Elk City dates to 1901, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 28% of U.S. towns · #85 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Most of Elk City was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1910.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1901.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Elk City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elk City is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #85 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Elk City’s overall grade.
Oklahoma towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oklahoma town has 5.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Elk City’s 4.4 sits near the middle of its state (48% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1901.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Elk City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1541, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado became the first known European to pass through the area. The Spanish conquistador was traveling northeast across the prairie in search of a place called Quivira, a city said to be fabulously wealthy with gold.
Elk City's history dates back to the days immediately following the opening of the Cheyenne-Arapaho reservation in western Oklahoma Territory on April 19, 1892, when the first white settlers made their appearance. Prior to this time, many early ranchers had driven cattle over the Great Western Cattle Trail from Texas to Dodge City, Kansas; Elk City lies on the route of that trail.
Elk City’s post office has been open since 1907. Another post office, Busch, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Busch
1901–1907
Elk City
1907–today
19001960today
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Elk City
CalvaryEast FairlawnEvergreenFairlawn
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Elk City’s history
What year was Elk City founded?
In 1901, according to Wikidata. Elk City’s post office opened in 1901, and the census of 1910 counted 3,165 people here.
How does Elk City rank for history?
Elk City is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #85 of 131 in Oklahoma. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Elk City?
4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Whited Grist Mill (listed 1976, the first). 5 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Elk City?
7% of Elk City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1978.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (18), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
c. 1930
c. 1930
c. 1930
1982
1982
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2017
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