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Unrecorded view of Guthrie, Oklahoma, only 9 months after the establishment of its post office and the Land Run of 1889.

Guthrie was originally an Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway station called Deer Creek back in 1887. Not long prior to that and it was unassigned Indian lands that had been under the Creek Reservation. With the Land Run of April 22, 1889 it became an overnight metropolis. Within months, Guthrie became a modern brick and stone "Queen of the Prairie" with municipal water, electricity, a mass transit system, and underground parking garages for horses and carriages. Hobart Johnstone Whitley, also known as HJ and the Father of Hollywood, was the first president of the Guthrie Chamber of Commerce. Whitley built the first brick block building in the territory for his National Loan & Trust Company. He was asked by the local people to be the first Governor of Oklahoma. Whitley traveled to Washington, D.C. where he persuaded the U.S. Congress to allow Guthrie to be the new capital of the state of Oklahoma. By 1907, when Guthrie became the capital, it looked like a well established Eastern city.

Engraved 9 months after the Land Run, this rare birds eye view of Guthrie, the "Queen of the Prairie" shows large grid of streets a variety of homes and buildings, and a numbered key identifies two dozen buildings of interest, from the land office and public schools to the numerous businesses and churches.

The view was used as a promotional piece for local businessman, G.F. Herriott for his businesses, and real estate. Smith's First Directory of Oklahoma Territory (published August 1, 1890), lists G.F. Herriott & Co. as Real Estate, Loan and Insurance Agents in Guthrie, although the firm's headquarters would appear to have been in Kansas City.

The view is extremely rare. We located no other examples in OCLC. Fowler also produced a view of Oklahoma City in 1890 which was reproduced by Reps, but there is no evidence suggesting any other known examples of this view.