Independence, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Independence is a ghost town
in Custer County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. It was one of two communities established on the Cheyenne
and Arapaho
reservations before those reservations were opened to settlement in 1892. Independence had a post office from October 5, 1892, to July 15, 1922. At its peak, the community was served by two newspapers, the Independence Herald and Independence Courier. Ultimately, Independence failed after being bypassed by nearby railroads, and the townsite is now agricultural fields.
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...
in Custer County
Custer County, Oklahoma
Custer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It was named in honor of General George Armstrong Custer. As of 2000, the population was 26,142. Its county seat is Arapaho.-Geography:...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was one of two communities established on the Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
and Arapaho
Arapaho
The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...
reservations before those reservations were opened to settlement in 1892. Independence had a post office from October 5, 1892, to July 15, 1922. At its peak, the community was served by two newspapers, the Independence Herald and Independence Courier. Ultimately, Independence failed after being bypassed by nearby railroads, and the townsite is now agricultural fields.