Reading through some Oklahoma travel guides, Wagoner Online came up with this information about Wagoner:
In the 1800s Wagoner was called the "Queen City of the Prairies" and the title still seems to apply today. Wagoner is the gateway to Fort Gibson Lake and only a few minutes drive from any point on the lake.
The community of Wagoner offers family fun the year round with youth baseball, an active soccer league, a horse club and other activities. There is an annual Christmas light festival, which brings out the seasonal spirit of the community. Wagoner also offers a Summerfest each year to celebrate the beginning of summer each June.
The city has kept a look of the past, as many of the downtown buildings have been restored and several residences from Indian Territory days have been preserved.
In 1872, Katy Railroad officials were eager to seize upon the opportunity to gain some of the land in the new frontier, running their railroad line into Indian Territory and through the Creek Nation to Gibson Station.
Soon thereafter, Henry "Bigfoot" Wagoner, a Katy railroad dispatcher from Parsons, Kansas, saw the need for building a switch a few miles north of Gibson Station to be able to load cattle and logs.
His request was granted and a switchyard was built. When Roadmaster Perry telegraphed the message granting the switch, he stated, "Wagoner's Switch is ready." Therefore, the town immediately found its name.
Wagoner became the first town in Indian Territory to establish a public school and a waterworks system. By 1895, it had numerous permanent buildings, including the Cobb Building, which still stands at the heart of the city and houses the American Bank. What is now the First Bank and Trust Company had originally opened the state's third chartered bank.
In 1896, Wagoner was incorporated as a city and became well established as a frontier town.
The following information was taken from the Fort Gibson Lake Associations's 2007 Wagoner Style guide:
Wagoner was the first incorporated town in Indian Territory, the first town in Indian Territory to establish public schools, and the first seat of the Dawes Commission.
How did Wagoner get its name? Wagoner was named for Henry Samuel "Bigfoot" Wagoner, a dispatcher for the Missouri, Kansas and Texas (Katy) railroad. Henry wanted a switch halfway between Gibson Station and Lilietta for loading cattle and for filling the furniture demand for logs cut in the Verdigris River Bottoms.
When the switch was completed, it was known as "Wagoner's Switch." Years later when the Kansas and Arkansas Valley Railroad crossed the Katy line in 1887, the switch was moved to the junction of the two lines and the site was known as "Wagoner."
For more information, you should browse Wagoner's past by visiting the Wagoner City Historical Museum. On display you will find railroad memorabilia, fashions of the times and other special collections. The museum is open from Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at 122 South Main in downtown Wagoner. You may contact Chris Fultz, Museum Director, at (918) 485-9111.
Wagoner's wealth was built around agriculture. The very reason for Wagoner's switch was to move the cattle and timber from this region to larger populations.
Many beautiful homes and buildings were built during this period, some dating back to early 1900s; and a "Wagoner Driving Tour of Historic Buildings and Homes" is available to visitors.
Stop by the Fort Gibson Visitor's Center or the Chamber of Commerce at the Wagoner Civic Center for the complete driving tour pamphlet. The homes are not open to the public but worth viewing from the streets.
Downtown Wagoner is anchored by the historic S.S. Cobb Building, 201 East Cherokee. To adults, it is not just the home of the American Bank, it is also the key that opens a storehouse of memories of Wagoner's past.
