Editing Perry, Oklahoma (section)

===20th century===
In 1902, Carl Malzahn, a German immigrant, moved to Perry and opened the Malzahn Blacksmith Shop with his sons, Charles (Charlie) and Gus. The sons took over the business in 1913 and renamed it Malzahn Brothers' General Blacksmithing, specializing in repairing equipment for the nearby oil fields.  After Gus died in 1928, the surviving brother renamed the business, Charlie’s Machine Shop. Charlie's son, Ed, a mechanical engineer, joined the business in 1944. Ed noticed a need for a machine to replace hand digging trenches for the installation of residential utility lines, and set to work developing such a device. By 1948, he had a successful device, a compact trencher, which he called the [[Ditch Witch]]. Soon, Ditch Witch became a successful company, wholly owned by the now-renamed Charles Machine Works Company, since 2019 a subsidiary of [[The Toro Company]].  It has grown into the largest employer in Perry and in Noble County, employing approximately 1,300 people.<ref name="EOHC-DW">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=DI010 Hannemann, Carolyn G. "Ditch Witch." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.] Accessed November 17, 2016.</ref>

[[Timothy McVeigh]] was stopped on April 19, 1995, along [[Interstate 35 in Oklahoma|Interstate 35]] outside of Perry by [[Oklahoma Highway Patrol]] Trooper Charlie Hanger. Trooper Hanger had passed McVeigh's yellow 1977 [[Mercury Marquis]] and noticed it had no license plate. He arrested McVeigh for carrying a loaded firearm. Three days later, while still in jail, McVeigh was identified as the subject of a nationwide manhunt for the perpetrator of the [[Oklahoma City bombing]], which had happened on the day of McVeigh's arrest.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/stories/ok042295.htm Arrest of Timothy McVeigh]</ref><ref>[http://countyext.okstate.edu/nwdistrict/County%20Extension%20Offices/noble.htm] Noble County Information</ref>