ORIGINAL
ENID ’ S HISTORY
Enid is said to have been named by a railroad official after a character in Tennyson ’ s “ The Idylls of the King .” At noon on Sept . 16 , 1893 , hundreds of thousands of land seekers charged into the Cherokee Outlet seeking free land and a new start in life . They came on horseback , in horsedrawn wagons and buggies , on trains and even on bicycles or on foot . Droves of settlers lined up at the land office to file their claims for land . The land office was located near what is now the site of the Enid Public Library on the south side of the downtown square . This original land office building is now part of a permanent display at the Humphrey Heritage Village on the west side of Government Springs Park . On the plaza of Enid Event Center and Convention Hall ( 301 S . Independence ) is the life-size bronze sculpture of “ Boomer .” The sculpture depicts a home-seeker astride his galloping horse , his claim stakes in his hand , making the race for a free quarter section of land or a town lot in the 1893 land run .
In the beginning , Enid struggled to become a city and won . At the turn of the century , easy access to a railroad was an
Cherokee Strip Land Run
absolute must if a community was to grow and prosper . The Rock Island Railroad had put its depot in North Enid , even though , before the land run , surveyors designated Enid as the “ government town .” The railroad stopped in North Enid rather than Enid and a battle ensued . Then , one night , persons still unknown , sawed through the supports on a Rock Island Railroad trestle southeast of Enid . The weakened supports dumped into a gully the next train that came over the tracks .
The event marked the turning point in the dispute and a short time later the railroad agreed to move its depot to Enid . At the height of railroad activity in the 1920s , there were more than 20 steam trains every day huffing and puffing in and out of Enid . Despite the Great Depression of the 1930s , and the roller-coaster ride of several oil booms and busts in the area , Enid has for the most part enjoyed slow but deliberate growth over the years .
Enid ’ s current population is approximately 52,000 . The huge grain elevators on the east side of town have long been Enid landmarks , reflecting the city ’ s agricultural roots .
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