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Buttram, G.R. Sanford, and Thorne,formerly farmers near McGee, ran a store in town from 1898 to 1904 (fourteenth business). A.Y. "Yoke" Griffin, his brother Fred, and their father opened a store in 1899 (fifteenth business). (20)
Some years later "Yoke" Griffin was shot and killed by Dr. J.N. Norris who was never prosecuted for the fatal shooting. Reportedly, he was "defending the honor of his home and fireside. (21)
Dr. H.C. Laird came to McGee in 1898 from Skullyville over in the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. He had his office in the Harris Hotel. A Dr. Cullum also came to McGee in 1898. Dr. Laird later moved on to Pauls Valley. (22)
A number of businesses opened up in quick succession before the town broke up and the buildings were moved away in 1907. A barber shop opened up in 1899 (sixteenth business), by a man named McCombs. A general merchandise store (seventeenth business) was opened in the same year by A.C. Cromer who sold the "Studebaker" make of wagons. The First Bank of McGee was opened in 1903 (eighteenth business), with Jess T. Eldredge as president and a Mr Smith as cashier. A.C. Cromer's brother in law, named King opened a store (nineteenth business) next to Cromer's in 1903. A pool hall opened about this same time (twentieth business). The last business opened in town was Houston Byford (coming soon) store in 1905. Ironically, of all the stores, there never was a brick or stone building erected in McGee.
There was a number of prominent men and their families who lived in the vicinity of McGee during its lifetime. Adolphus M. Jackson, a well known rancher and farmer, came to the Indian Territory from Texas in 1881. His home was on a 1,500 acre farm about a half mile east of McGee. His pastures included an additional 4,000 acres. Jackson had married Sally Hyden, daughter of Samuel Hyden in 1870. (23)
Hyden Brothers and Hart had bought out the W.J. Long Store in 1899. long moved to Pauls Valley and opened a bank there. Whit Hyden (born 1845) was a Confederate veteran from the Civil War, during which he was one of William Quantrill's guerilla band for a time. Whit Hyden had fromerly had a store in Jimtown, another in Ardmore and Davis at different times. He owned 1,800 acres of land near McGee. His brother, Dave M. Hyden(born 1856) had come to the Indian Territory in 1895 from Texas. In later years, Whit Hyden served as a government surveyor, and laid out the town of Lawton in 1901. He was still later a deputy U.S. Marshall. The two brothers were the sons of Samuel Hyden, a native of Massachusetts. He was part Choctaw Indian by blood, and their mother was a white woman, Nancy Lockhart of Virginia. (24) Whit Hyden received an allotment of land at the time of allotment of the Choctaw lands. but his brother Dave, received none. The two brothers applied for their Choctaw land rights at different allotment offices. This was a disadvantage to Dave who could not prove up his rights satisfactorily. Both the Hyden Brothers became members of McGee Masonic Lodge #94. (25)
C.L."Loss" Hart the third member of the Hyden Brothers & Hart firm had been a well known, fearless Deputy U.S. Marshall for eleven years, and had killed the notorious outlaw Bill Dalton in 1894. Hart wore a long droopy, handlebar mustache. He had miraculously recovered from a bad case of smallpox in 1897. He had arrived in Indian Territory in 1879, and had a blacksmith shop at Burneyville, Indian Territory, near Red River.26
Samuel Richards (born 1842 in Missouri) came to McGee in 1893, and bought half interest in Dr. J. Mooney's Drugstore. Richards was a Confederate veteran from Arkansas who had been shot in the neck during the Civil War but the bullet was never removed. He was also later wounded in the left leg. After the war he was a merchant at Phelps, Missouri for several years, then moved to Lockwood, and later to McGee in 1893. he had been a justice of the peace in Missouri, and in McGee he served as mayor. At the turn of the century, he had been a mason for 30 years. Sam Richards, affectionately known as "Dad" Richards, was the father of twelve children.27 He was the grandfather of Watt, Gordon, and Don Richards, present Shawnee druggists.
