Grand Town Site
14 mi. S of Arnett, Arnett, OKGrand did not have a lawyer or doctor. Every man respected the rights of others. Personal difficulties were settled in a primitive fashion. Petty thievery was unknown. No one ever locked his doors when he left home. There was no rush, no bickering or envying, or crowding there. It was Grand and well-named. The Law had not yet arrived.
That is the wryly sentimental, backward-looking summation by a pioneering settler of life in one of Western Oklahoma's first towns, now a picturesque ghost. (And a rather distinguished ghost at that. As someone has pointed out: Oklahoma has many ghost towns, but only one ghost county seat... of a ghost county.) Grand was never more than a small, struggling village. And its existence was actually quite brief. Yet it is almost uniquely representative of the western frontier in the late 19th century. And it was the home, if but briefly, of many citizens who became known as leaders elsewhere in the new state of Oklahoma.
The cattleman was king in this corner of the short grass country when the land still belonged nominally to the Indians. Then on April 19, 1892, the surplus lands of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Reservations were opened to white settlement. This section was first designated as "g" County. Sooner afterward it was named Day County and the location for a county seat was called Ioland, some 16 miles east of Grand. Farmers rushed in to claim land previously used by the cattlemen. In addition to the classic cowman/farmer confrontation, Day County also saw frequent Texan/Kansan confrontations, as homesteaders with widely divergent political and social backgrounds sought to wrest a living from a generally hostile environment.
Yet another representative frontier element was injected into Grand's existence on Nov. 12, 1893, when the Day County courthouse at Ioland burned to the ground. The next day the county commissioners moved the seat of government to Grand. (Complicity in the burning was widely suspected, but never proven.) The sleepy little village awoke sufficiently to provide a one-story courthouse. And a jail. In the time it claimed a post office and hotel, two stores, a blacksmith shop, two saloons, and two newspapers (one Republican, the other Democratic). As for the Law, it arrived with the county records; by 1907 Grand boasted four law offices and at least six lawyers.
But Oklahoma became a state, in 1907, and Day County was divided into Ellis County on the north, and Roger Mills County on the south. For a time Grand remained the temporary seat of Ellis County, while residents fought a heated battle over a permanent location. Arnett emerged as the eventual winner and on August 26, 1908, it took over the official records. Shortly thereafter it got even the frame courthouse itself! Grand, as a town of any real importance, had ceased to exist... although it clung to its post office, established Nov. 4, 1892, until Sept. 30, 1943. Many, many years before, alas, it had lost, also to Arnett, its only two-story building, that of the Woodmen of the World.
Yet the roster of Grand's important citizens is impressive, especially so, in view of its size and brief existence. Among the first lawyers to arrive was Charles Swindell, who went on to become District Judge, Congressman, and Justice of the state Supreme Court. Among its first doctors was Dr. O. C. Newman, founder of the Newman Hospital at nearby Shattuck, one of Northwestern Oklahoma's leading medical facilities today. Grand can also lay some claim to Will Rogers, who worked as a boy on the nearby Ewing ranch; Billy McGinty, the cowboy who rode with Teddy Roosevelt up San Juan Hill and was a pioneering rodeo performer in Madison Square Garden; and Temple Houston, son of the famed Sam Houston of Texas independence fame, who served as a judge in Grand.
As a town, Grand has had the corporate equivalent of political charisma. Since 1920, when one-time residents formed the Day County Association to keep alive memories of the old days, a constantly diminishing band of the faithful have met once each year to eat a picnic lunch under the trees. that remain... and to reminisce. Until her recent death, Augusta Metcalfe, Oklahoma's best-known primitive painter, was a regular attender. Long since reduced to a crumbling building or two, Grand thus continues to live in the memories of those who knew her when she was one of Oklahoma's more exciting not to say isolated seats of government.
Local significance of the site:
That is the wryly sentimental, backward-looking summation by a pioneering settler of life in one of Western Oklahoma's first towns, now a picturesque ghost. (And a rather distinguished ghost at that. As someone has pointed out: Oklahoma has many ghost towns, but only one ghost county seat... of a ghost county.) Grand was never more than a small, struggling village. And its existence was actually quite brief. Yet it is almost uniquely representative of the western frontier in the late 19th century. And it was the home, if but briefly, of many citizens who became known as leaders elsewhere in the new state of Oklahoma.
The cattleman was king in this corner of the short grass country when the land still belonged nominally to the Indians. Then on April 19, 1892, the surplus lands of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Reservations were opened to white settlement. This section was first designated as "g" County. Sooner afterward it was named Day County and the location for a county seat was called Ioland, some 16 miles east of Grand. Farmers rushed in to claim land previously used by the cattlemen. In addition to the classic cowman/farmer confrontation, Day County also saw frequent Texan/Kansan confrontations, as homesteaders with widely divergent political and social backgrounds sought to wrest a living from a generally hostile environment.
Yet another representative frontier element was injected into Grand's existence on Nov. 12, 1893, when the Day County courthouse at Ioland burned to the ground. The next day the county commissioners moved the seat of government to Grand. (Complicity in the burning was widely suspected, but never proven.) The sleepy little village awoke sufficiently to provide a one-story courthouse. And a jail. In the time it claimed a post office and hotel, two stores, a blacksmith shop, two saloons, and two newspapers (one Republican, the other Democratic). As for the Law, it arrived with the county records; by 1907 Grand boasted four law offices and at least six lawyers.
