Ingalls is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in eastern

Payne County, Oklahoma Payne County is located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 77,350. Its county seat is Stillwater. The county was created in 1890 as part of Oklahoma Territory and is named for Capt. David L. Payne, a lead ...

, about east of Stillwater. The town was settled as a result of the "

Unassigned Lands The Unassigned Lands in Oklahoma were in the center of the lands ceded to the United States by the Creek (Muskogee) and Seminole Indians following the Civil War and on which no other tribes had been settled. By 1883 it was bounded by the Chero ...

" land run in 1889, and had a post office from January 22, 1890, until October 31, 1907.McRill, Leslie. "Old Ingalls: The Story of a Town that Will Not Die."
, ''Chronicles of Oklahoma'' Vol. 36. Retrieved September 16, 2014. It was named for Senator

John J. Ingalls John James Ingalls (December 29, 1833August 16, 1900) was an American Republican politician who served as a United States senator from Kansas. Ingalls is credited with suggesting the state motto and designing the state seal. Life and career John ...

of Kansas. During the 1890s the population peaked at about 150, then began to decline. Ingalls was a peaceful community that rarely ever had any commotion, until it became notable as the site of the Battle of Ingalls on September 1, 1893, which was a shootout between

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...

s and the

Doolin-Dalton gang The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...

.Samuelson, Nancy B
"Dalton Gang,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society. Accessed February 19, 2016 Three deputy marshals and two residents were killed, one of the residents being killed while shooting at the marshals. Several people were wounded, including two of the outlaws, and one outlaw was captured. A stone monument stands in Ingalls on the southeast corner of Ash and First (19th) Streets near the fire station, a short distance from where one of the deputies was shot. A new post office, named Signet, Oklahoma, was established on a site slightly northwest of the old Ingalls townsite on June 21, 1921, and became part of a new community. The residents of the Ingalls part protested and the name was then officially changed back after its closure. Only a few deserted, old buildings are still present, including replicas of the Ingalls Hotel, its actual name the Pierce O.K. Hotel, a livery stable, saloon, and general store."The Ingalls Townsite." Oklahoma Archaeology Survey."
Retrieved September 12, 2014. There used to be a schoolhouse, the first Sunday school for a Baptist church, right in front of the old fire station building. Today, Ingalls has re-established its quiet nature, and the population is an estimated 192 (2020). The old Ingalls lots are mainly owned by three families that have lived in or near the town for generations; the Radfords, the Burtons, and the Mathesons. The Signet portion is divided between multiple residents, and is the site of the Town Replicas. Every Saturday night, seniors with ties to the community gather at the Ingalls Community Center for a music show. A reenactment of the Battle used to occur on Sept. 1st of every year until about 2012.

Demographics

References

Sources

*McRill, Leslie
"Old Ingalls: The Story of a Town That Will Not Die"
''Chronicles of Oklahoma'' 36:4 (October 1958) 429-445 (retrieved August 17, 2006)

Oklahoma Archaeological Survey. University of Oklahoma. 23 Oct 2007. *

External links

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Payne County, Oklahoma Unincorporated communities in Oklahoma Census-designated places in Payne County, Oklahoma Census-designated places in Oklahoma