JEFFERSON

NAME: Jefferson
COUNTY: Grant
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 1
CLIMATE: cold winter, hot sumer
BEST TIME TO VISIT: any
COMMENTS: No residents. Located east of Enid, off HWY60, south 4 mi.
REMAINS: Cemetery, hanging tree, few foundations.

Jefferson city was a town off the Chisolm trail in the 1800's. It was abandoned when cattle were being shipped by train. An over populated cemetery, and winding streets are all that remain. The area is grossly overgrown, and a huge oak tree still exisits whare they use to hang people. You can see whare the bark is worn off from all the hangings. Two cowboy's graves arein the area, which is marked by a state historical marker. Submitted by: William Wood

UPDATE: We have been Ghost Town hunting and recently visited JEFFERSON, OKLAHOMA, located in GRANT COUNTY. We went to the site on July 1, 2001. Jefferson not Jefferson City is the original site of Pond Creek. A post office by the name of Pond, was discontinued at this location on April 14, 1887. The town of Pond, also Jefferson had a post office established there November 13, 1879, until named changed to Jefferson. Jefferson is located 4 miles north of the new Pond Creek site. The winding road remnants were actually part of what used to be the town park, where they had boat rides, horse races, dances, and a dam for a swimming area. We got this information from a local resident. There is an old walking bridge and on car bridge that has been washed out as well as a bridge with just the I-beams left. There is also remnants of old picnic benches. This is more like a ghost park. The foundations that were there were from an old train house. The railroad had been moved a little west of where it originally sat. The old hanging tree has since fell down, it had been washed out and had an old tree supporting it but flood waters washed it out and the hanging tree fell. Along with the historical marker about the cowboys graves there is also another one aobut the Old Sewell Stockade erected in the 1860's and later known as the Pond Creek Ranch House. There are two cemeteries in this general area. One is 4 miles east of town, doesn't have a name, oldest grave there is from the 1900's. Another cemetery is one mile south of it. This cemetery also doesn't have a name and is severely overgrown with trees and thick grass and brush, not maintained at all, the oldest grave we were able to find dates back to 1894. We are going back in January of 2002 after the overgrowth has died down to do more research. If we find out anything else we will be sure to let you know. Thank you, Marie and Tommy Dee

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