A century ago, Edmond was ringing in the New Year of 1926. According to the front-page editorial by A.D. Dailey of The Edmond Sun, Edmond’s previous year had been a prosperous one. The town was expanding, with 50 new houses, another cotton gin, the expansion of Eagle Milling Company, and a new auditorium at Central State Teachers College.
World War I was over, and the economy had rebounded. Still an agricultural town with a population of only 2,500, Edmond was largely independent of Oklahoma City, which was miles away across the prairie.
Stores in downtown Edmond carried all the basic necessities. It cost 10¢ to buy a can of soup, $10 for a shotgun, $25 for a Philco tabletop radio, and $590 for a Ford sedan. Officials urged citizens to shop locally when possible, as a neighborly courtesy to Edmond business owners…