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World War I Ended.

1919 — The Chamber of Commerce opened the first hospital in Ponca City. Located in a two-story former boarding house at 305 West Grand, it was known as the Jones Flats. J.S. Hutchins was the chairman of the hospital committee. The Sisters of St. Joseph at Wichita took over the management soon after the hospital opened.

The cornerstone of the Moose Lodge was laid at 111-113 North Third Street. The post office occupied most of the first floor of this building for 14 years.

There was a housing shortage in Ponca City, with the population having almost doubled to 7,000. The city had ten miles brick streets, two paid firemen, and two grade schools.

Downtown Ponca City was congested with automobiles during peak hours and auto garages and showrooms were located in almost every block of the business section.

Alma Miller England and her husband, William, built a 5,000 square-foot home at Central and Eighth Street. Alma was the sister of the famous Miller Brothers, and her husband was their attorney.

Richard Elam, publisher of The Ponca City News, was not successful in managing the newspaper, so Lew Wentz recruited Clyde E. Muchmore from Kiowa, Kan. Wentz was determined that Ponca City would have an improved newspaper that would promote the community.

Kay County Gas Company executives announced that plans were almost complete to distribute 1 million shares of Kay County Gas Company stock to employees at $1 per share.

Employees of Marland Refining Company received a 12.5 percent dividend on their salaries, the same amount as stockholders received on their stock.

The George H. Brett oil well was drilled. Located near Ponca Indian land, it became the best well in the entire mid-continent area.

With the rapid growth of the city, public expenditures increased for water, sewer, and roadway expansion, and some citizens felt that the old political process was wide open for graft, corruption, and favoritism. A local citizens group prepared a proposal to revise the city charter, creating a three-man city com- mission. On April 1, at a regular city election, a board of freeholders was elected to prepare and propose a new city charter. On June 8, the charter was completed and signed by nine community leaders who represented five different wards in the city. It was then sent to the governor. Mayor McFadden was out of the city at the time.

The Marland Refinery Company and Kay County Gas Company announced the master plan to build a Model City for their employees, to be located just north of the Marland Refinery. The companies pledged to spend $1 million to improve the site and construct new homes for 1,000 people.

M.G. and Eudora Gill purchased the Hayden Furniture and Undertaking Company and the Smith Funeral Home. They located their new business at 104 East Grand, the future site of the Poncan Theatre.

Clair and Ellen Burns opened a wholesale dairy business on South First Street, the Ponca Milk and Creamery Company.

William McFadden was easily the winner in the mayoral election, by a vote of 466 to 169. His opponent was S.H. Shaffer. This was Mayor McFadden's third consecutive election. Councilmen elected included J.H. Koller, Ben Dawson, J.M. Allison, Ben Frank, and J.W. Stevenson.

L.K. Meek joined E.W. Marland, Dan Donahoe and others in the Security State Bank. Meek became president of the bank.

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