Mangum, Oklahoma

History

Beginning in 1876, the nearby Great Western Cattle Trail was used to drive cattle north from Texas to market. The community of Mangum began in 1882 when Henry Clay Sweet established it on land granted to A. S. Mangum by the state of Texas. The Mangum post office was established April 15, 1886. This part of Texas (old Greer County) was given to Oklahoma in 1896. During Mangum's early days, the community's economy largely depended on very large cattle ranches owned or leased by land companies such as the Day Land and Cattle Company of Texas and the Franklyn Land and Cattle Company, an English syndicate. The local cowboys called Mangum "Tin City" because so many tin cans were unrolled and nailed over the wooden planks that served as sidewalks.

The Kiser Salt Works, named for owner Ben Kiser and located on the Elm Fork of the Red River was one of the earliest production operations in what would become western Oklahoma.

Other early businesses in or around Mangum included the Oklahoma Granite Company, which opened in 1904, the Mangum Star newspaper, first published in 1887, and the Mangum Brick Plant, established in 1903 by D. J. Doyle. The newspaper still publishes in the 21st century. The brick plant, now owned by Jed Winters, also still operates and has greatly expanded production.

From the History section of Mangum, Oklahoma on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.