Arkansas City

Arkansas City has often been called the gateway to the West. The name lends a lot to describing the town--a town that was founded as a border town to Indian Territory, a major trade hub to the Indian agencies in Indian Territory, and a major transportation center for those wishing to travel through the territory and farther west. Arkansas City started off as a small town with false-fronted stores but became a bustling community where the people were forward thinkers and pushed for quality and modernization in everything they brought to the city whether that was business, industry, or entertainment. Arkansas City is known for the Cherokee Strip Land Rush of September 16, 1893, interaction with the Native Americans in Indian Territory, farming, ranching, and aircraft. Although Arkansas City was a civilized community, it was a city on the fringe of a lawless and unsettled territory where outlaws lurked and Native Americans were forced to settle. People loaded their wagons or went by train to cross through Oklahoma to Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona, leaving from Arkansas City. Due to Arkansas City's location, interaction with major figures and events in history, and its importance to travel farther west, Arkansas City was truly the gateway to the West.

Heather D. Ferguson is the director of the Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum in Arkansas City. She holds a master's degree in anthropology and a bachelor's degree in history. She has been at the Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum for nine years and is well studied on the history of the area. Most of the images from this book are from the Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum's extensive collections, and much of the information used is from previous publications and research assistance from Wilbur Killblane and Terry Eaton.