Capron

History

Prior to the opening of the Cherokee Strip in 1893, Capron, Oklahoma was first known as "Warren", a small cattle station on the main line of the Santa Fe railroad. It consisted of a store, and an old railroad car left by the Santa Fe. Sometime after the opening of the strip residents wanted to come up with a new name for the growing town. The name was changed to "Sterling", but the postal service and Santa Fe would not accept it because there was a town by that name on their line in Kansas. The names of "Virgil" and "Kermit" were proposed, but Santa Fe would not accept these names, for the same reason. Therefore, a committee consisting of Mr. George Espy, postmaster, Dr. G.W. Todd, and Congressman Dennis Flynn was appointed to select a name which the Santa Fe and Postal Service would accept. The name of Captain Allyn K. Capron, Jr. was proposed. Captain Capron was a member of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, and had been killed at the Battle of San Juan Hill. The name of "Capron" was approved by a petition of the residents. The Santa Fe and U. S. Postal service accepted the name and so it stands today. At one time Capron was quite a thriving community. It had two banks; the Bank of Capron, and the Capron State Bank; three general stores; two drug stores; a hotel; depot; a millinery shop; theater; blacksmith; a weekly newspaper, The Capron Hustler; a monthly newspaper, The Screech Owl; two barber shops; hardware store; lumber yard; two churches, Warburton Memorial Methodist Church, and First Congregational Church; the Driftwood Telephone Company and Hampton's Foot Powder Factory. A tornado struck Capron in the early morning of April 15, 1939, destroying the town's new public school building and its entire business section. The tornado hit as a train was on its regular…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Most-observed species

• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  358
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  341
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  318
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  220
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  189
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  186
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  185
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  178