National Register Listing

Ferguson, Thompson Benton, House

521 N. Weigel St., Watonga, OK
The Ferguson House for almost half a century was home to a remarkable frontier family ... a family that served honorably in at least two separate fields of endeavor ... a family that helped significantly to shape the course of development of its adopted territory and state, Thompson Benton Ferguson (1857-1921) made the run into old Oklahoma in 1889, staked a claim near Oklahoma City, went back to Kansas where he went into the newspaper business, returned -- for good -- to Oklahoma in 1892, this time to Watonga, seat of Blaine County, only a few months after the former Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian Reservation had been opened to settlement. On October 12, 1892, he ran off the first edition of the Watonga Republican, which he operated until his death in 1921. From November 30, 1901, until November 15. 1905, he served as the sixth governor of Oklahoma Territory.
Local significance of the building:
Politics/government; Communications

Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.

politics government communications architecture houses residential buildings
Audiobooks about the history of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma is known as the "Sooner State" because of the land runs that occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. "Sooners" were people who snuck into the unassigned lands of the Oklahoma Territory before the official opening of the land runs. The term "Sooner" eventually became a nickname for people from Oklahoma.
Oklahoma random facts
Blaine County is located in the state of Oklahoma, USA, and has a rich history that dates back to its early settlement by Native American tribes. The region was originally inhabited by various groups of Native Americans, including the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, who roamed the area for centuries before the arrival of European settlers.

In the 19th century, the land that would become Blaine County was part of the vast territory designated as Indian Territory. During this time, the United States government forcibly relocated Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the East to the western territories, including present-day Oklahoma. The establishment of Indian Territory opened up opportunities for non-Native settlers to homestead in the area.

Blaine County was officially established on November 16, 1892, when it was carved out of several neighboring counties. It was named in honor of James G. Blaine, a prominent politician and statesman of the time. The county seat was initially located in Watonga, which had been settled in the late 1880s.

The early economy of Blaine County revolved around agriculture, with farming and ranching playing a vital role. The discovery of oil in the early 20th century brought significant changes to the county's economy. Oil wells were established, attracting new industry and boosting the local economy. Today, Blaine County continues to be an important agricultural region, as well as benefiting from industries such as oil and gas production.

This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Blaine County, Oklahoma.

  • 1884 - Blaine County is established as part of the Oklahoma Territory
  • 1906 - The town of Watonga becomes the county seat
  • 1912 - Longdale, Canton, and Okeene are incorporated as towns
  • 1947 - The Roman Nose State Park is established
  • 1993 - The Blaine County Museum is opened in Watonga