09.20.05
Short Springs (Ashley), OK
Short Springs (town) - NW Oklahoma…
by - Ila Marlatt Wessels
According to Oklahoma Towns and Places this was a town because it had a post office. Short Springs was named for the Short brothers, George and Young, who were members of the Cherokee Outlet Livestock Association before 1893. The cattlemen rented pastureland from the Indians before the Cherokee Outlet opened to homesteaders. A natural springs lies in the area south and across the road of where the Short Springs School now stands on Highway 64. This watering hole quenched the thirst of cattle driven from Texas to Kansas along the “Kiowa Trail.”
In the Run of 1893, George staked the northeast quarter and Young staked the southeast quarter of twp 27-range 12-section 29. George built a home, large barn for breeding race horses, a race track, a ice house, springhouse, and a store where George sold feed. In the store was the post office and George was the first postmaster from 19 March 1895 to 24 September 1897. An unusual feature of the house was a horse etched in glass about the transom of each inside door according to Miss Alice Buckles.
In the early days after the Run, travelers used the spring area as a sort of campground and park. With an artesian water supply for the livestock, families could water their teams and camp overnight, perhaps fishing in one of the nearby ponds or on the river. The Springs made a popular stop for early people visiting relatives in the newly opened strip. The springs feed a nice pond and in winter the large chunks of ice that formed were removed and stored in straw-lined pit. Topped with more straw and boards, the ice was preserved until summer use. Claude Hadwiger remembered boys going ice skating on the pond during the noon hour from school. Recently Duane Nelson cleaned up the spring area and built a new pond.
Bill Short, a businessman in Alva, admits a kinship to the Short brothers but this particular genealogy is as short as his name. Bill grew up in Carmen hearing a tale about the Short brothers who bought a very expensive horse for the Run and “it up and died after the race.”
Horse racing was a popular sport at the springs and gambling on the races became popular. But some of the people frowned on it and with the coming of churches the Short brothers’ races fell in disfavor. Soon the Short brothers left and nobody knows where they went.
Garman Burnett Beard purchased a half-section of the original Short Spring section to raise horses, sheep, wheat and feed. In a few years he sold the SW quarter but kept the SE quarter containing the spring and buildings that became known as the “Short Spring Farm”.
Short Springs School…
The homesteaders first priority was building a home of lumber, sod or a dugout. Then with the school districts being laid out every 3 miles, they decided they needed a school for their children as they had large families. A contract was made with the school designated district #50. Later it was named Short Springs School. Wiley Cowan let them have school in one room of his house the lst year, 1894-5. The teacher was Mrs. Giblin. Then the men got together the next year and built a sod house in 1895 that they used for 5 years on land donated by Mr. McKinzie. I find no records of 1895-1899. Then in 1900 the men got together again and built a schoolhouse of lumber. That year Mrs. Aber was the teacher and she had 56 pupils. Then in 1907 when “M” county was divided into Woods, Major and Alfalfa counties, the school became district # 42. I have records of all the teachers and students from the enumeration listed in the county commissioner’s office in the Alfalfa county courthouse in Cherokee till the school was closed in 1952 with Mrs. Joe Stith as the last teacher. The school building was given to the community to use for gatherings and then to the Short Springs Cemetery Assn. It is now used for Memorial Day Services.
The Short Springs School was also used as a community center with card playing, dances, box suppers and oyster stew dinners being held. It was decided that the children needed a Sunday school so it was started and when they parents came to bring their children they decided that they wanted a church also so a church was held in the school building called “Ashley Community Church” which was begun about 1901. Traveling evangelists came through preaching against gambling, card playing and dancing causing a different of opinions and arguments. Soon they decided they needed churches of their own denominations.
Short Springs Cemetery…
The pioneers realized a need for a cemetery. The Short Springs cemetery was platted on twp 27-range 12-section 20 in the south west corner. It was ½ mile west of Short Springs school and was named after the Short brothers also. Later more ground was added in 1954. In 1993 the Alfalfa County Cemetery committee took a census for their book, I helped and Chub and I went over last week and wrote a supplemental for 1993-2003.
With ½ day travel to Ingersoll or Alva and the coming of the railroad, it was decided they now needed a town built along the railroad track. Most towns were built near a railroad in the early days. The quarter 27-12-19 was chosen which belonged to Louis Miller and he sold 20 acres in the one quarter to J. A. Stine, a banker in Alva, who platted the town. He also purchased 10 acres in 27-12-17 across the road in the nw corner. He laid out 4 blocks long and 1 ½ wide on the west side and 2 blocks long and 1 ½ wide on the east. In a book in the county clerk office in Cherokee I found a list of all who bought lots. The Rock Island railroad was the north border.
Ingersoll - Alfalfa County… Sec. 21/28, T27N, R11W, 2 miles north, 2 miles west of Cherokee. Located on hwy 64. Still has a few loyal residents, a Bar-B-Cue Cafe and a Truck washout. This is a view of the eastside of Ingersol, looking west on highway 64 with the old grain elevators on both sides of the road.
