Editing Fairview, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
The first permanent settlers arrived in the area of the present town at the time of the [[Cherokee Outlet]] land opening on September 16, 1893. The town received its name from Adam Bower, an early settler, because of its scenic location along the [[Cimarron River (Arkansas River)|Cimarron River]]. The Bower family built a wooden building in which they opened a post office on April 18, 1894. One of Adam's sons, Clifford, served as the first postmaster.<ref name="EOHC-Fairview">Wilson, Linda D., ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. "Fairview." Retrieved July 30, 2020.[https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=FA007]</ref>

The [[Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway]] (later part of the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad]]), built a track through Fairview. The first train arrived on August 20, 1903. The railroad soon established machine shops, a [[Railway roundhouse|roundhouse]], and a division office in the town.<ref name="EOHC-Fairview"/>

The town site was originally within territorial [[Woods County, Oklahoma|Woods County]], but became part of [[Major County, Oklahoma|Major County]] upon its creation at statehood. It was designated as the county seat of Major County, which became permanent after an election December 22, 1908. It beat three competing communities that vied for the title: [[Cleo Springs, Oklahoma|Cleo Springs]], [[Orienta, Oklahoma|Orienta]], and [[Ringwood, Oklahoma|Ringwood]]. Fairview had 887 residents at statehood, increasing to 2,020 in 1910.<ref name="EOHC-Fairview"/>