Fairfax History
In 1903, the Sante Fe Railway built a line through the Osage Reservation, passing through the Indian village of what is still known today as Gray Horse. Merchants in Gray Horse realized what new economic opportunities this new railroad would bring and Lew A. Wisemeyer persuaded railroad planners to build a depot about 5 miles Northeast of Gray Horse where he had secured around 40-acres for a townsite. The depot that was built originally going to be named “Coda” was disliked by Wisemeyer and his colleagues and was changed to Fairfax. This would become the name of the town as well which the Osage Tribe kept rights to. In 1907, the population of the town was around 500 and would peak at 2,300 in 1940.
Goode Mansion
The Goode Mansion is another mansion in Fairfax which was built on Native American land as a result of oil money. Presumably built in the 1920s when the oil and gas industry took off creating boom towns all over whose populations skyrocketed and then dropped drastically after the oil fell. The property includes the stately home, a two-story garage with butler quarters on the second floor, a large barn that has since gone, and a small second home made of wood. After serving its purpose as a home it was then turned into a headstart sometime in the ’80s or ’90s. It is an Osage Indian family home, the only way to restore or sell it requires every partial owner to agree on the final decision making it very unlikely anything will be done with it.
Gallery Below
