The State Historic Preservation Office of the Oklahoma Historical Office has approved an Oklahoma Centennial Ranch Award to the Robert William and Eva Mae Winters’ ranch. Brothers Gary Ralph Winters of Altus and Richard William Winters of Konawa and cousin Danny Wayne Winters of Oklahoma City are owners of the ranch. They are grandsons of the original homesteaders. The ranch is located in western Kiowa County ranch, south of Lone Wolf and next to the North Fork of the Red River.
In the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache opening, a land lottery was offered on August 6, 1901 which formed Kiowa, Comanche, and Caddo Counties. Some persons entered the drawing and never intended to homestead a farm or ranch, but rather as a way to make money. Many sold their lot number to people who actually wanted to homestead a claim with at least five years of residency and improvements. It seems logical that Robert William Winters had bought a claim from someone whose name had been drawn in the lottery because his one brother and one sister also got claims to the north of his claim. That would have been highly improbable in a drawing of 13,000 claims out of the 165,000 registered persons.
Robert William Winters filed his claim on October 29, 1901 as recorded on the Land Track Books. He married Eva Mae Stephenson on August 3, 1904. He paid $146.61 for the 113.97 acres on July 23, 1908 to the General Land Office of the Dept. of the Interior at Lawton.
After improvements and a period of living on the land, he received his Homestead Patent, signed by US President William Taft on April 23, 1909. There were six children raised on the ranch which included Robert Carl, Clyde, Thelma, Lillian, Ralph and Bryce Winters. One unusual, but funny, and interesting fact was that the three original neighbors had “cold weather”
names…Winters, Snow, and Frost!!!
Even though this homestead was located in Kiowa County, Robert’s parents John William and Sarah Frances (Howard) Winters, had homestead their farm about one mile south in Jackson County across the North Fork of the Red River. That property was designated as an Oklahoma Centennial Ranch in April 1989.
Throughout the 129 years, cattle have been the main income on the land. Warren Winters, Gary Ralph Winters’ son, has operated a cow-calf herd on the ranch for several years.
To qualify for a Centennial Farm or Ranch Award, a property must be occupied by a family member for at least 100 years and must currently be operated or occupied by a family member or leased out by a family member. The property must include a minimum of 40 acres and gross annual sales of at least $1,000. The Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry have sponsored the Centennial Farm and Ranch Awards for 33 years, in which time 69 awards have been given in Kiowa County. The Kiowa County Courthouse on the second floor has a large wooden county map display with brass labels depicting the locations of Oklahoma Centennial Farms and Ranches in the county.
For further information about the Centennial Farm and Ranch Program, please contact Shea J. Otley at 405-522-4485 or sjotley@okhistory.org. The State Historic Preservation Office is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.