From its humble beginnings in 1886 as a fuel and water pump house at Mile Marker 103 of the Santa Fe Railroad, through the eras of land run, statehood, oil boom, two world wars and beyond, the city of Edmond has always been growing. Today, a "beacon for the rest of Oklahoma," it boasts a vibrant community of over 70,000 residents. Edmond is home to the state's oldest continuously running newspaper, the Edmond Sun. The first church and schoolyard in Oklahoma Territory were located here, as well as the state's first institute for higher learning. Indeed, Central Normal School, now called the University of Central Oklahoma, has been at the heart of Edmond since the 1890s and is featured prominently throughout this book. Edmond is a railroad town, an oil town and a college town, depending on who you ask; but Edmondites both past and present simply know it as the "perfect town." Edmond, Oklahoma: Always Growing tells the story of this proud city through more than two hundred vintage photographs, many dating back to before the turn of the twentieth century.
