Editing Marble City, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
The area around what is now the Town of Marble City was considered part of [[Lovely County, Arkansas Territory|Lovely County]], [[Arkansas Territory]] until 1829. In that year, the Federal Government began moving the Western Cherokees from other parts of Arkansas Territory into this area, then called Nicksville. Non-Indian settlers were ordered to vacate, and the Arkansas Territorial Legislature ended its claim to the land. [[Dwight Presbyterian Mission|Dwight Mission]] took over Nicksville.<ref name="EOHC-Marble City">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=MA020  Larry O'Dell, "Marble City," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.]  Accessed May 25, 2012.]</ref> The area became part of [[Indian Territory]].

A post office named Kidron was established in this area in 1835, to serve the Cherokee settlers in this area. The office moved to another location in 1858, where it was named Marble Salt Works. Another Kidron post office opened near Dwight Mission in 1859, but was discontinued in 1869. In 1869, the Post Office opened a new location named Kedron. By 1895, when commercial-scale quarrying of [[marble]] began in this area, the [[Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad]] (later known as the [[Kansas City Southern Railway]]) laid tracks through the area, the Kedron post office moved closer to the railroad and a marble quarry, and was renamed as Marble. The name was chosen because of its proximity to Oklahoma's only true marble outcrops. Commercial quarrying began there in 1895. The Ozark Marble Company operated the quarry from 1906 to 1914, producing material for building construction.<ref name="EOHC-Marble City"/>

One major project using marble from Marble City was the [[Oklahoma City]]'s Pioneer Telephone Building. Another was the Administration Hall at Rice Institute, which is now Lovett Hall at [[Rice University]]: it is made of red St. Joe bricks made in Louisiana with clay from [[Buffalo Bayou]] in [[Houston]], Texas; pink granite from [[Llano, Texas]]; and gray marble from Marble City, Oklahoma.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Fitts |first=Dora A. |date=1934 |title= A History of Rice Institute |url= https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/62411712.pdf |degree= Master of Science |publisher= College of Education, [[Butler University]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Live from Rice: New camera streams 24/7 video of iconic landmark |url=https://news.rice.edu/news/2022/live-rice-new-camera-streams-247-video-iconic-landmark |website=News and Media Relations |publisher=Rice University |access-date=April 1, 2024}}</ref>

Watie Davault served as mayor of Marble City for 47 years, when he retired in 1961.<ref name="EOHC-Marble City"/>