The History of Union City, Oklahoma

April 1884

By Leo A. Demmer

At this point let us look at an early day map of Union City and see where these business places were located. We will start on the corner where Jack Woolard and Teresa Woolard have their country market. The first business here was the location of a service station. Now west across the tracks where Mrs. Cecil Simmons lives now (1986). This was the location of Joe strunk's Hotel, built in 1892. Across the street west of the hotel was Johnson's Saloon, west of the saloon was the Mitchell's Restaurant and their home. Next comes the McCandles china ware shop, next was my grandfather's (Nick Hentzen) blacksmith shop. He also had a saloon next to the blacksmith shop. Just south of this saloon Tom Kirby had a hatchery.

Where the Baptist Church is today John Petree had a grocery store and furniture stare. (This is the same John Petree who later established the Petree Ranch west of Union City.) Behind the Petree store was a creamery and south of the creamery was the butcher shop. West of the Petree store M.P Kelly had a grocery and dry goods store. When Kelly moved his store north across the street Joe Clasen had a pool hall in this location. Kelly also had two storage buildings west of his store. South across the street from the old bank Charles Liebler had a grocery store and an insurance agency. Later a lean-to on the west of the Liebler store become Kelly's store for eggs. Kelly handled lots of eggs through this store. On some Saturdays he would ship out 100 crates of eggs on the 6:15 p.m. train (each crate of eggs contained 30 dozen). Joe Michalicka used to work for M.P. Kelly and part of his job was to make these wooden crates. He wold make 200 each week. Joe said when he worked for Kelly it was from sun up to sun down and all of this for $1.00 per day. Ralph Patzack and Hermon Leverick used to haul these eggs to the depot and load them on the evening train. The eggs were sent to Oklahoma City. Some of the other early day employees of Kelly were Mayme Conrad Gatz and Vera Needham.

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