History of Enid High School
Compiled by Gary L. Brown © EnidHistory.org, LLC (2004)(June 1, 2004)
The Building.
Enid High School has grown with Enid and the Cherokee Strip from a small crude building to the large multi-facility campus of today. From the best information available, the first record of EHS graduates was in 1898 when 2 graduates were recorded. It is known there was an Enid High School before that time and that it was housed in various places as mentioned by Marquis James in his story of his own boyhood in “The Cherokee Strip.” In his book James stated that the High School was first located
in a Baptist Church across the street from where the “Old Central Building was later located in the 300 block on East Cherokee. It was then moved into Old Central itself. Next, the high school classes were held in what was called, in those days, the Opera House located on the south side of East Broadway Avenue. The first true Enid High School building was located in the 600 block on North Independence Street (corner of Independence and Walnut: 1906). That building was later referred to as “Old Lincoln School.”
The first unit of the present high school structure was completed on the present site in 1912. The southeast wing was build in 1920 and added twelve classrooms and a large cafeteria. That building housed the high school from 1920 until September 3, 1943, when it was ravaged by fire and rendered no longer usable. Due to rationing of building materials during WWII, the High School could not immediately be rebuilt. From 1943 to 1948 Enid High School was divided, with students from the Longfellow Junior High district (east side) returning there for classes while those from Emerson Junior High area (west side) attended classes in that building. It was necessary for seventh grade pupils to remaining in the elementary buildings during this period.
Reconstruction of the present building, with the expansions to complete the master plan as it now stands, was begun at the close of World War II. The restored portion was opened for use in March of 1948. The gymnasium wing was completed in 1950 and ready for use the second semester of the school year 1950-51. The auditorium was dedicated March 8, 1955. A nine classroom addition and a large conference room were constructed across the south end of the building, and opened for use in 1961. Another six class rooms were added in1965 and the Margaret Buvinger Music Building was dedicated in 1991.
Trivia
The foyer stairs inside Enid High, share something with two of the nation's famous monuments. The 16 steps of the main entrance along with the wainscoting on the walls and the floor of the foyer are made of a special white marble once available only in a remote section of the Colorado high country. Before WWI, Colorado Yule was selected to provide marble for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Seventeen years later, the company was again called on to furnish marble for one of the nation’s great memorials. Stone was brought from the quarry in 1931 for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a tribute to all the men who died in WWI.
The Name “Plainsmen”.(Source: 1994 Quill Annual “Centennial Edition”)
The name “Plainsmen” was adopted as it’s logo/mascot in 1928. The originator of the name was an Enid High student by the name of Elvin Ishmael. In 1928, apparently the school saw the need to have a mascot and Ishmael made the winning suggestion. He gave the following background: Originally, the Plainsmen mascot was depicted as a pioneer or “man of the Plains.” Sometime during the 1940's the symbol changed to a “Plains Indian.” Both represented a rugged hero of past times still held in high esteem today.
The “Vision Seeker.” [Quoted from the Alumni Quill, V.1, Issue 2, Fall ‘03]
Dedication of a monument honoring the Plainsman became a reality in 1998 when the “Vision Seeker” was placed in front of the north entrance to the Enid High School building. The 800 pound bronze was sculpted by 1958 graduate, Harold T. Holden. The “Vision Seeker” is a Native American Plains Indian in full headdress, sitting crosslegged while looking into the distance as he ponders a vision. He wears the official attire of fringed leather leggings and a full-featured and beaded headdress.
The “Vision Seeker” captures the essence and image of the Plainsmen, and has been adopted as the first official copyrighted school logo since 1928. Endorsed by the Enid Tribal Club, the statue is a work of art that speaks to the soul as it ties past, present, and future graduates to a visual spirit symbol that unifies us all as Plainsmen.
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Enid High School
611 W Wabash Ave, Enid, OK 73701
(580) 234-2404
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Vision Seeker
School 2013
EHS w/Cafeteria addition
University Center on the East side of the cafeteria