The region known, as the Cherokee outlet, or often called the Cherokee strip, was sixty miles wide and two hundred and twenty miles long, with 9,409 square miles, 6,000,000 fertile acres, was opened to settlers at noon, September 16, 1893. The run, in the northwest section of the state, attacted nearly 100,000 new settlers to the area.
It contained seven counties, Pawnee, Noble, Kay, Grant, Garfield, Woods and Woodward. The population was largely American, and Kansas was possibly more numerously represented than any other state among the original claimants, although Texans, Missourians, Buckeyes, Hawkeyes, Suckers and Corncrackers were also to be found in abundance. In the strip was grown as fine cotton as any region produces; barley, which was a sure crop and yielded heavily; Kaffir corn, which furnished as much grain per acre as Indian corn, and was especially valued for its fodder; castor beans, sorghum, alfalfa, etc. Peach trees are very productive, and the fruit is not only fine in flavor, but large in size. Other varieties of fruits also flourish. When the comparatively recent settlement of this portion of Oklahoma is considered, its present state of development is remarkable, and presents an object lesson of what can be accomplished by men of energy amid favorable surroundings.
The land rush transformed empty prairies into future farms, communities and towns almost overnight. Transportation was by wagon, buggy, horseback or on foot, taking several days to travel a very short distance by today's standards. The best means of communication to everyone was the mail service. Thus post offices sprang up everywhere, providing an important service to the newly arrived settlers. The western prairie had a post office about every six or eight miles. As modes of transportaion improved, many of these post offices were discontinued, or absorbed into larger cities over the years. Some became larger settlements which are now the towns and cities of today.
When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, other counties were formed. The southern portion of Woods county became Major County. The new county was named for John C. Major, a member of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention. Located in Northwest Oklahoma, Major county is surrounded to the west by Woodward County, Woods and Alfalfa counties to the north, Garfield county on the east, with Kingfisher, Blaine, and Dewey counties to the south.
Fairview, which took its name from its scenic location in a wooded valley east of the uplands forming the Glass Mountains, became the county seat. The post office at Fairview had been previously established on 18 Apr 1894. Of the many post offices established in Major County, few are in existance today. Some of the small communities of earlier days remain as populated places throughout the county, but many are gone. Some have dissappeared without leaving any signs that they ever existed. A few places are still considered populated, although nothing or very little of the town remains. Some of the names of towns or post offices were changed.
Major County Place Names
In the table below, "PO from" is the date the Post Office was established or date name was changed. "PO to" is the date the Post Office was discontinued or had a name change. In some cases, the post office was moved to another town or state. =historical - the post office is no longer in service or no longer goes by the name listed. *=NLIE - No longer in existance - the town does not exist, but might still be a populated place. AKA=Previous/changed names.
Place Names
Name
PO from
PO to
NLIE
AKA
TYPE
Alamo
13 Mar 1894
02 Apr 1897
*
5 miles north of Fairview, on Cottonwood Creek. Name is from the Spanish word for cottonwood
Almeda
04 Feb 1895
20 Jan 1903
Bernardi
7 miles SE of Cleo Springs.
Ames
04 Jan 1902
Hoyle
populated place
Named for Henry S. Ames of St. Louis, official of Denver, Enid & Gulf RR.
Bado
19 Feb 1901
14 Feb 1905
Baddo
populated place
14 miles southwest of Fairview
Barnes
09 Dec 1897
15 Dec 1908
5 miles NE of Seiling, named for Cassius M. Barnes, 4th governor of OT
Barney
12 Jun 1902
15 Apr 1925
13 miles SW of Orienta. Name from nearby Barney Creek.
Bernardi
20 Apr 1896
30 Sep 1901
7 miles southeast of Cleo Springs.
Bernardi
20 Jan 1903
15 Aug 1910
Almeda
See Almeda
Bertrand
15 Aug 1894
31 Nov 1895
*
5 miles north of Ames. Named comes from Bertrand, KS
Bird
Bostick
12 Mar 1901
29 Sep 1906
*
15 miles south of Waynoka
Bouse Junction
populated place
Cedar Springs
populated place
Chester
08 Apr 1896
populated place
5 miles north of Seiling. Named for Chester Long US Senator from KS
Cheyenne Valley
populated place
Clarion
26 May 1902
15 Feb 1908
*
6 miles west of Orienta.
