T.B. and Elva Ferguson served as Governor and First Lady of Oklahoma Territory from Nov. 1901 into January 1906 in Guthrie. But how would one travel between Watonga and Guthrie?
We know when they arrived in Watonga in October 1892, they came in two wagons, with T.B. driving the wagon holding the printing press and the young Elva Ferguson holding an infant Trad or “Tom” while the older Walter Ferguson sat by her side ( They Carried the Torch by Mrs. T.B. Ferguson).
But as governor of Oklahoma Territory, how did the Fergusons move to Guthrie?
We know there was no airport or air service between Watonga and Guthrie. The Wright brothers were experimenting with gliders at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina 1900-1902, had their first powered flight in 1903 and demonstrated a two-person plane in 1904, so the Fergusons did not fly.
I have not found information about stagecoach service. So how would one travel other than by horse and buggy or wagon? Very few motorized vehicles were available (Mercedes, Cadillac, etc.by 1904), but Ford did not introduce the Model T until 1908.
One possibility would be by train. The Enid and Anadarko Railway Company had been “incorporated on March 9, 1901under the laws of the territory of Oklahoma. In 1901, the Enid and Anadarko company built 60 miles of railroad from Enid, Oklahoma to Watonga, Oklahoma.” The remnants of this rail can be seen between Hitchcock and Watonga and in Enid on the south side of their rails to trails.
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Abandoned Rails. “In 1902, this was extended to Anadarko, Oklahoma, an additional 45 miles.”
www.Wikipedia.com. The U.S. congress passed a law February 28, 1902, granting rights of way and other privileges to the Enid and Anadarko Railroad to build rail service from Watonga to Ft. Smith, Arkansas through Kingfisher and Guthrie in Oklahoma Territory and eastward through Indian Territory. In 1902, a 60mile line stretched from Watonga to Guthrie Watongaok.gov. The Congressional Charter allowed for a charge of three cents per mile for passengers. Therefore, the 60-mile trip from Watonga to Guthrie might have cost $1.80 one way.
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway purchased the Enid and Anadarko