Oklahoma Small Towns(GreenField) Traditional Cache
General Disarray: archiving
Oklahoma Small Towns(GreenField)
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Another in my small town series.
Situated in Blaine County, Greenfield is located on U.S. Highway 281 nine miles southeast of Watonga, the county seat. Greenfield was established at noon on April 19, 1892, when the Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation was opened for non-Indian occupation. Named in honor of the first postmaster, William Henry Greenfield, the town's first post office was established on January 30, 1900. Authority for the post office was rescinded in May 1900, and it was not reestablished until September 27, 1901. The Enid and Anadarko Railway (later the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway) built the first railroad line in 1901. Two freight and four passenger trains served the town on a daily basis.
Greenfield was a trade center for the surrounding agricultural area. The town had two hardware stores, four general merchandise stores, garages, filling stations, cafés, a cotton gin, an elevator, and a bank. The first bank, established in 1908, failed and closed in 1923. Another bank, founded in 1924, was later sold to Watonga State Bank. Early day newspapers included the Greenfield Hustler and the Greenfield Booster. In 1908 in anticipation of an oil boom, several other businesses opened, including a hotel, a general store, a pool hall, and a butcher shop. Settlers organized Baptist, Nazarene, and Presbyterian congregations.
Twelve students attended classes during the winter months in the first school house. The teacher's salary, usually fifty dollars, was paid on a voluntary basis. Eventually, a four-room building was constructed and enlarged as additional space was needed. A high school was erected in 1921 and a grade school in 1930. At that time there were twelve teachers. The Greenfield schools held their last commencement in May 1991. With a population of 123 at the turn of the twenty-first century, Greenfield served as a "bedroom" community. The Greenfield Baptist Church celebrated it centennial in August 2004.
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