Chandler Oklahoma - Last Gunfight of the Old West

OKLAHOMA LEGENDS

Chandler - Last Gunfight of the Old West

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Vintage Chandler Oklahoma

Vintage Chandler, Oklahoma

Nestled among the rolling hills in the heart of Oklahoma, Chandler was founded after the 1891 Land Rush. When almost one million acres of land, formerly owned by the Sac and Fox, Iowa, Pottawatomie and Shawnee Indian tribes, was opened for homesteading on September 22, 1891, hundreds of settlers lined the borders of what was then called County A. At a signal given by the military, the pioneers rushed to stake their claims.

The town site of Chandler was surveyed by the government and set aside for public use just six days after opening of the county. Comprising an area of about one square mile, the up and coming town was named in honor of George Chandler, the First Assistant Secretary of the Interior under President Harrison.

In October, 1891 the first county officials were appointed by the governor. In its first general election held on November 8, 1892, the county received an official name – Lincoln, and elected its own county officers. Soon a two-story framed courthouse was built on the town square. The small settlement quickly grew with several businesses developing along the main street area including hotels, several saloons, stores and other establishments.

From its beginning until the mid-1920’s, the production of cotton and related activities were the most important sources of income for the citizens of Chandler. Beginning at the age six, children learned to pick cotton. Many continued this throughout their lives. Full attendance at school for older children could not be expected before mid-November, after the entire cotton crop was harvested.

A cottonseed oil factory was located at the end of Allison Avenue and 15th Street where oil was made from the cottonseeds not used for planting the next year’s crop. The cotton oil mill sounded a loud whistle twice a day; at the change of the work shifts. The sharp whistle could be heard throughout the town, at exactly 12 noon and 12 midnight. For many it was their only clock.

On March 30, 1897, young Chandler would suffer a devastating blow when a tornado completely wiped out the business area and many of the new homes constructed near it. Within a just a few minutes, every building that lay within a four-block-wide area was leveled. Fourteen people were killed and scores of others injured.

Chandler's other major source of income was the growing cattle industry which soon prompted the development of railroads. The Oklahoma City-Sapulpa branch of the Frisco was the first railroad constructed across Lincoln County. These 103 miles of railroad were completed in December, 1898. Other railroads built across parts of the county during the years 1902, 1903 and 1904, including the Santa Fe, Rock Island, Missouri-Kansas-Texas and Fort Smith-Western.

After surviving decades of tough outlaws, Bill Tilghman was

shot and killed by a corrupt Prohibition Officer in 1924.

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Bill Tilghman, one of the pioneers making the land rush in 1891 and former marshal of Dodge City, was elected sheriff of Lincoln County in 1900. He would later serve as United States Marshal and became known as "Two-Gun Bill." Tilghman was largely responsible for wiping out organized crime in Oklahoma and hunting down Bill Doolin and his gang.

In the early 1920’s, less cotton was being grown in Lincoln County and the "cotton picking" families were forced to temporarily relocate to earn a living. But, at about the same time oil was discovered in the area and the population of Chandler and Lincoln County began to grow. Oil derricks and producing wells quickly began to dot the land of Lincoln County, providing a further boost to Chandler's growth.

Though the area was quickly advancing into the twentieth century, it was seemingly not quite finished with its Old West heritage, as evidenced by the shooting of Chandler's former Sheriff, Bill Tilghman. Though retired, Tilghman had been persuaded by the citizens of Cromwell, Oklahoma, an Oil Boomtown, to become their city marshal. On November 1, 1924 Tilghman was eating in a restaurant when a shot was fired outside by a drunken Prohibition Officer, by the name of Wiley Lynn. At the sound of the shot, Tilghman immediately left the restaurant and began to lead Lynn toward the jail. Lynn, who had clashed with Tilghman on other occasions, pulled out a small automatic pistol and shot Tilghman, who died 15 minutes later. Tilghman is buried at the Oak Park Cemetery just west of Chandler.

When the Mother Road came through Chandler in 1926 it brought a significant amount of commercial business as travelers crossed the state and the country. When the turnpikes began to be built, Chandler like many Route 66 cities suffered another blow. However, agriculture and livestock have continued to keep this small community of almost 3,000 alive today.

As you pass through Chandler, be sure to check out the many murals on the town’s buildings, the Lincoln Motel, which has been in continuous operation since 1939, and the lovingly restored Phillips 66 Station at 7th and Manvel on Route 66.

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Reburbished Route 66 Station, May, 2004, Kathy Weiser

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