History and Culture of Fairfax, Oklahoma

Fairfax, was founded in 1903 in the southwestern section of the Osage Indian Reservation (now known Osage County).

Maria Tallchief, universally recognized as America's first great prima ballerina, was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma, of Scotch, Irish, and American Indian descent. She excelled in two of the performing arts - dance and music -; and at age 15 chose a career in ballet. Among her teachers was famed dancer and choreographer Bronislava Nijinska, sister of the legendary Nijinski and member of the innovative Diaghilev Ballet.

Maria and Marjorie (also a noted ballerina) Tallchief were raised on the Osage Reservation in the 10 room terra-cotta brick home featured on the homepage of this site. The Tallchief home and several buildings built by the Alexander Joseph Tallchief (including the local theatre) still stand today. More on this piece of history...

	How Fairfax Got its Name...
	When the Santa Fe Railway was built through this area, a group of Trader-Merchants at Grayhorse IT, located two miles east of the proposed railroad, asked for a station to be located on the line. The businessmen, seeing the advantage of having a town on the railroad, moved their businesses from Grayhorse to the station site. The name chosen for the station by the railroad was Coda but residents thought that sounded too 'wild west'. L.A. Wismeyer, founder of Fairfax, has spent many days in Washington D.C. on business concerning the townsite. He and his wife stayed at the Hotel Fairfax. They suggested Fairfax as a name for the new town. The residents of the new community liked the name and with railroad company permission the name was changed to Fairfax.

>>Fairfax High School Alumni Website
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