Ferguson House - Cache, OK - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Statement of Significance:

Before Europeans reached the territory which is now Oklahoma, the Wichita people inhabited the area containing the Wichita Mountains. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century the Kiowa and Comanche tribes were moved to a reservation in this same area. As it became evident that the frontier was closing, white settlers increased their demands for the opening of Indian lands. This portion of the Wichita Mountains was not broken up for settlement; however, as the leases of the grazing Land to Texas cattlemen prevented this.
At the turn of the century the efforts of the Oklahoma City Commercial Club, with its many influential civic leaders, persuaded the Oklahoma congressional delegation to support conservation endeavors for the Wichita Mountains. The area was proclaimed the Wichita Forest Reserve in 1901, and a National Game Preserve in 1905.
Rancher Ben Ferguson was compelled by the Army in 1926 to give up his land and home and relocate his family to a new house he built 3/4 of a mile northwest of his original location. This house, located on Highway 49 and adjacent to the National Game Preserve, was constructed with the assistance of a carpenter named Sam Reimer from nearby Medicine Park. The building was completed in 1927 along with a workshop, filling station and storage building.
The family lived in this building till 1942 when emergency war time legislation resulted in Fort Sill taking the property to extend the artillery range. After the war, in a land "swap", the property passed from the military to the Fish and Wildlife Department.
The architecture of the Ferguson House is a style popular in this region at the time of its construction. The Fergusons used the materials that were available from their land for the construction of their buildings. The Ferguson House is also a symbol of the ranching industry which has been so instrumental in the development of Oklahoma.
Although the Wichita Mountain Area was designated a Forest Reserve in 1901 and a National Game Preserve in 1905, ranchers continued to retain the right to graze cattle on Reserve land. Fees were required for each head allowed on the pastures. Ben Ferguson was one of the ranchers who took advantage of this concession to cattlemen and ran cattle on the Reserve until the grazing rights were ended in 1937.
As a result of these activities, Ferguson's house stands as a monument to the cattlemen who once grazed thousands of cows on the Wichita National Game Preserve.


Physical Appearance:

The 1 1/2 story Ferguson House and adjacent buildings are finished on the exterior with native cobblestone picked up on the site. Sand that was used in the mortar is of decomposed granite particles which was readily obtainable from the stream bed of Blue Beaver Creek close by. The native sand was also used in the concrete which makes up the basement and back-up walls in the house.
In addition to the main house, Mr. Ferguson built a workshop, a filling station and storage structure that was half in and half out of the ground. The pitched roof of the workshop is a poured concrete slab, while the roof of the storehouse is a barrel vaulted combination of stone and concrete. The pitched roof of the house is of wood construction as is the shed roof over the dormer windows. Roof shingles are of the composition type.
The house contains a living room, kitchen-dining room, bed room and bath room on the first level. A stair runs to the second level where there are two bed rooms. Of the two rooms in the basement, the largest was once reached from the outside by a large opening which has been sealed. The small room is reached by a stair from the kitchen area and must be crossed in order to reach the larger room. Generous tubs of moulded concrete are at the bottom of the stairs and were probably used for laundry purposes.
A metal carport has been added in recent years to the southwest side of the house.
The house is oriented to, southeast which provides a good exposure for the front porch in catching summer evening breezes and shade. The steps to the front door are broad, providing lots of sitting space for the family, and was utilized by ail in the late spring, summer and fall.
Medicine Park is situated seven miles east of the Ferguson House where a great deal of the cobblestone constructions may be seen. Fences, retaining walls, houses, cabins and larger, multi-story structures stand as examples of this unique building material. The Ferguson House, and countless others including ruins, remain as specimens of southwest Oklahoma cobblestone construction.

Street address: NW of Cache Cache, OK USA County / Borough / Parish: Comanche Year listed: 1981 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Agriculture, Architecture Periods of significance: 1925-1949 Historic function: Domestic Current function: Domestic Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
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Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   05/22/2015 TheRadcliffs visited it