Publisher's Synopsis
Ponca City, located in northcentral Oklahoma in the east end of the historical Cherokee Outlet, was founded on September 16, 1893 during the Cherokee Strip land run. Early in the twentieth century E.W. Marland came to Oklahoma. His vision was not for farming but oil. He meant to find it and sell it in the east. Later, he took it a step further and refined it on the spot shipping the products all over the world through his company Marland Oil, which eventually became Conoco-Phillips in 2002. Marland wound up employing the unemployed who were then fed by the area farmers. The wealth he was able to create enriched the entire area, bringing the railroad, roads, services jobs and all the businesses that communities require. Eight days after the Cherokee Strip land run, Frank H. Greene wrote a letter to a friend back east. Here is part of what he told his friend about Ponca (later renamed Ponca City): "Would like to see you spinning over (our) streets and sidewalks with your whirly gig wheels. There isn't one in town but then down here we have towns without houses, streets, or anything but people. Just think of three thousand people coming together in the center of nowhere. Coming from all directions by all sorts of conveyances and afoot, most all in a hurry and not one with a double set of underclothing, a sheet of paper or a pine box to sit on. Some with tents, many with absolutely nothing but themselves, let all these come together and squat down for four days and you have Ponca." In this history book, you will learn about the Native American tribes that have resided in and do currently reside in Kay County Oklahoma, and you will learn about the towns and ghost towns of the area. This book is perhaps the most comprehensive book on the history of Kay County Oklahoma ever written, and it is well-documented with 35 pages of end notes and lots of pictures.
