This town is situated in the municipal township of Cole, on the Mansfield branch of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad, thirteen miles south in a direct line from Fort Smith, and one and a half miles from Jenson Junction. The first store on the present site of the village was opened about the year 1860, by A. B. Merrill. Another store was opened in 1872 or thereabouts by B. F. Hackett and Christopher Swisher. At this time B. F. Hackett, who owned the land on which most of the town is located, conceived the idea of establishing a permanent town, and to this end he began to give away lots to individuals who would agree to erect buildings thereon, and continued thus to donate lots until about 1886, or until the town was permanently established. In 1872 the prospective town contained only one dwelling-house, one store and one blacksmith shop, and had only one mail per week, and that came from Fort Smith. In 1886 the town had a population of from 200 to 250, and it now has a population estimated by the best authority (the mayor) at 1,200. A general survey and plat of the town has recently been made by the Kansas & Texas Coal Company, now operating the coal mines of Hackett City.

Following is the present business directory of the town: General merchandise, Kansas & Texas Coal Company, McMurtrey, Akin & Co., Upchurch & Sons, Hale & Co., P. B. Cole, J. C. Welch, Doyle & Co.; groceries, by Nutter, Howell, M.W. Christopher; drugs, Savage & Son, Forbes Bros.; hardware, Buck Williams; furniture and undertaking, W. T. Quinley & Co.; restaurants, Samuel Beaty, C. T. Wilson; millinery, Mrs. McAllister and Mrs. Murphy; dress-making, Mrs. Williams; meat markets, Samuel Goode, Pruett & Son; Saloons, W. L. Walker, Irvin & Co ., Al. Belt, J.F. Surratt; livery, T. J. Jorden; hotels, Hackett City Hotel by J. F. Surratt, Southern Hotel by Mrs. Jorden physicians, Gorden & McGinty, Savage, Watson, W. J. Brinks, H.W. Fannin, Forbes; dentist J. Cash; attorney's P. D. Brewer, J.A. Hale; real estate agents, Williams & Harrell; also one barber shop, two blacksmith and wood shops, the flouring mill and cotton-gin of Medlin & Miller, the post-office, and the planning-mill of the Bloomburg Lumber Co., who are also dealers in lumber, doors, sash and blinds. The town contains three frame church edifices, Cumberland Presbyterian, Methodist Episcopal, South, and Baptist, each erected at a cost of about $800, and two public school-houses.

The most important business of Hackett City is that carried on by the Kansas & Texas Coal Company. This company commenced operations early in 1887, opened up a mine and sunk a shaft 150 feet deep on the west side of the town. They employ about 125 men at this mine, and excavate and ship from ten to fifteen car loads of coal per day. They have at this writing (October, 1888) from fifteen to twenty men engaged opening a slope to another coal mine about one mile east of the town. The pay-roll of this company for the month of September last, not including the expense of running their general store, was $6,500.

Hackett City was incorporated as a town September 18, 1886. The officers at present are B. F. Hackett, mayor; M. W. Christopher, recorder; J. E. Hale, treasurer, and L. P. Davenport, marshal. The board of aldermen consists of P. D. Brewer, J. D. Bender, Thomas Eskridge, P. J. Medlin and A. H. Gorden. The financial condition of the town is good, its scrip being at par.

Societies. - Amity Lodge No. 267, A. F. & A. M., received its charter, dated November 8, 1871, from Grand Master S. W. Williams. The officers named on the charter were John McClure, W. M.; William H. Shoemaker, S. W., and Ezaas Baker, J. W. Other charter members were R. P. Pulliam, H. H. Mouser, William C. Brewer, T. A. Parrish, Samuel K. Smith, J. E. McBride and J. Windham. The present officers are James A. Williams, W. M.; P. D. Brewer, S. W.; Asa Perdue, J. W.; C. M. Bagwell, Secretary; J. D. Bender, Treasurer; I. S. Ray, Tyler. The lodge has seventy-seven members in good standing, and is out of debt and has money on hand. They own their hall, but contemplate building a new one soon.

Lone Five Lodge No. 43, I.O.O.F., was organized April 17. 1888, with Hugh Hetherington, N.G.; A. H. Gorden, Vice G., and John Milling, Secretary. It has about twenty members meets in the Masonic Hall, and is in good financial condition.

Oklahoma Lodge No. 3362, Knights of Honor, was organized December 1, 1887, with the following named officers, to wit: H. Clay, D.; L. W. Bryant, Past D.; W. L. Walker, V.D.; G. A. Belt, Asst. D.; M. W. Christopher, Reporter; T. F. Patterson, F. R.; E. W. Harper, Treasurer, The lodge has now twenty members, and its financial condition is good.

Horse Shoe Assembly No. 10685, Knights of Labor, was organized August 27, 1887, with E. A. Holden as Master Workman, and John M. Kelley as Secretary. it has now about 100 members.

Prairie View Agricultural Wheel, No. 596, was organized recently. It meats on the second Saturday in each month, at 1 o'clock P.M., at Roxanna hall. James J. Short is president, and J. W. Clark. secretary.

Excelsior Wheel, No. 1749, meets at the Christian church on the first Saturday in each month at 7 o'clock P.M. W. J. Tramell, president; J. W. Loudermilk, secretary.

The Hackett City Building and Loan Association was organized May 2, 1887, with a capital stock of $100,000. Forty thousand of this amount has been taken up, and is being paid in. The officers of the association, are T. F. Patterson, president; J. D. Bender, secretary, and B. F. Hackett, treasurer. The board of directors include the officers, and P. D. Brewer, James A. Williams, G. A. Belt and W. T. Quinley. The association is meeting with good success, and several of its members are securing homes of their own through its operations.

The Press. - The Hackett City Horse Shoe was established May 7, 1886, by Capt. James A. Williams, who still continues its publication. It is an eight-column folio, neatly printed and able edited in the interest of Hackett City and the surrounding country. In politics it is Democratic.