Poteau in the Early 1900s

OKLAHOMA’S A STATE!

November 16, 1907

President Roosevelt Affixes Name to Proclamation

Ceremony at Capital was very Simple

Oklahoma and Indian Territory Officially Proclaimed the State of Oklahoma - New Star to be Added July 4, the Nation's Birthday

Washington: Another grand star was added to the galaxy of states Saturday, November 16th, when President Roosevelt affixed his signature to the proclamation declaring Oklahoma and Indian Territory the state of Oklahoma.  After long controversy, suffering and strife the pen of Theodore Roosevelt granted a million and a half people the right of self-government. 

This is the forty-sixth member of the family of states, and its birth will be celebrated by the addition of a new star to the flag of the Union on July 4, next, the birthday of the nation.

The ceremonies attending the birth of Oklahoma were very simple.  At the hour stated, a small crowd of newspaper men and statesmen assembled in the cabinet room of the White House.  Secretary Loeb appeared upon the scene carrying the proclamation, in typewritten form, and an eagle quill sent to the president by Oklahoma friends.  President Roosevelt followed closely, took his seat at the head of the cabinet table, caught up the eagle quill, dipped it into the ink well and then dashed off his signature at the bottom of the proclamation.

Poteau, 1905

As the 20th century roared in, the country was swept up in a new and profound energy.  Great advancements in industry and technology had been made throughout the United States, and by 1900, a “second” industrial revolution was in full swing.  Innovations in new technologies swept across the country in a dizzying speed.  Cities were being powered with electricity.  The internal combustion engine revolutionized the way people worked.  Communication technologies such as the telegraph and radio modernized the way people communicated.  While the first industrial revolution was centered on iron, steam technologies and textile production, the second industrial revolution revolved around steel, railroads, and electricity.

The landscape of Poteau would change drastically over the next ten years.  The soft hum of electric lights would soon radiate from newly constructed rock and brick buildings.  The sight of water buckets and wells would slowly disappear as modern plumbing systems were installed.  All of this modern growth expanded east, along Dewey Avenue, towards the Kansas City Southern lines.  

By 1900, the population of Poteau hovered right around 1,500.  There were ample hotel accommodations for traveling visitors, as well as a wide variety of goods and services offered throughout town.  In comparison, Cameron, once a thriving, industrious town, had only one hotel that served a small population of 300.

Trading Cotton in Poteau, around Statehood

POTEAU’S RAPID EXPANSION 

The arrival of the U.S. Federal Courts in Poteau was a big boon to business.  This not only established Poteau as one of the finest towns in the Choctaw Nation, but also brought in a great influx of new businesses. 

Between 1899 and 1904, Poteau had tripled in size.  By 1900, there was a toll bridge over the Poteau River.  25 cents was the toll for a wagon, and 10 cents for a person on foot or horseback.  During this time, a seemingly constant stream of emigrants was crossing this bridge to come to Poteau. 

After the great fire of 1899, the blocks between Beard and Green avenues had been rebuilt.  They now boasted several of Poteau’s most successful businesses.  Several new brick buildings were constructed east of the St. Louis and San Francisco Tracks, and now Poteau could boast of having three “brick blocks”.

The face of the town had changed as well.  Railroad Avenue, once the main road in Poteau, was renamed to Front Street (alternatively, W. Main).  Dewey Avenue was now the main road as it stretched from the St. Louis and San Francisco to the K.C.S. tracks.  New development shifted towards the southeast along Dewey as residential homes sprang up along towards the west.  Between 1901 and 1904, Railroad Avenue was built up between the St. Louis and San Francisco and Kansas City Southern tracks.  This road straddled the length of a new connecting track that joined the Kansas City Southern railroad line with the Frisco line.  Presently, this road would have been between Reynolds and Whitney Avenues.

The years between 1900 and 1910 were some of Poteau’s most industrious years.  Even though the town was growing fast, in the early part of the decade, Poteau remained a small community.  

In fact, Poteau’s population plummeted from 1,500 in 1901 to 1,200 in 1904, but saw a massive rebound by 1907.  At the time of Oklahoma’s statehood, Poteau had reached its highest population yet.  With a population of 2,400 in that 1907, Poteau had reached a great milestone.  In 1908, a year after the Indian Territory was admitted to statehood; Governor C. N. Haskell issued a proclamation declaring Poteau to be "a city of the first class."

Poteau Daily News Office, around Statehood