Cleo
07 Dec 1894
03 May 1917
Cleo Springs
In north-central Major County. Name from near by Cleo Springs
Cleo Springs
21 Mar 1894
Cleo
populated place
Named for Cle-oh-i-to-mo an Indian maid
Concord
10 Apr 1894
29 Feb 1904
*
5 miles west of Drummond.
Crystal Lakes
populated place
Dane
03 Aug 1895
31 Jul 1909
*
populated place
7 miles southwest of Fairview.
Dyche
08 Nov 1913
31 Oct 1914
*
In extreme northwestern corner of Major Co. Named for William B. Dyche, 1st postmaster
Elmot
01 Dec 1903
30 Mar 1912
*
About 11 miles west of Orienta.
Estelle
27 Jun 1901
07 Jan 1908
Hoopville
10 miles northwest of Phroso
Fairbanks
17 Oct 1904
28 Feb 1921
18 miles west of Fairview. Named for Charels W. Fairbanks, VP of the US.
Fairview
18 Apr 1894
County Seat
populated place
Forrest
Glass Mountains
Prominent land feature
Buttes are covered with selenite, which resembles bits of glass
Granton
25 Agu 1898
31 May 1921
11 miles northwest of Fairview
Griever
10 Apr 1901
30 Nov 1907
*
Griener?
16 miles west of Orienta. Named for nearby Griever Canyon.
Heman
29 Apr 1901
15 Feb 1922
5 miles southwest of Waynoa. Named for F. A. Heman, conductor on Santa Fe RR.
Holt
Hoopville
07 Jan 1908
29 Sep 1913
Estelle/Sherman
See Estelle & Sherman
Hoyle
31 Jan 1894
04 Jan 1902
Ames
Named for nearby Hoyle Creek, tributary of Cimarron River
Isabella
25 Jul 1894
populated place
8 miles SE of Fairview. Name from Belle Isbell, wife of local landowner.
Leslie
Lindley
populated place
Lynn
12 Mar 1895
30 Jan 1904
*
3 miles west of Ames
Lyons
21 Mar 1894
31 Aug 1905
*
4 miles south of Ames.
Media
17 Jun 1905
28 Feb 1915
15 miles southeast of Quinlan
Meno
19 Oct 1899
populated place
15 miles west of Enid. Named for Menno Simons, early Mennonite leader.
Oneil
13 Aug 1907
31 Dec 1908
7 miles southeast of Quinlan. PO sames as O'Neil in Woodward Co.
Orienta
12 Mar 1901
populated place
6 miles north of Fairview. Name from Cansas City, Mexico & Orient RR.
Orion
16 Apr 1895
30 Jun 1932
populated place
12 miles northeast of Seiling. From Greek mythology, a constellation in the northern sky.
Phroso
19 Sep 1900
29 May 1937
populated place
8 miles northeast of Chester. Name from Phroso, novel by Anthony Hope.
Piper
populated place
Plymouth
22 Aug 1894
30 Sep 1905
*
7 miles south of Fairview.
Prudence
30 Apr 1895
14 Jun 1901
*
4 miles southwest of Ames.
Ringwood
23 Mar 1894
populated place
22 miles west of Enid. Named for three ringed trees.
Roscoe
17 Apr 1900
15 May 1909
*
5 miles northwest of Fairview.
Rusk
21 Mar 1894
31 Oct 1912
6 miles east of Fairview.
Sherman
29 Jan 1913
15 Aug 1949
Hoopville
10 miles NW of Phoso. Named for Joseph Sherman, legislator & local resident.
Tivoli
02 Jan 1896
15 Jun 1913
*
12 miles NW of Canton. Name from Tivoli Gardens, Copenhage, Denmark
Togo
23 Jun 1905
15 Feb 1921
populated place
14 miles southeast of Waynoka
Vilas
08 Mar 1894
30 Apr 1903
*
5 miles NE of Okeene. Named for William F. Vilas, postmaster general & Sec. of the Interior.
Walthall
23 Apr 1894
31 Jan 1906
*
5 miles SW of Ringwood. Coined from name of Walter Hall, local resident.
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