thereafter, when this allotment work was practically finished, Clarke and Moore were offered a small interest in a coal company controlled by the railroad if they would bring the Indian allottees to St. Louis and there have them execute leases to this company, which leases the company officials had been promised would be approved by the secretary of the Interior, Ethan Allen Hitchcock.

Clarke and Moore made sixteen trips to St. Louis, each time taking five allottees, and hoped from this labor to lay the groundwork of their fortunes through the profits of the proposed coal company. After they had spent many months hard work and exhausted every dollar they could obtain, Counsel Parker telegraphed them that the Secretary of the Interior had refused to approve any of the coal leases. He expressed regret at this failure but promised the disappointed and disheartened young promoters that he would watch out for something for them. Mr. Parker kept his word and it was only a short time until he wired that the Ft. Smith & Western Railroad would be built from Ft. Smith to Guthrie and gave them the location where the proposed road would cross the Frisco.

Once more imbued with hope, Mr. Moore's home at Holdenville became the planning ground for the future Weleetka, and it was there that Clarke and Moore decided to build a city at the point where the new road would intersect.

It was ascertained that the intersection was on the allotment of Martha Lowe, a full blood Creek Indian, and was being farmed by Ira Starns. (Mr. and Mrs. Starns boarded the promoters during their preliminary work, and later Mr. Starns opened the town's first blacksmith shop.) An agreement was made with Martha Lowe and her husband, Alex Lowe, for townsite occupancy rights, as this was the only way even a shadow of a title could be obtained. The agreement called for the payment of a considerable sum in cash. Clarke and Moore had neither cash nor credit so they were compelled to find a partner who could finance the arrangement. It was at this juncture that John Jacobs, a young Creek, who was in the hardware business at Holdenville, canme into the picture. Mr. Jacobs made arrangements with the First National Bank at Holdenville and the three signed a note and made the necessary payments to Martha Lowe.

The platting of the townsite was begun at once. C. M. Lawrence, a civil engineer of Holdenville, did the work and agreed to take his pay from town lot sales. Advertising and other necessities were contracted for on the same basis and preparations were made to open the new town.

About two miles south of the new townsite was a little town called Alabama, which was the nearest stop for the diminutive Frisco trains which were then in operation. The principal store there was owned by A. C. D. Bullington and T. E. Standley, both of whom later became friends of the new town and moved their store to Weleetka.

The platting of the town was completed, the stakes set and the opening day announced. A few days before the time set, Clarke and Moore left Holdenville to come to their new townsite location. Their advertising of the opening of the new town had met with a splendid reception and investors and homeseekers from all over the country advised them that they would be present. Clarke and Moore had visions of many lot sales and much cash. For them it was the dawning of a new day.

They reached the townsite and to their consternation, found that two tents had been erected in a little cleared field about the center of the surveyed area. Around the tents were a group of armed men who had "jumped their claim" and warned Clarke and Moore off the property, their ejection being aided by a display of six-shooters and rifles. The leader of the claim jumpers was O. A. Morton, a mixed blood Creek Indian, who afterward became a lawyer, practicing in Weleetka and later in Tulsa.

Clarke and Moore hastily beat a retreat. They knew that something had to be done and done quickly, so in their extremity they resorted to the U. S. Court, driving to Wewoka, reaching there late at night and routing U. S. Commissioner Tate from his slumbers. Going with them to his office, Judge Tate heard the story of the young promoters and issued warrants for O. A. Morton and the four or five men who were helping hold possession.

When Moore and Clarke went out on the streets of Wewoka to get their buggy and drive to Holdenville to place the warrants in the hands of Deputy U. S. Marshal Henry Krause, the horse and buggy were gone and a search of the town failed to locate them. Luckily a Rock Island train came through about that time and on it they reached Holdenville. Deputy Krause was willing to serve the warrants at once and all boarded the little Frisco train leaving Holdenville in the early hours. Leaving the train at Alabama station they walked north up the track to the townsite.

