In the early 1900s, the town’s standing as the county seat of Roger Mills County, on the western border of Oklahoma, was challenged by Strong City. Plans by the Clinton and Oklahoma Western Railway Company to build a railroad from Clinton to Guymon included placement of the line through Strong City, thus making it the largest town in Roger Mills, and one of the largest in all of Western Oklahoma.
In 1912, Strong City was thriving, with two banks (one having moved from the town of Cheyenne), two grocery stores, three lumberyards, various clothing, furniture and general stores, restaurants, and grain and coal companies. A hotel, a weekly newspaper, and four doctors were also touted as reasons that made Strong City stronger.
With such successful growth, it was only natural that many citizens began to talk of moving the county seat from Cheyenne, which was indeed struggling with the loss of business and a devastating fire that had destroyed many of their main street buildings.
The history of the settling of the American West is filled with stories of ghost towns whose demise was brought on by being passed by railroads. This surely seemed to be the fate of Cheyenne, but the residents would not give up. Knowing they must have access to a rail terminal, several community leaders decided that if the railroad would not come to Cheyenne, then Cheyenne would build their own railroad to make that all-important link.
The route of the Cheyenne Short Line followed the Washita River, and the train ran on the cheapest materials available. The ties were made of cottonwood, and the rails were very light at fifty pounds to the yard. Rolling stock consisted of a small eight-wheel engine, a flatcar, and a boxcar fitted to haul passengers and mail. Because the line had no wye, the train ran forward to Strong City, then backed up all seven miles to Cheyenne.
When the train had to cut through a pasture fence, a gate was built across the track, requiring no less that seven times on a one-way trip that a person had to open the gate to let the train through. The Clinton and Oklahoma Western Railway (the C-O-W), was commonly called ‘the Cow’. Cheyenne proudly christened their short line ‘the Calf’, and despite much disbelief that such a venture would work, the Calf was a great success.
In 1917, the Calf was leased to the COW, and in 1928, both railways were acquired by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe. Cheyenne held on to its county seat designation, even during the Great Depression.
Ironically, Strong City did not survive the economic downturn of the 1930’s. Eventually the banks and businesses moved back to Cheyenne, leaving Strong City to inherit the title of ‘ghost town’.
Reference material used in writing this story included the book Ghost Towns of Oklahoma, by John W. Morris. For High Plains Public Radio, I’m Lynn Boitano in Edmond, OK
For High Plains Public Radio I’m Lynn Boitano.
—
High Plains History is a production of High Plains Public Radio.
