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History · Apache

Apache’s post office opened in 1901, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Apache State Bank and the Amphlett Brothers Drug and Jewelry Store. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1910.

1901first post office
2on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
8famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Apache began

When was Apache founded?

1901

The Apache post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 950 in 19102020 census: 1,034125 years
Founding year: the first Apache post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Apache’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Apache are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,616 in 2000; 1,034 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1904 to 1916, drew every building in Apache.Old housesHalf of Apache’s homes were built before 1952.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Apache’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Apache’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Apache, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,800192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,616

Peaked at 1,616 in 2000; 1,034 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Apache’s Wikipedia page.

Every building

Apache, building by building, 1904–1916

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Apache fire insurance map, 1904, sheet 11904Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Apache came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Apache.

Read it all →

Before opening the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache Reservation on August 1, 1901, for unrestricted settlement by non-Indians, Land Lottery Director William A. Richards had recommended setting aside the land now occupied by Apache as a townsite. He had expected the community would be named "Richards" in his honor. Instead, officials of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway (Rock Island) named the community Apache. A land run for lots in Apache was held on August 6, 1901, which was the last land run in Oklahoma. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, five lumberyards and six saloons opened for business within hours after the run. A tent served as a market for groceries.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Apache, 1901 to 2000

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1901Post officeThe Apache post office opens
  3. 1912Born hereJosephine Wapp is born here
  4. 1914Born hereAllan Houser is born here
  5. 1921Born hereAubrey Davis is born here
  6. 1921Born hereLou Kretlow is born here
  7. 1956On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 21st century
  9. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 1,616
By decade

Apache, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Amphlett Brothers Drug and Jewelry Store2006Amphlett Brothers Drug and Jewelry StoreOKMap-doton-Apache2004OKMap-doton-Apache
On the map

Apache on the map, 1956 to 1991

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Apache. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Apache on the 1956 USGS mapApache on the 1975 USGS mapApache on the 1991 USGS map1956Apache sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Apache.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Apache

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
Apache State Bank
Apache State BankAmphlett Brothers Drug and Jewelry Store
Buildings
Apache State BankBuilding
Amphlett Brothers Drug and Jewelry StoreBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

8 famous people were born in Apache

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
A
Allan HouserChiricahua Apache painter and sculptor from Okl… · b. 1914
A
Aubrey DavisProfessional basketball and minor league baseba… · b. 1921
J
Josephine WappNiuam (Comanche) Weaver · b. 1912
Lou KretlowAmerican baseball player · b. 1921
Pascal PoolawNative American military officer · b. 1922
D
Doc Tate NevaquayaNative American flute player · b. 1932

Questions about Apache’s history

What year was Apache founded?

The Apache post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Apache?

Two places: the Apache State Bank (listed 1972) and the Amphlett Brothers Drug and Jewelry Store (1982).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.