Mustang Historical Society

10/10/2025

How do you become a member of the Historical Society? Annual memberships are $15.00. Once a month meetings are held in the conference room accessed through the glass door at the back of the old fire/police station at 470 W. State Hwy 152. Meetings start at 6 PM, 1ST Monday of month. Bring your stories and come join us.
--Carole Hanna, Board Member

09/05/2025

Hi you history buffs. Please stop by the history museum this Saturday, Sept 6, 10-2 or as needed.
There will be historians there to greet you and answer questions.
Popular displays are the pictures of Mustang High School alums from 1925 forward to 1966 when the school issued its first year book "The Remuda."
Out front of the building is the spotted (new black hair job) pony that stood atop the football score board and was proud to blow smoke for the many Bronco touchdowns made during its career.
Please come visit us and share your memories.
Oh yes, please give a "shoutout" to the Mustang Alum who are riding a float in this year's parade. And don't forget to give Mustang Alum David Anderson and Carole Hanna who are this year's Parade Grand Marshalls a "shoutout" too.
What an honor for us!

09/04/2025

Question:
Vyvyan Hughes
[email protected]
Subject:
Old Hardware clock
Message:
Hi I work at a neon shop in Atlanta GA. A customer dropped off a really old clock for us to look st. Its from Mustang Ok. Could you provide some background.
Answer:
Sent: Wed, Sep 3, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Subject: Re: Mustang Hardware Co.
The Mustang Hardware was one of two businesses that survived a tornado, the Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the demise of Mustang's economic downturn. It was owned and operated by Howard Silver whose family came to the area in the Land Run of 1889 where they staked a claim and raised the crops of that era. Howard took over the hardware shortly after the turn-of-the-century and operated it for over a half century. The motto was: if you can't get it at Silver's, you just can't get it." Silver's wasn't like today's big box stores. They maintained inventory. If you needed a John Deere plow shear for Model XYZ, Silver's likely had it in the store room buried under newer stock and decades of dust.
Mr. SILVER being a founding citizen was a self elected mayor who did his best to address the town's needs.
Mustang was a little agricultural community about 15 miles from downtown Oklahoma City. It was served by the Frisco Railroad. It had a 12 grade public school of about 100 students. It had a US Post Office, churchs. It was a bustling town until people bought cars and started shopping in Okla City. Within a decade the business district shrank to Silver's Mustang Hardware Store and two grocery stores......
I hope you like our short story. We are excited to learn of the clock and look forward to the pics.

07/04/2025

02/13/2025

In its time, the Chisholm Trail was considered to be one of the wonders of
the western world !!
Herds with as many as ten thousand cattle were driven from Texas over the trail to Kansas.
—-
Where did the name come from - The trail acquired its name from trader Jesse Chisholm, a part-Cherokee, who just before the Civil War had built a trading post in what is now western Oklahoma City.
—-
Length -
Eventually the Chisholm Trail would stretch eight hundred miles from South Texas to Fort Worth and on through Oklahoma to Kansas.
The drives headed for Abilene from 1867 to 1871;
later Newton and Wichita, Kansas
became the end of the trail.
The Cimarron cutoff
on the north side of the Cimarron River allowed cattle to be driven to Dodge City, Kansas.
From 1883 to 1887
herds headed up the trail to Caldwell, Kansas, making it the last great cow town on the trail.
—-
Researched Route -
From 1990 through 1997 Robert Klemme of Enid, Oklahoma, researched the route of the Chisholm Trail through
Texas,
Oklahoma,
and Kansas
and planned to place
four hundred concrete markers along the route across Oklahoma.
The four hundredth marker
was placed on Wilshire Road near Yukon in September 1997.
Klemme erected other markers in Brownsville, Texas,
and
Abilene, Kansas.
At the end of the twentieth century the Chisholm Trail
remained visible at many places,
including a spot near Bison,
in Garfield County, 1.5 miles south of U.S. 81
and 1/3 rd mile west on a county road.

10/07/2023

Someone recently asked what was a railroad doodle bug?
If you watch the Dale Evans/Roy Rogers 1946 movie Home in Oklahoma on UTube you can see one rolling into the Davis, Ok station. You can also see Turner Falls and other locations in and around Davis. Brought back childhood memories for me.

07/16/2023

From the Oklahoma Historical Society.

On July 15, 1890, Oklahoma City was officially incorporated. William L. Couch served as the first provisional mayor of OKC and Charles F. Colcord was the first police chief.
The population at that time was approx. 4,000–5,000 people. By 1900, it had doubled and there were 10,037 residents.

Photo of Oklahoma City in May 1889 (14520, OHS Photograph Collection)

11/10/2022

Friday, November 11, is a special day and here's why:

09/15/2022

The Mustang Historical Society 1946 FARMALL, MODEL "H" tractor driven by Don Beighle led the Silver City Antique Tractor Club to 1st Place in their division during Mustang's 46th Western Day Parade, Sat, Sept 10, 2022.
Parade day dawned bright and beautiful with a clear blue sky and light cool breezes.
The crowds gathered early anticipating a long and exciting parade of honored guests, bands, floats, tractors, classic cars, covered wagons, India Temple Shriners, and finally the beautiful cowgirls and their mounts.
It was a great day at the Mustang Historical Society Museum too. Most visitors asked about the Mustang peach orchards and what happened to them. They had their own theories and we historians were happy to set the record straight.
Visitors were amazed with the hidden treasures to be found in the museum.
If you haven't been to the museum, the Mustang Historical Society invites you to stop in when the flags are out (normally Saturdays from 10 until 2). If that doesn't work, call 405-623-7379. We'll do our best to accommodate your schedule.
--Carole Hanna, President

Mustang Historical Society Tractor