Garber’s history can be explored through three closely connected themes: the founding of the settlement, the surrounding agricultural activity, and the development of the oil industry. Together, they form a timeline stretching from the end of the 19th century to the buildings that shaped the following decades. Anyone interested in the history of a place will find several distinct aspects here that also form part of the bigger picture of Garber.
Location and Beginnings
Garber is located on State Highways 16/74, three miles north of their intersection with U.S. Highways 64/412 and 16 miles east of Enid. The Garber Town Company laid out the town in October 1899. That same year, the Enid and Tonkawa Railway built a branch line from North Enid to Billings. Garber’s founders purchased 180 acres near the railway line. The town’s founding and the railway’s construction were thus two events in the same year, offering a concrete starting point for exploring the area’s early history.
Agriculture is another early thread in Garber’s development. Settlers in the area grew wheat and vegetables and raised livestock. By 1905, four grain elevators served wheat farmers in the Garber area. Grain storage was an important part of agriculture for wheat farmers in the Garber area. Since 1899, the Garber Sentinel has kept residents informed. Many residents had Bohemian-Czech or German ancestry; these family backgrounds also contribute to the town’s historical diversity.
Agriculture and Oil History
Alongside crop growing and livestock raising, the natural gas and oil industries developed. The Garber Oil and Gas Company brought a natural gas well into production in 1905. Twelve years later, in 1917, the Sinclair Oil and Gas Company opened the Garber Field by drilling the R. E. Hoy No. 1 oil well. The two dates mark different milestones: natural gas production in 1905 and the opening of the oil field in 1917. Looking at Garber through the lens of its economic history, agriculture and energy production can thus be understood as distinct, successive themes.
Buildings and Local Heritage
Several dates associated with local buildings bring the story into the first decades of the 20th century. The Garber Hotel dates from 1920 and served as a permanent residence for oil executives during the oil booms of the 1920s and 1940s. Garber City Hall was built during the early 1920s oil boom. These details connect local history with the effects of oil development at the time, without conflating the different periods.
The Community Church of Christ dates from 1923. George Failing and the Garber family played a major role in its construction. The Wilcox Oil Company Building dates from 1927. Along with the hotel and City Hall, the church and commercial building provide different points of reference for the history of construction and community life. The dates help distinguish the buildings chronologically: they span the early 1920s oil boom through the second half of the decade.
The history of the Garber Community Theater also includes a renovation: the building was formerly a grocery store and was remodeled and renovated in 2006. An October 2025 report highlighted dinner theater performances as a defining feature of the program and noted a tradition spanning more than 25 years. If you would like to include a performance in your travel plans, check the current schedule in advance.
Discover more destinations: Enid, Waukomis.
For the broader travel overview: Garfield County.
