Perry History

History of Perry

The land of “many dead men” or “Mendota,” as the Native Americans called it, Perry was once the site of a bloody battle, long before it became part of America. The empty prairie land would one day be coveted homestead in the Cherokee Outlet land run of September 16, 1893. The Perry federal land office and post office was established about a mile north of what was the Wharton railroad depot to prepare for the land run. It was named after J. A. Perry, a man sent by the federal government to lay out the towns.

The Cherokee Outlet Land Run was said to have been started early by a nervous soldier who accidentally discharged his gun at 11:55 a.m. instead of noon as planned. No matter, the race was on as soon as hopefuls heard that early gunfire ring out. The fourth and largest of Oklahoma’s five land runs saw more than 100,000 pioneers racing by horse, wagon, and on foot for 40,000 homesteads and town lots. Not only were there ambitious folks from all over the United States in this run, but immigrants from many foreign countries took part as well. They arrived by train, coach, horse, wagon, and their own two feet for the opportunity of a lifetime.

“HELL’S HALF ACRE”

Opportunists wasted no time in setting up homestead that first September day, with lumber sent ahead by rail. By late afternoon, there was even a fully functional saloon serving thirsty travelers thirty-eight thousand glasses of one-dollar beer. An estimated ninety thousand heads rested in forty thousand tents in “Hell’s Half Acre” that night, and about 25,000 people and one hundred and ten saloons and gambling establishments were thriving by September 20, 1893, when the town of Perry, Oklahoma was incorporated.

The more disreputable businesses and the chaotic, wild-west frontier culture tried to dig in its heels during those early days in Perry, until law and order prevailed. Entertaining tales of rabble-rousing, gambling, drinking,

fighting, and other criminal mischief are shared of that time, but in the end, the majority of settlers were family men who wanted to start a good life. A telephone line was constructed from Perry to Wharton before the year was over.

AN HONORABLE LEGACY

Perry has been the hometown of great people, such as Thomas H. Doyle, attorney, politician, judge, Territorial congressman, U.S. congressman, and member of Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals; Governor Henry S. Johnston; Sonic President Marvin Jirous; La Vern E. Weber, U.S. Army Lieutenant General and Chief of the National Guard Bureau; and Robert Galbreath, Jr., who started the Perry Evening Democrat and discovered the Glenn Pool Oil Reserve. In 1948, Ed Malzahn began the Ditch Witch Company in Perry, and it still thrives today continuing to be the largest employer in Noble County.

Pro football players Ralph Foster and Billy Pricer; pro wrestler and boxer Danny Hodge; most sought after dog trainers in America today and the Founder and CEo of Greatest American Dog Trainers as well as the host of Animal Planet’s My Big Fat Pet Makeover; MMA fighter and pro wrestler Jake Hager; and freestyle wrestling Olympic gold medalist Jack van Bebber were also from Perry. Sharron Miller, Emmy Award and Directors Guild of America Award winning television producer, director, and writer and silent film star Buster Keaton called Perry home.

Both the Dalton and Doolin gangs have made history here, and the lady bandit, Little Britches, lived in Perry for a time in 1895.

Notorious Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh, was apprehended only 90 minutes after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 and wounding 800 more. He was driving near Perry on I-35 in Noble County. He was stopped by Charles J. Hanger, an Oklahoma State Trooper, for having no license plate on his car and was found to have an unregistered, loaded gun on him. He was booked into the Noble County Jail in Perry before anyone even knew who he really was or what he had done, leading to his easy arrest by Federal Agents. Trooper Hanger went on to become Sheriff of Noble County and is still considered a national hero.

Travis Brorsen, one of the most sought after dog trainers in the U.S., currently hosts the series, “My Big Fat Pet Makeover” on the Animal Planet Channel. He and his family are from Perry. A speaker, an author, and a pet expert, Travis is Founder and CEO of Greatest American Dog Trainers. 1965 Perry graduate, Dr. John Chaffin is a cardiovascular surgeon with the Cardiovascular Physicians at Integris Heart Hospital. He is board certified in thoracic surgery and attended OU School of Medicine. His father was Everett Chaffin, a Perry Ag teacher for years.

The Perry, Oklahoma of today is a growing, welcoming community of 4,500 people. Residents and visitors alike can enjoy entertainment for all ages, fine dining to suit all tastes, and a wide variety of businesses and shopping experiences.

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