Boise City, Oklahoma
| Boise City, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Cimarron County Courthouse (2009)
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 Location within Cimarron County and Oklahoma |
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| Coordinates: 36°43′48″N 102°30′41″W / 36.73000°N 102.51139°WCoordinates: 36°43′48″N 102°30′41″W / 36.73000°N 102.51139°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Cimarron |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.3 sq mi (3.3 km2) |
| • Land | 1.3 sq mi (3.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,167 ft (1,270 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,266 |
| • Estimate (2013) | 1,189 |
| • Density | 970/sq mi (380/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 73933 |
| Area code(s) | 580 |
| FIPS code | 40-07300 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1090365 |
Boise City /ˈbɔɪs/ is a city in and the county seat of Cimarron County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,266 at the 2010 census, a decline of 14.6 percent from 1,483 in 2000. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, the origin of the town name is unclear.
Boise City was founded in 1908 by developers J. E. Stanley, A. J. Kline, and W. T. Douglas (all doing business as the Southwestern Immigration and Development Company of Guthrie, Oklahoma) and who published and distributed brochures promoting the town as an elegant, tree-lined city with paved streets, numerous businesses, railroad service, and an artesian well. They sold 3,000 lots to buyers who discovered, on their arrival, that none of the information in the brochure was true. In addition to using false publicity, the three men did not have title to the lots they sold. Stanley and Kline were convicted of mail fraud and sent to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Stanley and Kline served two year terms in the penitentiary. Douglas died of tuberculosis before beginning his sentence. The town nevertheless took shape and incorporated on July 20, 1925.
The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture says that the origin of the town name is unclear, but offers three possibilities: (1) a Captain Boice who was a hero in the Civil War, (2) the town of Boise, Idaho or (3) the Boise Cattle Company, which ran cattle in the area.
Boise City's prosperity in the 1930s was severely affected by its location at the heart of the Dust Bowl region.
Boise City was the location of an unusual event during World War II when it was mistakenly bombed by a friendly U.S. bomber crew during training. The bombing occurred on July 5, 1943, at approximately 12:30 a.m. by a B‑17 Flying Fortress Bomber. This occurred because pilots performing target practice became disoriented and mistook the lights around the town square as their target. No one was killed in the attack (only practice bombs were used and the square was deserted at the time), but the pilots were embarrassed. For the 50th anniversary of the incident, the crew of the bomber was invited back to Boise City, but all members declined. The former radio operator did, however, send an audio tape that was played at the celebration.
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