From the moment 10,000 settlers descended upon Oklahoma Station in 1889 and declared it Oklahoma City, the land surrounding the depot was destined to become the new community's hub of commerce. The wholesale district was first home to massive cotton operations. Wholesale grocers, livery stables, and hardware and implement distributors followed, building up sturdy brick edifices in the years leading up to Oklahoma's statehood in 1907. Almost every major railroad line dissected the area, which was once bordered to the south and east by the North Canadian River, and by World War I, oil derricks...