Yukon, born in 1891 with about 25 residents, has grown in its 108 years to a thriving community with a population of over 24,000. A. N. Spencer, a cattleman from Texas, became a railroad builder. He was building a rail line from El Reno to Arkansas. On this route there were no towns between El Reno and Oklahoma City. Spencer was a planner and a builder and he decided to start a town on the proposed railroad route about 12 miles east of El Reno.
He purchased part of two quarter sections north of the present Main Street. The land belonged to Luther Morrison and Minnie Taylor. He also bought two quarter sections south of Main Street from Joseph Carson and his sister Josephine. A. N. Spencer was busy building the railroad so he brought in his brothers, L. M. Spencer, William Spencer, and Sam Spencer to help build the town. Friends who came to help were Dan, Sam and George Hogan, J. M. and Joe Farris, and D. S. McEwen. The first small houses and businesses were on the north side of Spencer Avenue (now Main Street) and present Fourth and Fifth Streets. They had to haul building materials from El Reno or Oklahoma City. At that time there was a dirt road on the north side of the North Canadian River from El Reno to Oklahoma City. There was a dirt trail on the south side of the North Canadian River.
According to an early newspaper, the Canadian County Courier of April 1, 1891, “Yukon, the young giant of Canadian County is located on the Choctaw Railroad between Oklahoma City and El Reno, the county tributary to Yukon having 250 square miles in the first part of Oklahoma Territory. “Since A. N. Spencer filed the plat on February 14, 1891 there have been 25 homes built, one bank, two real estate offices, two restaurants, a lumber yard, a hardware store, a grocery, a livery stable, two saloons, a blacksmith shop, a printing office, a barber shop and another one about completed.”The bank was A. N. Spencer’s private bank. His brother L. M. Spencer had a real estate agency. A. N. Spencer built a lovely two-story white house for his family on the south edge of town (now Poplar Street).
The town grew slowly. In 1901 they finally voted to incorporate. There was no water or sewer until 1910 when they voted for water works, sewer and electricity from the mill. Nearly all of the businesses were on Main Street between Fourth and Fifth until the ‘20’s. The interurban was built from Oklahoma City to El Reno in 1911 and was great for transportation until it closed in 1940. A few sidewalks were built but there was no street paving until Route 66 came through Main Street about 1926. The largest industrial growth came from the Yukon Mill and Grain Company owned by the Kroutils and Dobrys. From a small milling operation in 1893 they grew tremendously, and by 1915 were shipping flour and feeds throughout the south and even overseas. In the 1930s, the Dobry family withdrew and built the Dobry Mills. New businesses were opening and the town was spreading out. With the railroad, flour mill, grain elevators, stores, churches, rich farm land, and it’s close proximity to Oklahoma City, Yukon continued to prosper and became a place to work, live, and play. The people of Yukon present a blend of ancestral background. Anglo-American, Czechoslovakian, American Indian, Hispanic, African, and Asian cultures mix to form a community of people living and working together with appreciation for each other’s ethnic heritage. Yukon is also the home of country music star Garth Brooks and cowboy actor Dale Robertson. Yukon has a city government, which began with a three-man board and has progressed to a city manager system with a five-person city council. The City manages numerous departments including, water, streets, fire, police, parks, treatment and supply, sanitation, billing, equipment maintenance and building maintenance.
— The History incorporates material from the official City of Yukon website, www.cityofyukonok.gov, and is used with permission.
