The Town of Mooreland is in an area of northwestern Oklahoma that originally was the western half of the Indian Territory. This area of the Indian Territory was set apart in 1835 for the Cherokees, one of the Five Civilized Tribes, and was called the Cherokee Outlet. The status of this area was unusual in that the Cherokees received a free simple title to it; yet, in 1866, they agreed to allow the United States to locate friendly Indians on tribal reservations in any part of their country west of the ninety-sixth Meridian. The tribes located in the east-central area of the Outlet were the Kaw, Osage, Ponca, Otoe, Nez, Perce, Tonkawa, and Pawnee.

In January, 1892, the Cherokees relinquished control of the Cherokee Outlet by selling it to the United States. Congress accepted the terms of the sale agreement in March 1893. On August 19, 1893, President Cleveland announced that the Outlet would be opened to settlement at noon, September 16 of that year. The Outlet was divided into counties designated as K, L, M, N, O, P & Q. In 1887 the Santa Fe Railroad had been built through the southwestern corner of the outlet and a station established at the present site of Woodward. What was later to become Woodward County was designated as “N” County, and it remained undivided until Oklahoma was admitted to statehood in 1907, at which time it was divided into the present counties of Woodward, Harper, the western part of Woods, and the northern part of Ellis. The opening of the Cherokee Outlet was the largest of all the land “runs” in Oklahoma, with more than 100000 people registering to participate.

The Town of Mooreland, unlike many of the towns and cities of northwest Oklahoma, was not established in the great excitement of the opening of the Cherokee Outlet. Rather, it came about several years following the Cherokee run and was developed after nearly every quarter section of land had been homesteaded and after enterprising businessmen had dotted the county with country stores and accompanying post offices.

The original town site of Mooreland as comprised of an area of 80 acres of land which was subdivided into a grid pattern of platting. This form of town design was typical of the street patterns used in early Oklahoma communities and was designed to permit pedestrians and horse drawn vehicular traffic to disperse easily through the town. Short blocks were used to facilitate circulation and became a practical approach of the type of transportation that prevailed at the turn of the century.

The street pattern of Mooreland was platted to run east-west and north-south with Main Street being the dominant avenue. The northern section of the original town site was divided by the existing railroad. As new additions were added in later years, a similar grid pattern was followed. This form of town design, with wide and straight street easements, which were laid out on relatively flat topography has given an openness and horizontal quality to Mooreland.

In 1907 Oklahoma entered into statehood and the federal government took a population census of the new state. At that time Mooreland had been in existence four years and had a population of 274 people. In 2000, the population census put Mooreland’s population at 1226 people.

 

To contact the Mooreland Economic Development Organization,
please call 580-994-5454.