But Oklahoma became a state, in 1907, and Day County was divided into Ellis County on the north, and Roger Mills County on the south. For a time Grand remained the temporary seat of Ellis County, while residents fought a heated battle over a permanent location. Arnett emerged as the eventual winner and on August 26, 1908, it took over the official records. Shortly thereafter it got even the frame courthouse itself! Grand, as a town of any real importance, had ceased to exist... although it clung to its post office, established Nov. 4, 1892, until Sept. 30, 1943. Many, many years before, alas, it had lost, also to Arnett, its only two-story building, that of the Woodmen of the World.
Yet the roster of Grand's important citizens is impressive, especially so, in view of its size and brief existence. Among the first lawyers to arrive was Charles Swindell, who went on to become District Judge, Congressman, and Justice of the state Supreme Court. Among its first doctors was Dr. O. C. Newman, founder of the Newman Hospital at nearby Shattuck, one of Northwestern Oklahoma's leading medical facilities today. Grand can also lay some claim to Will Rogers, who worked as a boy on the nearby Ewing ranch; Billy McGinty, the cowboy who rode with Teddy Roosevelt up San Juan Hill and was a pioneering rodeo performer in Madison Square Garden; and Temple Houston, son of the famed Sam Houston of Texas independence fame, who served as a judge in Grand.
As a town, Grand has had the corporate equivalent of political charisma. Since 1920, when one-time residents formed the Day County Association to keep alive memories of the old days, a constantly diminishing band of the faithful have met once each year to eat a picnic lunch under the trees. that remain... and to reminisce. Until her recent death, Augusta Metcalfe, Oklahoma's best-known primitive painter, was a regular attender. Long since reduced to a crumbling building or two, Grand thus continues to live in the memories of those who knew her when she was one of Oklahoma's more exciting not to say isolated seats of government.
Politics/government
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
About National Register Listings
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.
In the early 1900s, a group of African American settlers founded the town of Boley, Oklahoma. The town became a center of Black entrepreneurship and culture, with businesses ranging from banks to newspapers to theaters. Today, Boley is a small town but continues to celebrate its rich history.
About Ellis County
Ellis County Timeline
Ellis County, located in Oklahoma, has a rich history that dates back to the ancient times when Native American tribes inhabited the area. The area that is now Ellis County was originally home to the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, who lived off the land and utilized the region's resources for their sustenance and cultural practices.
In the 1800s, European settlers began to venture into the area, attracted by the promise of fertile land and abundant natural resources. The Land Run of 1892 led to a surge in population as settlers sought to claim their piece of the vast open prairie. Ellis County was officially established on July 16, 1907, as part of the newly formed state of Oklahoma.
Agriculture quickly became the backbone of the county's economy, as settlers cultivated crops such as wheat, corn, and cotton. The arrival of the railroad in the early 1900s further facilitated the growth of agriculture and enabled the transportation of goods to markets outside the county. The railroad also played a crucial role in the development of small towns within Ellis County, such as Arnett and Shattuck, which served as important trading and social centers for the local population.
Over the years, Ellis County has faced its share of challenges. The Dust Bowl era of the 1930s brought severe drought and wind erosion, leading to devastating agricultural losses and widespread economic hardship. However, the resilience of the local community allowed for recovery and growth in subsequent years. Today, Ellis County remains rooted in its agricultural heritage while also embracing modern industries and businesses that contribute to its continued development.
In the 1800s, European settlers began to venture into the area, attracted by the promise of fertile land and abundant natural resources. The Land Run of 1892 led to a surge in population as settlers sought to claim their piece of the vast open prairie. Ellis County was officially established on July 16, 1907, as part of the newly formed state of Oklahoma.
Agriculture quickly became the backbone of the county's economy, as settlers cultivated crops such as wheat, corn, and cotton. The arrival of the railroad in the early 1900s further facilitated the growth of agriculture and enabled the transportation of goods to markets outside the county. The railroad also played a crucial role in the development of small towns within Ellis County, such as Arnett and Shattuck, which served as important trading and social centers for the local population.
Over the years, Ellis County has faced its share of challenges. The Dust Bowl era of the 1930s brought severe drought and wind erosion, leading to devastating agricultural losses and widespread economic hardship. However, the resilience of the local community allowed for recovery and growth in subsequent years. Today, Ellis County remains rooted in its agricultural heritage while also embracing modern industries and businesses that contribute to its continued development.
Ellis County Timeline
This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Ellis County, Oklahoma.
- 1850: The area that would become Ellis County is open for settlement as part of the Indian Territory.
- 1868: The Medicine Lodge Treaty is signed, opening up the area for white settlement.
- 1870: The first European settlers arrive in the area.
- 1882: Ellis County is formally established.
- 1898: The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad is built through Ellis County, leading to increased growth and development.
- 1907: Oklahoma becomes a state, and Ellis County is part of the new state.
- 1930s: The Great Depression hits Ellis County hard, causing economic hardship for many residents.
- 1940s: Ellis County experiences a population decline due to the effects of World War II, as many young men leave to serve in the military.
- 1950s-1960s: Ellis County sees a period of growth and prosperity, with the oil industry playing a significant role in the local economy.
- 1980s-1990s: The oil industry experiences a decline, leading to economic challenges for Ellis County.
- Present: Ellis County continues to be a rural area with agriculture and energy production as key industries.