Oklahoma Journeys

Week of June 27, 2009

Oklahoma State Capitol Moved to OKC Myths vs. Reality

Over the years a number of myths have surrounded the move of the state capitol from Guthrie to Oklahoma City. Many in Guthrie contend that Oklahoma City stole the capitol from them. We’ll separate fact from fiction on moving the state capitol from Guthrie to Oklahoma City on Oklahoma Journeys from the Oklahoma History Center.

From the Oklahoma History Center, this is Oklahoma Journeys. I’m Michael Dean.

From the time the state capitol was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City, there have been almost countless myths surrounding that move. Among the myths: A man carrying the Great Seal clambered through a window of the Logan County Courthouse to a car waiting in the alley then rushed it to Oklahoma City. The seal was stolen from Guthrie and taken to Oklahoma City at high speeds, better than 25mph, over rutted, red dirt roads, and Governor Haskell collapsed in his room at the Huckins Hotel at the end of the trip with the seal safely lodged under his bed.

Well, none of those stories are true. Here’s what really happened...On July 21, 1909, the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce delivered a petition to the assistant secretary of state in Guthrie, calling for an election for the capital to be permanently located in Oklahoma City. They argued that Oklahoma City was the natural choice for the capital since it boasted a central location, a growing population, and a strong economic community. The proclamation was originally prepared with June 14, 1910, designated as the date for the special election. Governor Haskell, with a pen, marked out "fourteenth" and wrote in "eleventh," causing the election to be held on a Saturday with the results to become known on a Sunday. The election concerning the capital location was held on Saturday, June 11, 1910, almost a year after the petition had been delivered, with no mention as to when the move might take place. Oklahoma City received 96,261 votes; Guthrie received 31,301 votes; and Shawnee received 8,382 votes.

Governor Haskell was in Tulsa the day of the election. After receiving word that Oklahoma City was the projected winner, he and his wife boarded a special train for Oklahoma City. Before he left he phoned to his private secretary, W.B. Anthony, and ordered him to contact Bill Cross, the secretary of state, to pick up the seal of state from the Logan County courthouse and meet him at the Huckins Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. Following orders, Anthony made the trip to Guthrie in a rented Cadillac provided by the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. Upon arriving, Anthony called Earl Keys, a clerk at Logan County Courthouse, and requested a meeting with him at the office. Keys did as he was asked and was given a note from the secretary of state instructing him to turn over the seal of the state to Mr. Anthony. In Keys’s words, he "went to the vault and opened the safe and lifted the seal out then wrapped it in a piece of brown wrapping paper. Anthony then put it under his arm, got in the car and drove straight to Oklahoma City, where he delivered the great seal to Secretary Cross, and it has remained in Oklahoma City ever since." So wrote Keys.

That’s the real story, but myths remain popular as well. You can learn more about the early history of Oklahoma by visiting the Oklahoma History Center, NE 23rd Street, just east of the state capitol in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Journeys is a production of the Oklahoma History Center, dedicated to collecting, preserving and sharing our state’s past. I’m Michael Dean.