Oakie's Heartland Clippings

Vol. 75 No. 40, September 9, 1999

Pioneer Prairie Dreamers, Part II
(History of Runnymede Arms)

Looking back at the history of our Oklahoma pioneers I am finding that the dreams of the neighboring states to the north and all around us have played a significant and historical roll in the northwestern counties of Oklahoma.

In 1886 a few Englishmen along with J. S. Turnley (a.k.a. Ed, Ned, Francis and "Lord of a Western Paradise") had dreams of incorporating and building an English colony called the Runnymede in Harper County, Kansas for the caring and teaching of the younger sons of the English and Irish gentry to become English gentlemen farmers.

On that dream the Runnymede Colony of Kansas was built in 1886 with incorporated capital of $4800 in 160 shares with Francis "Ned" Turnley as promoter, Lt. Wm Hope Hooper, and Capt. Percy A. E. Wood as directors. Lt. Hooper was the Sec-manager. The architect was C.W. Terry of Wichita, KS. The contractor was J. A. Nixon, out of Wichita, KS. It was located in the NE part of Harper County near the Chikaskia River. Turnley's dream for this 17,000 Acre English colony was located twelve miles NE of Harper, Kansas and lasted only a few short years before becoming defunct.

The English sons were sent there to become gentlemen farmers, but they earned the reputations of irresponsible playboys who enjoyed their drinking, dancing, horse racing, hunting and riotous revelries a little too much. Reality set in and replaced the fanciful tainted tales of this colony as it withered and died. The remnants of Runnymede are scattered over Kansas and Oklahoma. Only one lone tombstone was left as a reminder that Runnymede ever existed. British settlers scattered likewise across the Kansas areas to become respectable and successful.

According to the announcement that ran in the "The Alva Pioneer Newspaper", Nov. 17, 1893, pg. 3, 1st. col., towards the bottom, another group of men had a dream of the Finest Hostelry in Alva, Oklahoma Territory, County of "M" in November, 1893. The announcement read as follows, "Lew Lebrecht and several parties from Medicine Lodge have formed a company, purchased the Runnymede Hotel and will move it to Alva. This is a large building, with forty rooms, and will possibly be the best hotel in the strip. -- Harper Sentinel."

A week later another announcement was printed in "The Alva Pioneer", Nov. 24, 1893, "Mort Strong was at Harper and Alva last week completing arrangements to have the Runnymede Hotel moved to the capital of county M. His partner is Lew Lebrecht, of Harper. Mort will act in the capacity of landlord while Lew with his bewitching charms will run a good house and it is already reputed to be the finest hostelry, present or prospective, in the strip. -- Medicine Lodge Index."

It was known as an impossible journey for such a large structure to be moved back then. Because of a dream of a few men and their determination, the Runnymede made it to Alva and was reconstructed on the NE corner of the square in downtown Alva, at Fourth & Flynn on the SE corner of the intersection, November 1893.

It went through several name changes from when it was moved to Alva. From "Hendrickson Hotel" to "Runnymede Arms". About 1910 it became the "Rhodes Hotel". In 1918 to 1922 it was known as the "Gunn Hotel" and then afterwards went back to the "Runnymede Hotel". During the 1920s the three-story originally wooden structure was reportedly bricked.

Today we still can see the dreams of a few Woods County citizens (Runnymede Renovation Committee) that have banded together to save the Historical Runnymede. They bought the hotel from the Joe Denner Estate and are in the process of restoring it with financial support from private individuals and the Morton Share Trust.

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