MOUNTAIN VIEW, OKLAHOMA
THEN
NOW
In the early days of the west, the railroads were responsible for the pioneering,
development, and settlement of towns. Each expansion of a main or branch line
was followed by promotion and sale of townsites, to serve as centers for farming
and ranching and in turn provide resources for the railroad.
Early in April, 1899, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad completed
it's line 51 miles west from Chickasha, I.T., terminating in the northern part
of the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation, which was scheduled to be opened for
settlement in 1901.
Crowds followed the railroad. Businesses such as a newspaper and saloons began.
Business was booming. On April 23, 1899, the first cattle shipped to rail's end
arrived and were unloaded. There were 47 cars and 2,585 young cattle in good condition,
with 5,000 more on the way from Texas, where 30,000 more waited to be shipped.
All were turned loose on Kiowa land.
The El Reno Development Company, consisting of prominent citizens of El Reno,
some were railroad officials, arrived on May 8, 1899 and began to lay out a townsite.
The depot, 144 ft. long, was complete with platform, station house, water tanks
and a very large turntable, where the engines could be turned around for their
trip back east.
By June, the rows of business tents on main street were being replaced with frame
buildings, some being built over the tents, without a loss of business. Schools
were set up for the fall. The town flourished. On Indian paydays, Main Street
was crowded with Indians' wagons and in the fall it was crowded with cotton wagons.
Two catastrophes hit the new town. July 12, 1901 a fire started in a grocery sore.
Because of high winds and a less than adequate fire department, it destroyed a
block of businesses before it could be contained. They were soon rebuilt.
In May 1903, heavy rains, strong winds and hail began about 5:00 on a Saturday
afternoon and continued till after midnight. Due to the dam-like construction
of a railraod bridge over Rainy Mountain Creek, the creek water backed up until
it met the muddy waters of the Washita Rivermaking an 8 miles wide stretch of
flood waters. By morning, the business section was under from one to several feet
of water. People were rescued by boat from tree tops and by horseback from the
lower section of town.
In August, 1903, began the strangest experience a town could have, that of moving
bodily one and one half miles from one county (Washita) across the river to another
county (Kiowa). The Mountain View Townsite Company had negotiated and bought a
townsite in Kiowa County. Thousands of flyers had gone out to many states and
lots in te new town were sold in 3 days. The history of the moving of the town
with the hustle and turmoil it caused would make a large book. But, everyone worked
together without a hitch and the town was again located on new ground.
The next couple of years passed with gradual growth, then disaster struck again.
A tornado twisted down from the clouds southwest of town and when it finished,
$100,000.00 worth of property was destroyed, 7 people killed, including a baby
boy that was born during the storm, and 18 were injured. This article was in the
Mountain View Newspaper regarding the tornado.
When World War I came along, Mountain View's young men marched off to war on foreign
soil. Patriotism was everywhere. People bought liberty bonds, women knitted for
the soldiers and casuality lists were watched closely. Some did not come home.
The Crash of '29 and the Dust Bowl brought hard times to the farmers, ranchers
and merchants of Mountain View.
In 1941, the country entered World War II and the towns young men and women went
again to war, but it was not the last time. Korea came along, then Vietnam, more
of Mountain View's bravest did not come home.
The next few years passed quickly. Mountain View had electric lights,
a sewer system, the crowded schools demanded more classrooms and Main Street
was paved.
Today Mountian View has excellent highways, North, South, East and West, a new
modern lighting system, excellent schools, ample supply of pure deep well water,
a very large productive trade territory. On May 8, 1999, Mountain View celebrated
it's 100th birthday.
Did some of your family live in Mountain View? Check the telephone Directories.
1931 Mountain View Phone Directory
1938 Mountain View Phone Directory
1941 Mountain View Phone Directory
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