City Spotlight: The City of Marietta

December 19, 2017

Nestled snuggly between State Highway 32 and the corner junction of US Route 77 is a small farming community known as Marietta, Oklahoma. Fabled to have been named after the first postmaster’s wife, Mary Washington, this small Red River community has always been known for its fertile land, hospitable inhabitants, and at one time, a “broken cookie,” factory. 

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Founded in 1887 after the first laying of rail lines, Marietta was originally known for its cotton production. It quickly grew after the induction of the first train depot in 1910. It remained a major thoroughfare for businessmen and farmers alike during the Industrial boom of the Santa Fe Railway passing from Texas to Kansas. That was, until the beginning of the Cold war era in 1954, when Little Brownie Bakers opened a cookie factory and became the main artery of the town for the next 50 years.

Thousands of folks stopped to buy bargain bags of cookies. But, they didn’t just take their cookies and run – most would grab a bite to eat and fill up their tank. “Oh, I can remember dad saying, 'Get your clothes on we’re going on a trip,' early on Saturday mornings. He usually had a delivery in Texas and with 2 young kids vying for adventure, that meant we were going to the cookie factory,” said Jamie Smith. “He’d let us each take a dollar in and get our own bag of broken cookies. I felt so grown up! And, you always knew when we were getting close;  as soon as you hit the end of the Ardmore exits on I-35 you could smell the sugar lingering in the air. It’s a childhood memory I’ll always carry with me.”

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Now, the famous sign that teased, “A big bag, 99 cents!” has long been painted over. On January 20, 2004 Keebler decided to close the doors of the beloved factory. “It scared us all,” commented long-time resident & local business owner Lawrence Anderson, “we thought, for sure, we’d either move to Ardmore or Texas after they closed. But, the city persevered.” Anderson, a life-long resident of Marietta, owns the local photography studio. “I was born and raised here. It’s all I’ve ever known. All I’ve ever wanted to know.”

City Administrator, Dustin Scott, started as a Marietta police officer in 2007 and gradually climbed his way up the municipal ladder. “Marietta is such a unique place,” he said, “Although it’s growing more and more every year, it’s small enough to where you can drive down the street and people wave at you and know who you are; they stop you in the store and ask about your family and I think anyone could really appreciate the togetherness and sense of community that still exists here.” Scott was recently appointed to his Administrator position in August of this year and when asked what his biggest joy is in serving the people of such a small community is, he chuckled, “ I think one of the most rewarding things for me as a municipal official is being able to serve your fellow employees. Being in a small town, we don’t have the same resources that a place like Oklahoma City would have, but because of our sense of community it’s easy to look past the usual competitiveness to be better than your fellow man. We can stretch, bend and accommodate a lot of local resources that get donated to the city and it’s truly rewarding for me, personally.”

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Even with the bustling Winstar Casino just minutes down the road, Marietta has successfully retained its small town charm over the years. On Friday evenings, most of the town can be seen pulling into the high school’s football stadium.  During the holiday season, there is a gathering of the locals to light the town’s Christmas tree outside the court house, and when summer rolls around, the town seems to flock to Lake Murray – Oklahoma’s largest state park.

Scott has high hopes for the future of Marietta, “I’m really excited for what our council has in store for us. I’m hoping in the near future to promote more economic development and possibly foster, within our citizens, a deeper sense of community. I want them to feel like they can count on the city and come to us with their problems and know that we’re going to do what we can to fix them. “

 

 

 

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