Post Office Murals - Anadarko, Oklahoma
Posted by: 
gparkes
N 35° 04.439 W 098° 14.636
14S E 568930 N 3881508
This series of 12 murals were commissioned in 1936 by the WPA.
Waymark Code: WM8DRX
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 03/18/2010
Views: 5
Anadarko
Anadarko's post office was established in 1873, sixteen years prior to the famed land run of in the state. A consensus among historians that the name came from the Nadarko (Nadaco) Indians, a branch of the Caddo, with the "A" added by clerical error. In 1878, a consolidated Indian agency was located at the Anadarko townsite to administer the reservations of the Kiowa and Comanche.
Population of the town began after lands were alotted to the the Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache Reservation. This new settlement brought numbers immediately up to 20,000 people, on August 6, 1901. This would be short lived as by 1907 the number of residents would number around 2,190. A census in 1910 shows the increase to 3,439 and again a decline in 1920 to 3,116. But the town would see its largest increase in the 1960 census, when it grew to 6,299, just short of the 6,555 it is today.
Two things drive the economy of Andarko, Agriculture and Indian Affairs. The area has produced cotton, peanuts, wheat, and alfalfa.
When this building was constructed in 1935, it served both as a post office and the Kiowa Indian Agency. Inside the post office, the WPA in 1936 provided for the murals that can be seen here. When they were painted, the area's indian heritage was center to the imagery. The murals were painted by Stephen Mopope, one of the "Kiowa Five." The subject matter of the murals are 19th centry southern plains indian life. It is free to enter to view the murals, and even on the weekends, the building is left open.