Blanton, Oklahoma

Blanton is an unincorporated community[1] in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. It was a rail stop for two rail lines,[2] one of which used to transport grain until the mid-1990s.[3] It was named after Denver, Enid and Gulf Railroad (DE&G) executive W. B. Blanton.[4]

Blanton, Oklahoma
Unincorporated community
Blanton railroad stop in the mid-1990s
1909 map of Garfield County, Oklahoma with Blanton.
Coordinates: 36°25′38″N 97°55′35″W
CountryUnited States
StateOklahoma
CountyGarfield
Elevation
1,240 ft (1,314 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)580
GNIS feature ID1100216

History

As early as 1909, Blanton was a rail stop for the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway.[2]

A second rail line existed at Blanton, running to Kiowa, Kansas. This line, originally built for the DE&G in 1904 and 1905[5] and later sold to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, was used to transport grain until the mid-1990s.[3] An entity called the K & E Railway Company (K&E) acquired the then-unused Blanton to Kiowa branch from the Santa Fe in 1996; but, finding no interest in area grain companies to reactivate the line rather than continuing truck shipments to Enid, the K&E applied for and was granted permission later in the year to abandon the line.[6]

Geography

Blanton is located at 36°25′38″N 97°55′35″W, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) west-northwest of Enid, Oklahoma. It is a part of the Lower Cimarron-Skeleton Watershed.[7]

Blanton is currently located on mile 548.2 of the main track of BNSF Railway's Texas Division.[8]

References
  1. "Blanton, Oklahoma". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  2. Historical Maps of Oklahoma, University of Alabama (accessed May 30, 2010).
  3. The Surface Transportation Board: Docket Number: AB_480_0_X (accessed May 30, 2010).
  4. Cammalleri, Joseph A., Guthrie, Oklahoma: Always a Railroad Town, pp. 43-44
  5. George, Preston; Wood, Sylvan R. (January 1943). "The Railroads of Oklahoma". Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin. 60: 38. JSTOR 43516811.
  6. "Abandonment Exemption". Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  7. U.S. EPA. "Lower Cimarron-Skeleton Watershed -- 11050002. Surf Your Watershed". Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  8. BNSF Railway. "Texas Division Map, January 1, 2005" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
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