The Rock Island Depot is located in Enid,

Garfield County, Oklahoma Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,846. Enid is the county seat and largest city within Garfield County. The county is named after President James A. Garfield. Gar ...

and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

since 1979.

History

The Rock Island Railway built rail lines through

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as ...

prior to the

Land Run of 1893 In U.S. history, the Land Run of 1893, also known as the Cherokee Outlet Opening or the Cherokee Strip Land Run, marked the opening to settlement of the Cherokee Outlet in the Oklahoma Territory's fourth and largest land run. It was part of wha ...

. Skeleton Station was constructed in 1889. That same year, M.A. Low, upon a visit to the station, renamed the location Enid. When the Department of Interior moved the town site, this area became known as North Enid or Northington. During the run, the Rock Island transported settlers into the

Cherokee Outlet The Cherokee Outlet, or Cherokee Strip, was located in what is now the state of Oklahoma in the United States. It was a parcel of land south of the Oklahoma–Kansas border between 96th meridian west, 96 and 100th meridian west, 100°W. The Che ...

, stopping only at this location. Rock Island refused to stop at the new town site, and the Enid-Pond Creek Railroad War continued for a full year. A new depot was built in 1903. The current depot was constructed in 1928.

Building description

The building is long and wide. The building architecture is electric, showing both Spanish and Italian influences. The lower section of the exterior wall is brick, while there is covered with stucco. The stucco is painted white, decorated with tan painted trim. The center section has a gabled roof, with semicircular walls extending above the roof line on each end. The large window in the center is arched. Other windows have an arch design embedded in the stucco. "Rock Island Depot – Enid, OK". waymarking.com February 18, 2012.
Accessed November 24, 2016. The building is single story and has 8 large rooms, for baggage handling, ticketing, waiting, and a covered concourse. Seven smaller rooms were for men's and women's restrooms and for storage. Since Oklahoma law required strict segregation of black and white passengers, there had to be two for each function. The station is not now used by the railroad. It was used as a farmer's market on Saturdays during 2011.

References

{{Enid Oklahoma, state=expanded Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma Buildings and structures in Enid, Oklahoma Railway stations in the United States opened in 1928 Enid Former railway stations in Oklahoma National Register of Historic Places in Garfield County, Oklahoma