Dr. Augustine Shi (born 1834, died 1900) came to McGee from Florida after two of his sons, both doctors, had settled in the town. Dr. Pat Shi, one of his sons, soon left McGee and settled in Blanchard, O.T. The other son, Dr. A.H. Shi Jr. (born 1873 died 1967) eventually was the champion of all the doctors in this part of Oklahoma. He practiced medicine the incredible total of 69 years in McGee and adjoining Stratford. He married Bessie Jackson daughter of W. M. Jackson, and raised a family in the adjoining community of Stratford. Two other Shi brothers, Cap and Buck, came to McGee and bought out the W.W McGee cotton gin. (28)
George Lewis Wilcoxson, a rancher who raised fine horses, lived two and a half miles west of McGee. He also owned and operated a carrousel pulled by a mule in a traveling carnival during the season. His daughter Belle, (sister of Willie Wilcoxson) married Dan McCary in 1893 when she was only 15. The couple was married in thefamily home by H.G. Drury Baptist circuit rider preacher. (29) McCary clerked in the J.A Harris Store and was later manager of the branch store at Sacred Heart in Pottawatomie Co. O.T. (30)
Moses M. Ledford, a prominant rancher and farmer was the father in law of Los Hart. Ledford was the head of the McGee Lodge of the Woodsmen of the World, and many years later was postmaster of McGee. Clayton and Greenwood Mooney, brothers of Dr. J Mooney moved to McGee in 1895 from Baxter Co., Arkansas. Both were farmers and farmed east of town. Clayton at the age of 14 had joined the Confederate Army with his father in 1862. D. W. Moody farmed north of town in the sandy land country, and was a part time Baptist preacher. John G. Harris was a farmer, and belonged to the McGee Masonic Lodge. William N. Kennedy was another farmer, and belonged to the Woodsmen of the World Lodge. (31) Jim Hybarger and Jesse Reeves were partners in teh cattle business ten miles west of McGee in 1893. (32) Walter P. Hamilton was a druggist for Dr. Norris. Joseph Burch came to Indian Territory in 1877, and more than twenty years later lived near McGee and was a member of the Masonic Lodge there. (33)
When the Frisco Railway failed to come through McGee, a new town called Stratford started on the railroad two miles south of McGee. Stratford post office was established on October 23, 1906, with Mose Ledford as postmaster. (34)
In a period of only a few months, the entire town of McGee moved over to Stratford- houses, stores, every building, lock stock and barrel. It was the demise of a brave little town, and the birth of its successor. House movers made huge wheels form three foot sections of giant sycamore trees near the Canadian River. Using these wheels on a winless type of apparatus with teams of horses going around in circles, the buildings were pulled slowly to new locations at Stratford. (35)
After only 16 years of existence McGee died where once verdant blue stem grass had grown shoulder high on the wind swept prairie in the Chickasaw Nation. Where McGee was located and lived is now only a nostalgic memory out of the past that is fast vanishing by the demise of its last survivors. McGee today has been a ghost town for over sixty years. (as of 1976).
SAMUEL HYDEN - Mr. Gene Hyden of New Orleans states "Samuel Hyden was BORN IN LEE COUNTY, VIRGINIA! He didn't even know where Massachusetts WAS! Where in the world did that story come from? Sam's father AND grandfather were born in Virginia too!" 7 Feb 1999
The original name of the new town on the railroad was to be "WALLING" See an advertisement for the new town of Walling in the "Chickasaw News" for 23 Aug 1906WALLING AD In an article from "The Chickasaw News" dated 25 Oct 1906 is another proposed name for the town: "A NEW NAME - A petition was circulated Tuesday asking the Department to name the post office here "Willoughby." This is the given name of Mr. Walling, and the name suggested in the first place by Mr. Sharp, General Attourney of the road." The newspaper reported in the next weeks edition that the name of the new town was to be STRATFORD. I cant find any reports in the newspapers concerning how this name was chosen. I would like to hear from you if you know.
COMMENTS, STORIES, REMINISCENCE OF OLD MCGEE/STRATFORD
PICTURE OF SOME OF THE PROMINANT CITIZENS OF MCGEE AND EARLY STRATFORD - Whit Hyden, Bryant Mitchell, Clayton Blackburn, Jim Harris, Tom Phillips, A.C. Cromer, Dave Hyden, and Bunk Santford. Also a couple unidentified men.(Used by permission of Brenda Choate)
MCGEE MOVES TO WALLING-STRATFORD
EVERYDAY LIFE IN MCGEE AS REPORTED INTHE CHICKASAW NEWS 29 Mar 1906
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