Cromwell, Oklahoma
| Cromwell, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Location of Cromwell, Oklahoma |
|
| Coordinates: 35°21′1″N 96°27′35″W / 35.35028°N 96.45972°WCoordinates: 35°21′1″N 96°27′35″W / 35.35028°N 96.45972°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Seminole |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2) |
| • Land | 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 961 ft (293 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 265 |
| • Density | 247.7/sq mi (95.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 74837 |
| Area code(s) | 405 |
| FIPS code | 40-18450 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1091830 |
Cromwell is a town in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 286 at the 2010 census, an 8 percent increase from 265 at the 2000 census. It was named for oilman Joe I. Cromwell, who platted the original town in 1923. The population exploded to a few thousand people in a few weeks, and lawlessness was rampant in the community. Retired legendary Old West lawman Bill Tilghman was hired as Town Marshall to restore order. Tilghman was shot to death the following year, the most notable event in Cromwell's history.
Founded in 1923, and named for Muskogee oilman, Joe I. Cromwell, Cromwell had a post office on May 17, 1924.
Cromwell was a wild and wooly town in the early 1920s. The town was said to be full of saloons, brothels and outlaws. About 150 businesses operated in Cromwell during the 1920s, many selling moonshine alcohol and narcotics to residents of the surrounding area. However, about seventy of these were permanently closed during an enforcement drive. The illegal sales continued because a Federal revenue agent named Wiley Lynn was connected to mobster Arnold Killian.
On Halloween night, 1924, Cromwell Town Marshal and legendary Old West lawman Bill Tilghman was shot outside of a cafe called "Ma Murphy's", by the corrupt prohibition agent Wiley Lynn. Tilghman died in the early morning hours of the first of November. Tilghman had been brought in to help bring the town under control. One month later the town of Cromwell was torched, with every brothel, bar, flop house and pool hall burned to the ground, allegedly by friends of Tilghman. There was no investigation into the massive fire, and Cromwell never recovered its former wild status, or size.
Cromwell is located at 35°21′1″N 96°27′35″W / 35.35028°N 96.45972°W (35.350195, -96.459700). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), all of it land.
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