Woods County Centennial Wall - Alva, OK
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 36° 48.232 W 098° 39.884
14S E 529907 N 4073167
100 years of the county and 100 years of human migration.
Waymark Code: WMZM21
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 11/28/2018
Views: 4
County of memorial: Woods County
Location of memorial: Barnes St. & Government St., Alva
Sculptor: Calvin Greybill
Memorial erected: 1993
Memorial erected by: Cherokee Outlet Chapter, NDAR
Plaque on Wall behind Statues:
1893 1993
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Cherokee Outlet Chapter, honor the pioneers who made the land run into Cherokee Outlet and those who lived here during the first 100 years.
*Made the 1893 Land Run
"Alva was located and named by Federal Patent before the opening of "The Strip" in 1893. Alva was established in 1885-86 when the Panhandle line of the Santa Fe Railroad was built through the Cherokee Strip. It is believed that the Company was named Alva after Alva Adams, a company attorney in recognition of his service. Adams later became the Governor of Colorado.
"On the day of "The Opening," September 16, 1893, many people "ran in" or came by train directly to Alva and took a city lot rather than a quarter section. Overnight Alva transformed from a solitude open field to a town of several hundred people. Alva citizens quickly started building and improving the town site. Homes and businesses began springing up all over the town.
"In 1993, Alva celebrated its Centennial. To commemorate the Cherokee Land run, two monuments were erected on the town square. The Woods County Centennial Wall, located on the east side of the square, pays tribute to those individuals who have roots in Woods County. The Alva Centennial Monument is "dedicated to the Cherokee Outlet's Pioneers whose sacrifices made the prairie bloom and provided their descendants with a proud heritage."' ~ Forgotten Oklahoma by Francis R. Melkus