Cimarron County Courthouse ~ Boise City, OK
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member YoSam.
N 36° 43.770 W 102° 30.780
13S E 722084 N 4067749
Boise rhymes with "Voice", thought to be named from Boyce Cattle Company. Remember the four way stop and only travel to the right around courthouse.
Waymark Code: WM6W8K
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 07/27/2009
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member Lat34North
Views: 10

Some History and fact about the county:
Boise City, Oklahoma was one of three cities in the United States to be bombed during World War II. On Monday night, July 5, 1943, at approximately 12:30 a.m., a B-17 Bomber based at Dalhart Army Air Base (50 miles to the south of Boise City) dropped six practice bombs on the sleeping town. The practice bombs weighed 100 pounds each and contained four pounds of powder - the rest was sand. Several locations across town display the remains of these bombs.

The next day, officials from the Dalhart Army Air Base visited Boise City and explained that the plane had been assigned to drop bombs on a range near Conlen, Texas, about 30 miles south of Boise City, but somehow got off their mark and mistook the four street lights around the courthouse in the center of town for the lights of their target.

Covering a total land and water area of 1,842.2 square miles, Cimarron County is the farthest west of the three Oklahoma Panhandle counties. Black Mesa, in the northeastern corner of the county, is the highest point in Oklahoma, rising to 4,972.97 feet above sea level. In the county's northern portion the Cimarron River flows eastward turning north into Kansas, while the North Canadian, or Beaver River, traverses the county's southern section. Cimarron is the only county in the United States that touches five states: Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and its own, Oklahoma. Kenton, in the far northwestern corner, is the only Oklahoma community on Mountain Time. The county is served by U.S. Highways 56/65/412 east and west and 287/385 north and south.

At 1907 statehood Cimarron County was created, and within it were twenty post offices and fifty-six schools. In 1908 the Southwestern Immigration and Development Company of Guthrie, Oklahoma, composed of J. E. Stanley, A. J. Kline, and W. T. Douglas, established the town of Boise City. Seven communities fought for the county seat designation, including Boise City (approximately in the center of the county), Cimarron (three miles north of Boise City), Doby (five miles northwest of Boise City), Hurley (five miles northeast of Boise City), Willowbar (twelve miles east of Boise City), and Centerview (location unknown). Rail access arrived relatively late. The Elkhart and Santa Fe Railway completed a line from Elkhart, Kansas, into the county in 1925 and on into New Mexico in 1932, but service ended in 1942. The same corporation completed tracks from Colorado to Boise City in 1931 and south to Texas in 1937. Operated as part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway system, by 2000 the remaining line was part of the Burlington-Northern Santa Fe system.

Until the county seat election of June 11, 1908, Kenton, which had previously been named the temporary county seat, held the county records. Boise City won a runoff election over Doby to capture the designation. A Boise City contingent soon confiscated the county seat papers, prior to the end of the mandatory thirty-day waiting period, creating a controversy and a local legend that Boise City stole the courthouse.

Street address:
Main St.
P.O. Box 788,
Boise City, OK USA
73933


County / Borough / Parish: Cimarron County

Year listed: 1984

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event

Periods of significance: 1925-1949

Historic function: Government

Current function: Government

Privately owned?: no

Hours of operation: From: 7:30 AM To: 5:00 PM

Primary Web Site: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]

Season start / Season finish: Not listed

Secondary Website 2: Not listed

National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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