Between 1873 and 1875, William Ringo moved his family to Indian Territory.
In 1873 the Ringo family appeared on the U.S. Census for Tyro, Kansas. Leaving Kansas, the family settled on the Stokes farm, located northwest of Dewey, Oklahoma.
Being in poor health, William Ringo's family took care of him until he passed away in 1875 and was buried in the Stokes Cemetery.
With their large family, the Ringo family expanded the population everywhere they lived. George Ringo, the son of William Ringo, had six sisters and two brothers. After the passing of William Ringo, the family's patriarch, the children stayed in the area, eventually congregating in the Nowata area over the years.
From the Stokes farm, they moved to Bartles Place, and in 1877 they moved to Silver Lake.
Over the next ten years, the family moved into the business sector. In 1887 George opened a trading post on the west bank of the Caney River a few miles south of Oglesby. His daughter, Huldah Ann Ringo Bennett, opened a trading post a few miles away about the same time.
A prominent family in the area, now the area around the trading post, became known as Ringo. In December 1889, a post office was opened with Charles Keeler appointed as the first Postmaster.
The post office remained in operation until February 1900. The Ringo post office operated out of the store owned by Charles Keeler.
Ringo was a gateway to much of the history of Washington County. During the 1880s and into the 1890s, many farmers and ranchers migrated into the Ringo area. Among them were the Keelers and Johnstones, two of the founders of Bartlesville.
The Tyner and Barker families (the Barkers are the current owners of the Ringo Hotel on 3000 Road) lived and operated in Ringo.
Happy Hill Church
Two things, even today, can create more turmoil in a community than any other influence: politics and Religion. Ringo was no different in this respect. Like so many communities, the schools often operated as venues for politics and religious gatherings.
Established in 1916, the Happy Hill Church held its services in the small Ringo schoolhouse. Considered to be "Holiness Revivals," members received the Pentecostal blessing.
In 1921, the school board voted to end the meetings in their schoolhouse. The Church moved one mile south to a hay barn owned by John and Martha Street.
According to the church administrator, the Ringo school was, at some point, moved (using buckboards) to the property.
The Streets were so moved by the revivals that when the school voted to stop the revivals at the school, they donated the land to the Church.
For several years the name "Street Mission" was used when referring to the Church.
The Church became affiliated with The Church of God of the Apostolic Faith, based out of Tulsa. The revivals were well known for joyous laughing, shouting, and loud crying by the saints. People passing by often remarked, "This is a happy hill." The Church picked up the nickname "Happy Hill Church” and eventually incorporated it into the official church name.
When the Santa Fe Railroad extended its line through Washington County in 1900, it missed the Ringo area completely. With the railroads often being the deciding factor in the survival of a community, Ringo slowly shrank until it no longer existed.
Today, the only remaining structure associated with Ringo is the Ringo Hotel. Now owned by the Barkers, it has been converted into a private residence. The Happy Hill Church, located on 3100 Road, still exists and has a memorial center that shows the history of the Church.
At the time of this writing, I am still researching Ringo and will have more history to share when the book for Ghost Town In Oklahoma – Washington County is published.
REFERENCES
[1] Family Histories of Washington County Area, Oklahoma. (2007). Walsworth Publishing Company.
[2] Shirk, G. H. (1987). Oklahoma Place Names. Norman: University Of Oklahoma Press.
[3] Teague, M. W. (n.d.). A History of Washington County.
[4] Bartlesville Area History Museum
[5] Historical Atlas of Oklahoma. (1965). John W. Morris