Ferguson Features

Editor’s note: the language in this article is drawn directly from a 1907 newspaper ad and reflects the terminology of that era, not the standing of this newspaper or the Ferguson Home Museum of today.

The Town of Salton in Blaine County was founded in 1901. The name was changed in 1907 to Ferguson in honor of Governor T.B. Ferguson. The first postmaster was Robert N. Hopkins. The two postmasters who served the town during 1909 were Andrew W. McBride and James D. Johnson.

Ferguson was the last all-Negro town projected in the Oklahoma Territory area (see articles on Feb.7 and 14). It was promoted by a group of Black citizens living in Watonga, who had as one of their leaders the Reverend C. N. Moore. In the Watonga News, the following advertisement appeared: “We, the Colored Townsite Board have arranged to open up a Colored Town at Ferguson. The Townsite is located on the Rock Island railroad 12 miles North of Watonga, the county seat of Blaine County. Here is an opportunity for the Negro to build a great town in western Oklahoma. Oklahoma is the best country in the United States for the Southern Negro. I am speaking of the liberty loving Negro of Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana. If you want to breathe pure freedom come to Ferguson in Blaine County Oklahoma. If you are a businessman, come to Ferguson, Oklahoma, and buy business lots and get ready for doing business.”

In addition to honoring Gov. Ferguson, one of Salton’s famous residents was August Henquentte, (there are many variations of his last name, but the records of Fairlawn Cemetery in OKC use this spelling) who came to Oklahoma to make his fortune in the late 1890s. By 1903, he was known as the “Salt King of Blaine County”.

Born on the Swiss-French border, he served in the French army and later in the Roman Catholic Pope’s guard. (From a June 22, 1911, article in the Oklahoman.)

The Ferguson town site is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NR 83002074). One of the salt works was erected around 1906 on Mount Henequenet using solar evaporation. A butte overlooking Salt Creek is named Mount Henquent. Mr. Henquentte sold salt to meat packers and other users of salt.

It was a great honor to T.B. Ferguson for the African-American community to change the name of their proud town from Salton to Ferguson in his honor.