Brinkman, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Brinkman is an unincorporated community
in Greer County
, Oklahoma, United States. It lies at the western end of State Highway 34B, nine miles north of Mangum
and one mile west of U.S. Route 283
.
ted in 1910 when the rails of the Wichita Falls and Northwest Railroad were extended northward from Altus
. Brinkman was named after a resident John Brinkman, a business associate of railroad builders Joseph Kemp and Frank Kell, who paid the expenses of platting. The site was surrounded by good agricultural lands, and the prospects for the community as an agricultural center were bright. The first settlers sought to attract others by building a good school system as well as needed commercial activities. A post office
opened up on June 17, 1910. A twelve-thousand-dollar bond issue was approved for the building of a school. A full high school program was developed as well. By 1925 the school had over 450 students and ten teachers.
Brinkman had its period of greatest importance in the mid-1920s. It was a marketing center for both wheat and cotton, there being two large elevators
and four cotton gin
s. In addition to the stores, cafes, and barber shops, the town had a bank, three doctors, a hotel, a telephone system
, and a water system
. Natural gas for fuel was brought to the community in 1927.
In late 1927 the bank consolidated with one in Mangum
and moved to that city. In 1927 the Dust Bowl period
started, and it lasted for about five years, resulting in the consolidation of farms and the migration of people from the area. During the summer of 1929 fire destroyed the north half of the business district, which included several grocery stores and cafes, a barber shop, the Odd Fellows Hall, and the bank building. Since the Great Depression
was just starting, most businesses were not rebuilt.
Later, State Highway 34 bypassed the town one mile east of it.
Since the mid-1930s decline has been continuous. Most facilities have been removed. Many others have been abandoned.
On December 30, 1965 the post office closed. The school building had been removed and the school district consolidated into a still larger unit. In 1972 the railroad that started the town was abandoned, and in 1974 the tracks were taken up. With the end of this activity Brinkman ceased to exist.
By 1980 there were only a few residents left here. Today, all that remains there are a few old buildings and a very small population. Brinkman is now considered a ghost town
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Greer County
Greer County, Oklahoma
Greer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 6,061. Its county seat is Mangum. From 1860 to 1896, the state of Texas claimed an area known as Greer County, Texas, which included present-day Greer County along with neighboring...
, Oklahoma, United States. It lies at the western end of State Highway 34B, nine miles north of Mangum
Mangum, Oklahoma
Mangum is a city in Greer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,010 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Greer County....
and one mile west of U.S. Route 283
U.S. Route 283
U.S. Route 283 is a spur of U.S. Route 83. It currently runs for 731 miles from Brady, Texas at U.S. Route 87 to Lexington, Nebraska at U.S. Route 30. It passes through the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.-Texas:...
.
History
Brinkman was platPlat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted in 1910 when the rails of the Wichita Falls and Northwest Railroad were extended northward from Altus
Altus, Oklahoma
Altus is a city in Jackson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,813 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County....
. Brinkman was named after a resident John Brinkman, a business associate of railroad builders Joseph Kemp and Frank Kell, who paid the expenses of platting. The site was surrounded by good agricultural lands, and the prospects for the community as an agricultural center were bright. The first settlers sought to attract others by building a good school system as well as needed commercial activities. A post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
opened up on June 17, 1910. A twelve-thousand-dollar bond issue was approved for the building of a school. A full high school program was developed as well. By 1925 the school had over 450 students and ten teachers.
Brinkman had its period of greatest importance in the mid-1920s. It was a marketing center for both wheat and cotton, there being two large elevators
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
and four cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
s. In addition to the stores, cafes, and barber shops, the town had a bank, three doctors, a hotel, a telephone system
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
, and a water system
Running Water
Running Water may be:* Running Water, Tennessee, former name of Whiteside, Tennessee* Running Water, South Dakota, a community in Bon Homme County, South Dakota* "Running Water" from the 1983 album The Present...
. Natural gas for fuel was brought to the community in 1927.
In late 1927 the bank consolidated with one in Mangum
Mangum, Oklahoma
Mangum is a city in Greer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,010 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Greer County....
and moved to that city. In 1927 the Dust Bowl period
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
started, and it lasted for about five years, resulting in the consolidation of farms and the migration of people from the area. During the summer of 1929 fire destroyed the north half of the business district, which included several grocery stores and cafes, a barber shop, the Odd Fellows Hall, and the bank building. Since the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
was just starting, most businesses were not rebuilt.
Later, State Highway 34 bypassed the town one mile east of it.
Since the mid-1930s decline has been continuous. Most facilities have been removed. Many others have been abandoned.
On December 30, 1965 the post office closed. The school building had been removed and the school district consolidated into a still larger unit. In 1972 the railroad that started the town was abandoned, and in 1974 the tracks were taken up. With the end of this activity Brinkman ceased to exist.
By 1980 there were only a few residents left here. Today, all that remains there are a few old buildings and a very small population. Brinkman is now considered a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
.