It was a crisp February morning and the force under Morton had a good fire going outside the tents. The men wore six-guns in their belts and rifles leaned against the nearby rail fence. The situation looked desperate and the air was charged with tenseness. As Krause, Clarke and Moore, who were also armed, neared the tents, the deputy turned to the two young men and asked if they would stick with him to the finish. Clarke had a habit of laughing under any circumstances and did so as he turned to Moore and said "What do you say?" Moore replied that they had come too far to go back and that everything they had was at stake. He then told the deputy to attempt the arrests and they would stay with him.

The three then advanced to the camp and the other crowd came forward to meet them. When a few feet distant the deputy stopped and read the warrants for their arrest. With hearts pounding, Clarke and Moore waited Morton's next move. A hostile motion at that moment would signal flashing guns and death for many.

Morton's good judgment and his respect for the U. S. Court prevailed. He agreed to surrender with the provision that they be free until the evening train to Holdenville. This interim was asked that he might get in touch with his attorney, N. A. Gibson, of Muskogee, and arrange for his defense in the trial of the case to be held in Wewoka.

About an hour before train time, all were assembled at the platform at Alabama station. And now into the picture comes a mediator, whose identity if not now known, who was a gambler by profession but level-headed and erudite withal. Through his efforts a settlement was agreed by which Morton was to receive some lots and a tidy sum in cash if and when received from the future townsite lot sale. The gambler received a lot for his services which he soon afterward sold for $600 and departed for parts unknown.

This compromise left the way open for the lot sale the next day, February 10, 1902, which attracted a large crowd. Rev. H. H. Cronk, better known in later days as "Brother Cronk", was the auctioneer. The opening was a success, the proceeds being enough to pay off Morton, Martha Lowe, the Holdenville bank note and the incidental debts that had been created.

About eight o'clock that night, Clarke and Moore were in a little tent, located near where the State National Bank now stands. They were counting the proceeds of the day by lamplight and rejoicing in their prosperity. Suddenly they heard the sound of much shooting and whooping. A wagon full of drunken men had crossed Alabama creek south of the townsite and were headed toward the tent shooting the air full of holes as they came. Clarke grabbed up the money and checks and calling to Moore to blow out the lamp they ran into the clearing, hiding behind a fallen oak tree until their robust visitors finally tired of terrorizing the neighborhood and left.

The next morning the townsite was a scene of feverish activity. "The First Bank of Weleetka" (now the State National Bank) opened for business at nine o'clock. R. M. McFarlin was the president and E. L. Blackman, the cashier. The institution was housed in a tent, eight by ten feet. By closing time deposits had exceeded three thousand dollars.

Brother Cronk opened a restaurant in a tent with another tent which served as the town's first hotel. H. B. Catlett and Geo. Clarkson opened the bank which later became the First National Bank. Joe Northrop came soon and built a telephone exchange. G. G. Calmes, a U. S. Attorney from Ardmore, under Grover Cleveland's administration came to Weleetka and platted and sold forty acres of the allotment of Big Ben. This tract embraces the hill on the east side over which the highway now runs and was known in the early day as Calmes Heights.

Brick and stone business buildings, nice dwellings and other structures were erected on the lots, and the only title the builder had was by possession, bolstered up by an occupancy lease. It was several years later that the allottees made deeds approved by the secretary of the interior, to B. O. Sims, as trustee for the lot holders, and through him warranty deeds were made. The cost of the land $125 per acre was apportioned to the lots in accord with their value.

There is a natural query as to how Weleetka got its name. Here the credit goes to John Jacobs, one of the partners of the original townsite venture. Mr. Moore had promised Miss Alice Robertson, of Muskogee, possibly Oklahoma's greatest woman and who worked all her life for the Indians, that he would give the town an Indian name, in order, as Miss Robertson expressed it, "To carry on' the Indian tradition in the great new state coming."

One night in Moore's home in Holdenville he asked Jacob's to suggest an Indian name suitable for the new town that was to be. Jacobs wrote several names one of which was "Spokogee", meaning "something good". (This was the name by which Dustin was known for a number of years after its founding.) He then wrote "Weleetka" saying that it meant "running water". Mrs. Moore, who was present, liked that name and suggested its adoption, for the reason that Weleetka was touched on the east by the North Canadian river then a beautiful, clear stream.

This page was last updated on 08/11/11

 

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