Guthrie, Oklahoma

All you want to know about Guthrie, Oklahoma

Guthrie, Oklahoma
Downtown Guthrie
Downtown Guthrie
Location of Guthrie, Oklahoma
Location of Guthrie, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 35°51′23″N 97°26′9″W / 35.85639, -97.43583
Country United States
State Oklahoma
County Logan
Government
 - Mayor Chuck Burtcher
Area
 - Total 19.2 sq mi (49.8 km²)
 - Land 18.7 sq mi (48.4 km²)
 - Water 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km²)
Elevation 981 ft (299 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 9,925
 - Density 531.6/sq mi (205.3/km²)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 73044
Area code(s) 405
FIPS code 40-31700[1]
GNIS feature ID 1093447[2]
Website: www.cityofguthrie.com
Guthrie Historic District
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Tent city on April 24, 1889, the second day after the opening. Two lower images are on May 10 during the Governor's visit.
Tent city on April 24, 1889, the second day after the opening. Two lower images are on May 10 during the Governor's visit.
Location: Guthrie, Oklahoma
Nearest city: Edmond, Oklahoma
Area: 405
Built/Founded: 1927-29
Added to NRHP: June 13, 1974 (NHL January 20, 1999)
NRHP Reference#: 74001664

Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.

Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma. Guthrie is nationally significant because of its outstanding collection of late nineteenth and early twentieth century commercial architecture. Beautiful Victorian architecture provides a unique backdrop for Wild West and territorial style entertainment, cozy carriage tours, replica trolley cars, specialty shops, and art galleries. The Masonic Temple is the world's largest conservatory.

Contents

History

At Noon on April 22, 1889, cannons resounded around a 2 million acre (8,000 km²) section of Indian Territory, launching President Benjamin Harrison's "Hoss Race." During the next six hours, about 10,000 people settled in what became the capital of the new Territory of Oklahoma: Guthrie. Within only months, Guthrie became a modern brick and stone "Queen of the Prairie" with municipal water, electricity, a mass transit system and underground parking garages for horses and carriages. HJ Whitley, The Father of Hollywood build the first brick block building in the territory for the National Loan & Trust Company. HJ Whitley, bank President and was asked by the local people to be the first Governor of Oklahoma. Whitley traveled to Washington D.C. where he persuaded the U.S. Congress to allow the City of Guthrie, Oklahoma to be the new capitol of the state of Oklahoma. By 1907, when Guthrie became the capital, it looked much as though it had been lifted out of a more established state on the east coast.

Statehood, however, meant political control would move from the national level to state government. Guthrie, without the protective arm of the federal government (and now cast into a hostile political climate) fought and lost her battle to retain the capital only three short years later. In the middle of the night, on June 11, 1910, the state seal was moved to Oklahoma City, and along with it, Guthrie's entire economic base. She soon slipped into an economic sleep lasting seventy years.

Guthrie was founded during the Land Run of 1889, growing from a population of zero to 10,000 in a single day. It was the capital of Oklahoma Territory from 1889 until Statehood in 1907, when it became the capital of the new state of Oklahoma. Guthrie prospered briefly as the administrative center of the territory for several decades, but was eclipsed in economic influence by Oklahoma City early in the 20th century. Oklahoma City had managed to become a major junction for several railroads and had also attracted a major industry in the form of meat packing. A successful campaign was started by Oklahoma City business leaders after statehood to make Oklahoma City the new capital, and the state capital moved in 1910. As a result of the sudden loss of its administrative function, Guthrie began to dwindle in size and soon lost its status as Oklahoma's second city, first to Muskogee, then later to Tulsa.

Guthrie was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 1999.

