ENID, OK - It’s not an exaggeration to say that Enid is what it is today due, in large part, to the railroads.
Beginning in 1889 with the Chicago, Kansas & Nebraska Railway (later Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific) followed by the Arkansas, Valley & Western as well as the Blackwell, Enid & Southwestern (both later taken over by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway) in 1902 and the Denver, Enid & Gulf (later sold to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe) in 1904, Enid was at one time the largest railroad hub in Oklahoma.
Cattle, grain and oil shipments flowed through town on tracks radiating in ten different directions, making our city a conduit for goods transported to all points in America. The century-old Santa Fe freight depot, home to the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma for the past 35 years, still stands as a reminder and tribute to the importance of the railroad industry as it continues to serve Enid and surrounding communities.
The Railroad Museum of Oklahoma is located at 702 N Washington, Enid, OK. They can be reached at (580) 233-3051 or railroadmuseumofoklahoma@gmail.com.
~ Mike Marshall
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