This day in Oklahoma history: January 11
WILBURTON, Okla. (KFOR) – A two-year community college created in 1908 officially opened its doors in Wilburton on January 11, 1909.
According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, Eastern Oklahoma State College opened on Jan. 11, 1909 after Oklahoma’s first state legislature created it on May 26, 1908.
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The school was originally known as the Oklahoma School of Mines and Metallurgy. It was developed because there was a need for technical courses in mining and similar subjects.
Dormitory at Eastern Oklahoma State College, 1965. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society. Dormitory at Eastern Oklahoma State College, 1970. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society. Science building at Eastern Oklahoma State College, 1968. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society. Student Union at Eastern Oklahoma State College, 1957. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society. Technical building at Eastern Oklahoma State College, 1970. Image courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.
The school was built on sixty acres of land donated by citizens in a valley between the Sans Bois and Winding Stair Mountains. Its first class consisted of 100 students and Dr. George E. Ladd as president.
There was a time where the school needed to close briefly due to low enrollment during World War I, but it continued to grow by adding liberal arts programs.
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OHS says after several name changes, the school changed its name to Eastern Oklahoma State College in 1972. Although some of the original mining courses were phased out, the Oklahoma Miner Training Institute remains.
Today, Eastern Oklahoma State College offers more than two dozen majors, with notable alumni including former Oklahoma Governor George Nigh and former Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Colbert.
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