Ray had impact on history 

On Sept. 21, 1891, a young woman stepped across the boundary line dividing Oklahoma County and the area opened for settlement.

The area was designated as County B, soon renamed Pottawatomie County. Few could have guessed what an impact Etta Ray would have on the future of Shawnee.

Etta Ray was a single young lady of good education. Her family moved from Illinois, where Etta grew up, to Oklahoma to participate in the Land Run of 1889. The Ray family established a business in the booming town of Oklahoma City.

It was there that Etta met Henry G. Beard. The couple was soon engaged.

On hearing that a new section of Oklahoma Territory was opening for pioneer settlement, the Rays and the Beards decided to join the people hoping to stake a claim in the new county. Henry was to have made the Run, but business in Oklahoma City detained him.

Etta decided to take his place at the starting point, which is now Kickapoo street in Shawnee.

Along with her future father-in-law John W. Beard and sister-in-law Lola Beard, Etta set out the day prior to the Run. Making camp over night, the group made their plans. Etta and Lola were to simply step over the line and immediately stake their claims. This plan proved successful for Etta, however Lola's claim was contested and the adversary had to be bought out by John Beard.

Once her claim was staked, Etta immediately set up a tent and spread out her belongings. This way she would have an established and indisputable claim to the property. The ploy worked; no one chose to dispute her.

A few days later Henry Beard and Etta's father arrived. They brought some rough logs with them which they hewed by hand into square logs. When finished, Henry returned to the city. Together with her father, Etta began to build a house out of the logs. Rough windows and doors were cut out and a shingled roof completed the work.

In November 1891 Etta married Henry Beard and the two soon set up house keeping in the little two-story cabin. It was the first built in what was to become the town of Shawnee.

The township of Shawnee was established on the claims of Elijah Alley, John Beard, James Farrall and Etta Ray. The claims were divided into town lots and rented or sold to various business interests.

Most of the downtown area was once part of Etta's claim. Woodland Park was in the far Northeast section of the claim.

The Beard Cabin, as the little log home was called, originally was located on the Southeast corner of Kickapoo and Highland. A much larger Victorian-style house soon replaced it as the family dwelling. Because of the sentimentality attached to the cabin it was allowed to remain standing.

Henry and Etta Beard soon became town leaders. Henry was a prominent local banker and owned several pieces of real estate. He was appointed the leading town official by the first city commissioners. Etta was the town's first postmaster, and often took over Henry's official duties because he was frequently out of town.

Just before Henry and Etta moved from Shawnee to the town of Henryetta, which was named for them, the couple turned over the cabin to the city of Shawnee.  The cabin was located in Woodland Park until a 1998 tornado damaged it and it was moved to the grounds of the Santa Fe Depot.