Page 8 - Wewoka Chamber Directory 2020
I
CAUGHT IN A WEWOKA SWITCH
n the autumn of 1894, during the
heyday of railroad migration through
the Indian Territory, Chicago, Rock
Island and Pacific Railroad purchased
the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf rail lines
running through the Seminole Nation. Over
the next year, Rock Island developed the
railway into a 120 mile route running from
the Indian Territory coal mines of McAlester
to the industrial and commercial centers in
Oklahoma Territory. Situated as it was near
the western boundary of the Indian Territory,
a portion of the line ran through Wewoka
- a sizeable trading post and capital of the
Seminole Nation.
After the turn of the century, Rock Island
established a new depot in Wewoka and built
a switching area or “siding” that extended
over a half mile in each direction from the
station. This “switch” as it was called, was
the largest such system of Rock Island’s west
of the Mississippi. Merchants, traders and
businessmen for a radius of some thirty-five
miles ordered their goods and supplied and
shipped via railroad to the nearest siding - in
this area, the Wewoka Switch. They then
drove in wagons to accept delivery of these
items.
In the 1920’s oil was discovered
southeast of Wewoka and virtually overnight
this small city became a teeming, busy, crowded
community. Oil fields supplies, parts, pipe, casing,
drilling rigs and other oil field equipment flooded
this local siding. Adding to the confusion, every
merchant’s stock orders were doubled, tripled
and quadrupled to meet the needs of the local
residents. The populations jumped from 2500 to
over 20,000 in a few short months.
Lost freight bills, inadequate telephone
service, small railroad facilities and other factors
added to this congestion. Everyone was rushed,
pushed and confused.
Thousands of freight
shipments designated elsewhere, thought to be
lost in transit, were found hidden in the “Wewoka
Switch.” Upon being questioned about late or
unreceived orders, the merchants’ standard reply
(and excuse) was “Yes, I have it but it’s in the
Wewoka Switch.” Meaning of course, that they
had been unable, for some reason, to pick up the
delivery and were caught in a “tight spot”. so
common became this situation the Rock Island
Railroad Company adopted a policy of searching
for all “lost in transit” merchandise on the Wewoka
Switch before searching elsewhere. They prepared
a rubber stamp stating “Search Wewoka Switch”
for all lost shipment.
The expression, “I’m caught in a Wewoka
Switch” grew to mean and imply that one suddenly
found himself in a bind, or a trying, dangerous
situation. The expression became standard with oil
field workers and promoters alike. In later years
these oil men, drillers and roughnecks moved on to
bigger and newer oil discoveries and carried the
expression, “I’m caught in a Wewoka Switch” to
all parts of the world, where its use has become
universal.