Pioneer Genealogical Society - Ponca City, Oklahoma

1st House
L. S. Baugh is credited with having put up the first house on the strip. He secured a claim near the south east corner of the Chilocco reservation . He had the lumber on the ground at 8:30 Saturday evening and at 10:30 the house was completed. G. E. Moodey was the architect.

1st Family
William H. and Orpha Lawrence, daughters Laura and Clara lived in a dugout on the banks of Dry Creek, a short distance from Braman from late fall of 1873 to the spring of 1876 when a threatened Indian uprising prompted the family to move back to Kansas.
[“The Enduring Rock” by Homer S. Chambers 1954]
Blackwell’s 1st Physician – Dr. C. E. Ikerd
Coming from Hunnewell, KS. on opening day and winning a contest for 180 acres in the SW area of Blackwell. The addition bears his name to this day and there is also a city street named for him.

1st Train Stop
Was at Cross which was one mile North of Ponca City.
1st Death - September 21, 1893
The first death among the homeseekers in this vicinity took place at three o'clock this morning. E. E. Eads, of Scottville, Ill fell while in line at the booth on Thursday and never regained consciousness. He was about forty years old
1st Marriage - John Browning and Emma Button - October 6, 1893
John’s parents: R.W. and Elizabeth (Hendrix) Browning
Emma’s parents: Robt. and Sarah (Hill) Butter
Ceremony was performed at Ponca Agency, OT by Clyde Metcalf Pastor M.E. Church, Pawnee, OT
Ponca City's 1st School - November 16, 1893
It was two rooms totaling 2,050 square feet with three teachers.
Blackwell's 1st Teacher - Lottie Jerome
She ran a subscription school at 204 S Main. The frame building was started in November of 1893 and finished in early 1894
Blackwell’s 1st town officers
Council President – A. J. Blackwell
Clerk – F. T. Berkey
City Attorney – Ed Peckham
Treasurer – M. B. Shields
Marshall – James Bethel
Trustees – John Sanger – E. M. Reynolds – William Whiting
Blackwell’s 1st Building
Was a hardware store built by the family of Mrs. Charles [Lorena Winfield] McMullan
1st Electric lights - May 1894
The Cherokee Strips's first electric lights were turned on in Ponca City
Blackwell’s 1st Telephone line - 1895
Was promoted by John W Randall and Ed Treadway in 1895, a single wire from the Santa Fe depot in Kildare to The Times Record print shop operated by Randall.

Tonkawa's 1st Girl Baby - Born – February 16, 1896

To Mr & Mrs G M Hadduck on Sunday, February 16, a girl—the first girl born in Tonkawa. Hadduck is undoubtedly very proud of its presence or he wouldn’t have set up the candy to the boys.
Braman’s 1st Business
1st building and business was moved into Braman in 1898 by Bert Payne who had been operating at Rock Falls since the opening of the outlet.
Messrs. Whittier and Templeton soon organized the Citizens Bank and the town was on it’s way.
Ponca City's 1st Traffic light - December 1948
Installed at First and Grand
Ponca City's 1st Iris Festival - May 1988
Promoted by Jerry Cathey - Sponsored by the Main Street Authority
Ponca City's first woman mayor - 1992
Marilyn Andrews was elected