Founder River bridge Fleetwood Schools Telephone Exchange
By Walter B. Haynie
Edited By Roy Clingenpeel
The Rock Island Railroad gave birth to many cities and towns in the Indian Territory. The fertile valley became "the apple of the eye" of many pioneers. One such great individual was a thirty two year old Mississippian destined to found the town of Terral, Indian Territory in May 1892 and other towns in his illustrious career.
John Heidelburg Dace Terral was a Missionary, Surveyor, School Teacher, Farmer and Music Teacher born on August 1, 1858 in Whitman, Mississippi. His father was John Terral and his mother was Carolyn Heidelburg. He married Amanda Dubose in 1876 at Waynesborough, Mississippi. The family moved to Cameron, Texas in 1885. John worked at a cotton gin, taught at subscription schools and through the summer taught music schools. The Terral's had nine children. No doubt about it, this was a rare and outstanding pioneer.
In their westward migration, the family moved next to Spanish Fort, Montague county, Texas, then to Leon, Indian Territory in 1885 where John farmed for 3 years, then moved to Dixie. In 1891, they moved to Belcherville, Montague County, Texas. It was here that Mr. Terral got the news of the Rock Island and Pacific Railway receiving a permit to extend its line from Wichita, Kansas, through the Indian Territory to the Red River from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Plans were for the railroad line to be completed through the Chickasaw Indian Nation by June 30, 1892.
The Terral family moved in the early spring of 1892 and lived in an old school building near the present site of Terral until their home was built in June,1892. The school's presents indicated a good number of families were already settled in the area. J. M. Dyer, in The History of Jefferson County, relates that Mr. S. George Trout had come to Indian Territory in 1881 and began cultivating the land with a great number of tenant farmers. He further states that the families all lived in dug-outs. The entire area was planted in oats and already in shocks when John Terral laid out the town. Terral enlisted the help of Hugh Schoolfield of Belcherville to help him survey and lay out the town.
Mr. Terral's first task was to get his site deeded to him by the owner, Mrs. Emily Fleetwood. She made only one stipulation in the transaction, that the town be named Terral as her town five miles east bore the name Fleetwood. Finally in May 1892, Terral and Schoolfield had moved the shocks of oats and laid out Main Street. When the staking out of the lots was completed on May 15, 1892, the sale of the lots in the townsite began. C.E. Schoolfield and Hugh bought the first two lots, a corner lot for $200 and the one next to it for $150.
In a very short time the town was well developed, having grocery stores, drug stores, restaurants, barber shops, cotton gins, banks and a newspaper. Terral was give national recognition by the U.S. Postal Division on august 8, 1892 when Mr. Terral was made Postmaster. The first bank in town was the First State Bank with S.G. Stout as President opened in late 1892. The second bank was the Bank of Terral which opened July 1,1894 with C.M. Hobbs as President.
** The above material was taken from the 1992 Centennial Book of Terral/Fleetwood Indian Territory
By Walter B. Haynie
Edited by Roy Clingenpeel
There was a ferry crossing at Terral but no information has been found to date.
The first bridge was a suspension or swinging bridge and was built by the Trouts and other investors. Capital stock at the time was $50,000. There was a seventy foot approach at each end, three spans each of 450 feet and two spans with cable supported by end piers. Roadway was 16 feet wide of wood construction and a weight limit of 5 tons.
Toll receipts for 1927 were$46,000 and $50,000 in 1928. Tolls were reduced in 1929 from $1.00 to 50 cents and receipts were $27,255.80.
The iron bridge that replace this one was completed on January 1, 1931 at the cost of $124,285.86. It's opening was delayed six months because the ownwers of the old swinging bridge saw their income going down the drain. The State Militia had to be called to enforce the transistion.
By Walter B. Haynie
Edited by Roy Clingenpeel
The first school in Terral was a six room, two story brick building located in the southeast corner of town at what is now the present day ball field. The exact date of construction is not known but believed to be in the 1890's. It was opened on September 2, 1907 as a state funded school. The last school taught in this builing was in 1921. The building became unsafe and was abandoned as a public school building. Temporary classes were set up in the Babtist Church.
The New school building was comlpeted in 1921 at its present location near the downtown business district. Lee & Bill Stanfield donated the land and the auditorium was subsequently named in their honor.
These old buildings were replace in 1971 by the present day High School building, and the grade school was replaced in 1984. The members of the last High School graduating class were: Randy Croxton, Ronnie Duke, Lynn Hill, Corey Johnson, Elsa Lleverino, Chuck Sheffield, Steven Tallon, and Kenny Wilkerson. The high school consolidarte with Ryan and the Terral school teaches grades Kindergarten through Eighth grade.
The earliest type of school in the districts were of the subscription type. Each family was required to pay down so much for each child. This was of course used to pay the school master (teacher).
After statehood, the community was divided into three districts under the supervision of Dr. wade, then County Superintendent. These districts were named after three citizens : Wray's church after Sam Wray; Goodwin After Bill Goodwin ; and Spears Chapel after David spears.
These Three Districts proved very satisfactory before consolidation offered high school work. These districts were consolidated into one consolidate district called Union Valley in 1929.
By Walter B. Haynie
Edited By Roy Clingenpeel
August 15, 1906, the Terral Telephone Company, owned by J.E. Fisk, contracted with Pioneer Telephone and Telegraph company to operate a telephone exchange in Terral Indian Terriroty. On september 24, 1906, Fisk purchaced one telephone line connecting the townsite of Fleetwood to Terral from a group of investors. In Nov. 1935 the company obtained a licence to operate in the state of Oklahoma. The company was sold to Bob Lewis in Oct. 1945 for the sum of $6,500.00. There were 97 telephones plus party lines.The company began changing form wall type wooden cranking phones to dial phones in 1957. The company was purchased by its present owner, National Telecomunications Companies, in 1987 by Dick Segress.