Guthrie today

The happy result of Guthrie's misfortune is that Guthrie is a perfectly preserved Victorian city. While growth and poor urban planning caused other Oklahoma towns such as Oklahoma City to destroy much of their early downtown architecture, much of the entire central business and residential district of Guthrie is totally intact. Guthrie is the largest urban Historic Preservation District in the United States, which has opened up a whole new industry for the town in the form of historical tourism. Guthrie is home to several museums, including such sober entries as the Oklahoma Territorial Museum, as well as quirkier establishments like the National 4-String Banjo Hall of Fame. Guthrie also claims to be the "Bed and Breakfast capital of Oklahoma".

Attractions in Guthrie include the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and the Guthrie Scottish Rite Masonic Temple. Guthrie is a Certified City and has received a Community Development Block Grant to inventory infrastructure features for Capital Improvement Planning (CIP). Guthrie has two lakes south of it called Liberty Lake and Guthrie Lake.

Guthrie is now the largest Historic District in the United States. The Historic District contains 2,169 buildings, 1,400 acres (6 km2) and 400 city blocks.

The town also hosts the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival, which draws 15,000 visitors annually.

Geography

Guthrie is located at 35°51′23″N, 97°26′9″W (35.856336, -97.435894)[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.2 square miles (49.8 km²).48.4 km² (18.7 m Iti²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.4 km²) of it (2.81%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 9,925 people, 3,854 households, and 2,474 families residing in the city. The population density was 531.6 people per square mile (205.3/km²). There were 4,308 housing units at an average density of 230.7/sq mi (89.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.84% White, 15.77% African American, 2.97% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.94% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.79% of the population.

There were 3,854 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,460, and the median income for a family was $38,732. Males had a median income of $27,948 versus $21,186 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,774. About 9.8% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.

Guthrie in film

  • Guthrie's downtown area still had brick streets in 1978 when 1979 "Fast Charlie...Moonbeam Rider" was filmed in town. Featuring David Carradine as Charlie and Brenda Vaccaro as Grace. The film also used several extras and the members of the Junior High School band.
  • Guthrie's main street can be seen briefly in the 1988 movie "Rain Man". First the two brothers, Charlie (Tom Cruise) and Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) Babbit, are shown driving down the street (in the yellow 1949 Buick Roadmaster convertible), then Raymond is standing in the middle of the street (while Charlie is looking for a doctor) because it says "Don't Walk", and finally Charlie and Raymond are at the doctor's office (the Guthrie Clinic - at the corner of Division and Oklahoma Streets).
  • The movie "Twister" (1996 with Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt) also used the town for some scenes.
  • A good portion of the new movie, The Gray Man (about cannibal and murderer Albert Fish) was filmed in and around the town.
  • The movie Public Enemy #1 with Theresa Russell was filmed in the town.
  • The 'Simon Said' episode of CW television show Supernatural takes place in Guthrie.
  • Outside of the city of Guthrie, GrayMark Productions filmed the feature "The Hunt" in 2005.
  • "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" released in 1991 was also filmed in Guthrie with a major influence of Ben Johnson who played Jesse Dalton, the father of H.D. Dalton Scott Glenn. Kate Capshaw played "Jolie", H.D.'s girlfriend. The movie also featured Gary Busey and Mickey Rooney. Balthazar Getty played Jolie's son.

Notable residents

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
v • d • e
Municipalities of the Greater Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area
Population over 500,000
Population over 100,000
Population over 50,000
Population over 20,000
Population over 10,000
Chickasha • Choctaw • El Reno • Guthrie • Mustang
Population over 5,000
Population over 2,000
Population over 1,000
Population over 500
Population over 200
Agra • Arcadia • Asher • Byars • Cedar Valley • Cole • Coyle • Dibble • Johnson • Marshall • Mulhall • Orlando • Pocasset • St. Louis • Tribbey • Tryon • Wanette • Warwick
Population under 200
Unincorporated areas
Regional Government
Association of Central Oklahoma Governments
v • d • e
Municipalities and communities of
Logan County, Oklahoma
County seat: Guthrie
Cities

Cedar Valley | Crescent | Guthrie
Logan County map
Towns
Footnotes

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guthrie,_Oklahoma"

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