Editing Stroud, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
Stroud was founded in 1892 and named for James W. Stroud, a developer. Early in its history, Stroud lay in Oklahoma Territory, where alcoholic drinks could be sold legally. Towns close to the boundary between Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory were known as "whiskey towns," and had a reputation as a "wild" town due to its many [[Western saloon|saloons]] and other businesses catering to thirsty [[cowboy]]s and travelers arriving from "dry" [[Indian Territory]]. These days were short-lived, however, because Oklahoma statehood in 1907, forced Stroud to become "dry" as well.<ref name="EOHC-Stroud">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=ST053 Beltz, Danny R. "Stroud." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.] Accessed April 21, 2018</ref>

In 1901, after a [[race riot]], Stroud became a [[sundown town]], with a prominent sign warning African Americans not to stay overnight.<ref>{{cite news|title=Outlines of Oklahoma|work=[[The Wichita Eagle|The Wichita Daily Eagle]]|location=Wichita, Kansas|date=September 3, 1901|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24237390/sdtstroudok1901/|via=Newspapers.com|quote=Last week, after the riat {{sic}} at Stroud, a sign was painted and stuck up on one of the prominent corners which read: 'Nigger, don't let the sun go down on U.'}}</ref>

During the first decade of the 20th century, Stroud's economy was based on cotton farming in the surrounding countryside. The population at statehood was 1,312. By 1909, Stroud had two banks, two newspapers, four cotton gins, and a cottonseed-oil mill, but the 1910 census showed population declined to 1,220.<ref name="EOHC-Stroud"/>

On March 27, 1915 Stroud became the victim of a legendary [[outlaw]]: "[[Henry Starr]], along with six other men, decided to rob two banks at the same time... The [Stroud] robbery would prove... disastrous for Henry Starr.  Proceeding to rob the Stroud National Bank and the First National Bank, word of the holdup spread quickly and the citizens took up arms against the bandits. Henry and another outlaw named Lewis Estes were wounded and captured in the gun battle. The rest of the gang escaped with $5815...".<ref name="Stroud, Oklahoma- Hell Raising in the 19th Century">{{Cite web|url=http://www.legendsofamerica.com/OK-Stroud.html|title=Stroud, Oklahoma- Hell Raising in the 19th Century|access-date=2008-07-04}}</ref> Henry was sentenced to prison at the [[Oklahoma State Penitentiary]], but was paroled after serving only four years.

The town became quiet until about 1926 when [[U.S. Route 66]] was built. When construction of the highway was completed, Stroud became a rest stop with amenities such as motels, gas stations and restaurants. The [[Rock Café]], built during the [[Great Depression]] using local sandstone removed during the construction of Route 66, operated 24 hours a day during its 1950s heyday. Business diminished after the [[Turner Turnpike]] diverted cross-country traffic from the town's main street.

Stroud was devastated by the [[1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak#Stroud F3 tornado|1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak]], which destroyed the town's 53-store Tanger Outlet Center, as well as a distribution center owned by foodservice company Sygma.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_19990524/ai_n10129472/ |work=The Journal Record |title=Stroud struggling to survive |first=Marie |last=Price |year=1999 }}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Neither of these facilities were rebuilt; the resulting loss of 800 jobs caused a significant amount of economic distress to the town.

In 2001, [[Pixar]] crews visited to research US 66 for the [[computer animation|animated film]] [[Cars (film)|Cars]], at a time when the town economy was still attempting to recover from the 1999 tornado, and the Rock Café was undergoing historic restoration. The character of [[Radiator Springs]] hotelier [[Sally Carrera]] is heavily based on Rock Café proprietor Dawn Welch and her efforts to promote and rebuild the town. A fire gutted the restaurant on May 20, 2008 but the grill and the original stone walls survived. The Rock Café was rebuilt by historic preservationist David Burke; Dawn Welch reopened the business on May 29, 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10446259|title=Stroud Café Reopens After Fire|publisher=[[KOTV-DT|KOTV]] 6 [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]]|date=May 2009}}</ref>