We had a surprise Saturday. Mr. & Mrs. Ken Enlow were in the area for his class reunion and decided to see if we were open. They said it was nice to drive by and see the open flag flying in the wind. They are the family that donated the Cornish-American Organ last December. They were pleased with the display and said they really enjoyed the tour Barbara gave. Barbara called me and asked if I wanted to come to the museum to meet them. Of course I did and we had a nice visit.
Barbara helped me hang the new curtain that goes in the arch way between Mrs. Ferguson’s room and the parlor on Friday. We cleaned the windows on the front porch while no one was working and the storm windows were off and also cleaned the storm windows.
The guys took the old columns and rails down last weekend and braced the balcony. Hopefully they can start putting up the new ones soon. It is a tedious process for 2 or 3 guys to do with the weight of the columns and dealing with the balcony at the same time. Please enter through the back door when you come for a tour until this part is finished.
Continuing on with the history of the Ferguson’s. The home was finished in the fall of 1901. They only lived in it a few weeks before moving to Guthrie while he was Governor. They hired someone to run the Watonga Republican while they were in Guthrie.
All was not smooth sailing for the new governor. Some openly said that a country editor from the sticks did not know enough about statecraft to be a successful governor. Politicians did not like him because they knew they could not use him. The governor from the sticks soon won the admiration of President Roosevelt and Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock, who gave him their hearty cooperation in all affairs of state.
The Fergusons relocated to the capital in Guthrie on January 20, 1902. There was no executive mansion in those days. For a few weeks the Ferguson family lived at the old Royal Hotel, which was then the center for political activities. Governor Ferguson return to his desk as editor of Watonga Republican in 1906. Many tempting offers were given to him in the daily paper field be he refused them all to return to western Oklahoma. And there he remained as a power in state affairs until his death in 1921. He served from November 1901 until January 1906. More to follow.
Barbara and I will be attending the Red Carpet Country conference Tuesday. We will also have a booth at the Blaine County Fair. Stop by and fill out an application to become a member of the Friends of the Ferguson Home while you are there. When you join your name will be put in for a drawing. You will be helping a worthy cause.