05/02/2020
HOT TOPICS ABOUT CASHION
Cashion in History
Cashion began as the town of Downs on a hill 3 miles (5 km) south of the Cimarron River. The first branch line of the Santa Fe and Rock Island railroads met just 1⁄2 mile (0.8 km) south of the hill at the county line. Downs, which had been declared the state capital (for one day), was taken down and moved down the hill to the railroad at what became Cashion.[citation needed]
Cashion was named for Roy Cashion of Hennessey, Oklahoma.[6] Roy, a graduate of the Hennessy Class of 1897, had a strong passion and belief in the freedom of the Cuban people. His graduation speech was entitled "Liberty for Cuba". When the territorial governor asked for volunteers, Cashion's name was first one on the list. He passed through this area on his way to join Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders in the Spanish–American War. On July 1, 1898, Cashion was killed by a gunshot to the head in the famous charge on San Juan Hill in Cuba. He is believed to be the first Oklahoman to die in battle on foreign soil.[6]
Incorporated in Oklahoma Territory in 1901, the town experienced a boom. Its growth peaked by 1915 and 1916. At this time, two railroads were running two trains a day into town from both Guthrie (the Santa Fe) and Kingfisher (the Rock Island). An oil boom brought in the "Cashion Pool", which was considered the largest single pool ever discovered. It ran from south of Cashion to just west of Enid.[citation needed]
Cashion was known as "The Town Too Tough to Die". While the neighboring towns of Downs, Wandell, Big Four, Lockridge, Navina, Reeding, Columbia and Lincoln Town all folded up and vanished in the Great Depression or shortly thereafter, Cashion hung on.[citation needed] However, the population declined as farms failed in the surrounding area. The Santa Fe Railroad abandoned its line in 1934, and the Rock Island removed its track in 1937. The population dropped from 291 in 1930 to 232 in 1940, then to its all-time low of 182 in 1950.[6]
A resurgent economy created more jobs in nearby Guthrie and Kingfisher, causing new residents to move into Cashion. In 1960, the census recorded 221 residents. The 1970 census recorded 329.[6]
Cashion made national news after a police officer tasered a 65 year old woman after a traffic stop for a broken car light. The woman was resisting arrest
