The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

FAXON.

Faxon is located in the far southwestern corner of Comanche County, five miles east of Chattanooga and eleven miles southwest of Interstate 44. The town is on State Highway 36. Faxon's post office was established in January 1902 with the community being named for U.S. Sen. Chester Long's private secretary, Ralph Faxon.

The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway extended a line through Faxon in 1903, connecting the town to Lawton, even then the major hub in southwestern Oklahoma. A farming community from the outset, Faxon had two cotton gins by 1908. The Faxon Commercial Club advertised a hardware store, a farm implement and tin shop, and a harness shop, and dry goods, clothing, and shoe stores. By the 1930s the town maintained two gins, along with a large depot, a lumberyard, a telephone office, ice yards, and several grocery stores. During the 1970s only one gin remained standing, and it was turned into a pottery distribution center in circa 1976.

Reportedly, Faxon had a population of 500 in 1908. The official 1910 census, however, recorded less than half that, with a total of 215. The 1910 population also represents the highest number of recorded residents in the town. By 1920 the population had dropped to 163 before rebounding to 212 in 1930. Ten years later there were 178 residents, but the number continued to drop so that by 1950 the town had just 135 citizens. After gaining just two over the next decade, the population again declined to a record low of 121 in 1970. The 1970s resulted in a slight population surge so that by 1980 Faxon numbered 140. In 1990 the population again fell to 127 but climbed in the following decade. By the end of the twentieth century Faxon claimed 134 inhabitants. In 2010 the census counted 136. In April 2020 the census reported 112 residents.

There has not been a newspaper in Faxon since 1918. The Faxon Weekly Star published between 1904 and 1905, and the Faxon Star ran briefly in 1906. In 1907 the Faxon Leader took over the Elgin Chief and continued to publish through 1911. From 1914 until 1918 the Faxon Signal provided the community with the latest information.

Cynthia Savage