“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. He then made Oklahoma, true to it’s Indian name “the land of the fair God”. Then in the State of Oklahoma he placed Douglas. Whether he performed any extra care and pains on the former is merely a matter of conjecture, but it is certain that the latter emanation from the Divine hand was a vast improvement over the rest of creation and remains today the first section of the known world.

The town was founded in September, 1902. Messrs. Meek, Taggart and Snyder securing the first lots. S. Snyder hauled the first load of lumber and erected his residence and blacksmith shop. Meek and Whipple were next to erect buildings. Douglas had great possibilities - located in the very heart of the richest agricultural country on earth, with every desirable resource and a citizenship of commendable enterprise - how could she help but prosper?

The actual business of the new little town was remarkable - it had every type of business establishment that was needed. On Saturdays people flocked into town in their horses and buggies! As room at the hitching racks in the down town section was prized, many people had to hitch their horses to the buggies in the side streets. People from different parts of the union made Douglas their home - setting up successful business enterprises! The grain elevators did business for miles around, the stock yards were always full of cattle to be shipped out. There were two livery barns with a large amount of trade, innumerable grocery, hardware, drygoods, drugstores. Then came the automobile, a great invention, but disastrous to this thriving little town. People would much rather drive their car to Enid than walk a block to a home town store. I heard a lady say one time that she forgot a box of matches on purpose so that she could drive back to Enid to get them. As other great inventions were introduced, only the cities were large enough to cope with them. So therefore the people of smaller towns turned towards the cities and big business. Douglas was one of the many small towns hit by the declining population.

Today Douglas has declined in size to a mere population of between 150-200. A sad end for such a successful town, one of the many small ghost towns, buried in memories and a few last threads of hope, just a wide spot in the road.

By J. P. Gibson
(date unknown, possibly about 1945)