Stockyards City

[Doug Loudenback]

I've "started" (it will be updated shortly) a new blog post on historic and present day Stockyards City. Text is not included here.

Doug Dawgz Blog: Stockyards City

Images currently in the post appear below in small form.



Overview Maps




1889 Cattle Drive Downtown


Morris & Co 1910


Another 1910 View - Livestock Exchange to the Left


S&S Co 1911


Hogs at S&S 1911


1911 Postcard Showing Both Plants


Packingtown Entrance 1911


1st Livestock Exchange Building 1910


2nd Livestock Exchange Building 1915


1922 Coliseum


1931 Coliseum


1936 Wilson & Co State Fair Postcard


Early 1950s Overviews




Images Take 2-3 Days Ago at Stockyards City

Westbound on Exchange Avenue




Monument at Exchange & Agnew


Looking Southeast At Agnew & Exchange


Cattlemen's Cafe


Inside a Shop Next to Cattlemen's




SW 13th & Agnew


Across Street from Cattlemen's


On Exchange West of Agnew Looking South


On Exchange Looking West To Stockyards Entry


Satellite View of Stockyards Today


Fairly New But Empty Retail Development Looking NW from Exchange


On Exchange Looking South To OK Cattlemen's Association


On Exchange Looking North at the Oklahoma National Stockyards Livestock Exchange Building


I'll add more later.

[CuatrodeMayo]

We have lost so much history in the form of architecture, it is sickening.

[Doug Loudenback]

We have lost so much history in the form of architecture, it is sickening.

Not sure which items you're thinking of, but BOTH former Livestock Exchange Buildings, above (not the new one) were destroyed by fire, and the old Coliseum couldn't keep up with newer and air conditioned facilities at the Fairgrounds. There was some talk about re-creating the Coliseum, but "talk" is about as far as it got, I think. Other than those 2 structures (and not including the Wilson & Armour plants which weren't much for archetecture but were built for pragmatic commerce), I'm not sure what, if anything, has been lost in Stockyards City.

As for the former Livestock Exchange Building (1st pic below) and the presently unused commercial building but recently added (last few years, I don't know exactly when), the newer commercial building does seem to emulate the long-gone Livestock Exchange ...

Former Livestock Exchange Building


Newer Retail Building -- Smaller But Similar


At least, it seems that the Stockyards City people are trying!

[Martin]

hmmm... looks like wilson has moved over the years. here's a map from around 1922. always interesting posts, doug. thanks! -M

[The Old Downtown Guy]

I believe that the three story building on the SW corner of Agnew & Exchange shown on the "1911 Packingtown Entrance" post card has been replaced by a one story building.

[Doug Loudenback]

Thanks, mmm ... as a matter of fact, I was probably making some incorrect assumptions when I did my "maps" ... and it was in my head that something didn't "seem right!"

For example, compare this pic in the post ...



... with this one ...



... and Wilson eventually wound up here, after Armour was no more ...

(not yet in my blog ... later today, will be)



Your 1922 image will doubtless help me get my head straight, and I'll revise the "maps" once I get it clear ...

... but the "top" image in this post (showing the stockyard entrance on Exchange ... and assuming that the entrance was "always" in the same spot, which I think it was) certainly matches with your 1922 image ... but not the 1950s pic ...



... the n/s/e/west orientation of which is not clear to me ... but, regardless, neither the Wilson nor the Armour facilities appear to be where they originally were (unless I am totally crosseyed ... a distinct possibility!).

Here's an edited pic of the above ... the "street's" identity should tell the tale about orientation ....



... if the street is May Ave., then it would seem that the former Armour facility was taken over by Wilson which, when it closed (and its remnants remain today) is roughly at SW 15th & May ... if it's not May Ave., then surely it MUST be SW 13th which would be consistent with your 1922 map ... and in which I see that the Coliseum is located immediately north of Morris & Co (Armour), to the east of North Street, just north of Exchange. If "Rockwood" (in your 1922 map) later became Agnew, then that seems to fit. That would be my best guess.

Your thoughts?

[Doug Loudenback]

I believe that the three story building on the SW corner of Agnew & Exchange shown on the "1911 Packingtown Entrance" post card has been replaced by a one story building.

That was my thought (guess), also. The only other building which comes close to matching the 3 story building is on the SE corner of the intersection, Langston's today, but it is only 2 stories, even though similar in appearance.

Actually, ODTG, since you know some great anectodal stories of this area, I was wondering if you'd like to make a contribution to the blog post? I'd planned to e-mail you about that, but I'll do it here, instead. I'm revising the blog post this afternoon to include some stuff not yet there, and some of your stories would be el magnifico!

[The Old Downtown Guy]

The street parallels the railroad tracks and I think that's SW 13th/15th. The street isn't shown on the map. The map does show the city limits crossing Excange which is the location of the gate.

[Doug Loudenback]

The street parallels the railroad tracks and I think that's SW 13th/15th. The street isn't shown on the map. The map does show the city limits crossing Excange which is the location of the gate.

That's my best guess, too, but it couldn't be SW 15th which would be 2 blocks south of SW 13th ... my guess is that SW 13th went "straight through" to May in 1922, though that's not shown in the 1922 map that mmm posted.

[Martin]

comparing the photo with the map, it appears to me that street was called 'ash' in the 1922 map. since it forms the northern boundary of rotary park east of the portion of the map posted, it must be present-day s. 15th street.

what particulary interests me is the drastically different path of the river and the 'morrisville addition' on its (then) banks. until you posted this article, i never made the conneciton between 'morrisville' and the morris company... though i now presume there is one. as best i can tell, there is no trace of those streets left.

-M

[Doug Loudenback]

Beautiful, mmm! This MUST be correct (and with apoligies to the ODTG about what I said about SW 13~15th)!

May I use your image in my blog ... very well done!

[Martin]

for sure, doug! -M

[Doug Loudenback]

Too cool! I'll give credit to you (by the name "mmm" or any other you PM to me to include ... as well as for figuring this out!).

Thanks a bunch.

Now, to get back to the rest of the post's edit ... vice, whatever, that was not as "included" in the original post as I've planned ... vice is always good for "history" stories, don't you know?