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On May 2, 1901, an election was held to determine whether the Sherman County seat should be moved from Coldwater (a ranching center in the central part of the county) to Stratford (a growing town on the new railroad). Partisan feelings ran high and the legality of certain votes was questioned. Because of a threatened injunction against the move, a special session of court was held at 1 a.m. on May 6. Votes were canvassed and, under cover of darkness, the county records were spirited to a tent about 2 blocks south of here. A horseman bringing the injunction to halt the move arrived too late. For several days apprehensive Stratford citizens kept an armed guard posted around the tent. Proponents of Coldwater then filed a suit titled "W.B. Slaughter Et Al. vs. D.W. Snyder Et Al.", but by the time court convened, Stratford had been widely accepted as county seat and the suit was dismissed. Those who helped move the records included D.W. Snyder, County Judge; C.F. Rudolph, County Clerk; Dick Pincham, Sheriff; D.D. Spurlock, Deputy Sheriff; Tom Chambers, Treasurer; W.J. Potts and J.H. Bowman, Jr., Commissioners; and J.M. Upshaw, a hired freighter. (1969) |
