appointed as receiver in the U.S land office in Oklahoma City by president William McKinley in 1897. Classen focused his efforts on inner-city beautification and infrastructure improvements, becoming president of both the Oklahoma City Building and Loan Association and the Oklahoma City Commercial Club in 1899. Classen worked closely with Shartel to add numerous housing divisions to accommodate the growing population, the first being the Highland Parks Addition in 1900. Along with this, "he was instrumental in getting city streets paved, in organizing Oklahoma City street fairs, and in promoting Oklahoma City as the location for Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders annual reunion in 1900". Shartel and Classen collaborated once again in 1902 with the creation of the Metropolitan Railroad Company, which created an efficient mass-transport system for downtown Oklahoma City. Classen was also responsible for organizing the University Development Company, and financed Epworth University (Now known as Oklahoma City University) which was officially established in 1904. Aside from his collaborations with Anton Classen, John Shartel bought twenty acres of land located at modern day 7th and 10th street, which became known as the Florence Addition. Prior to Classen's death in 1922, Shartel served as the Vice President on the Oklahoma City Building and Loan Association and the Oklahoma City Commercial Club, and overtook the position of president after Classen's death. James W. Maney also focused his efforts on creating a railroad system in Oklahoma City, and gained the reputation of "the largest railroad contractor in Oklahoma" by 1900. Maney built the second railroad into Oklahoma City, when the territory opened in 1889, and then worked closely with Classen and Olverhoser to focus on the growth and development in Oklahoma City. Maney's legacy is sealed by the historic Maney House, the mansion he resided in until is death in 1945, that is now used as a bed and breakfast. Pre World War II The new city continued to grow at a steady rate until December 4, 1928, when oil was discovered in the city. Oil wells popped up everywhere, even on the south lawn on the capitol building, and the sudden influx of oil money within the city and throughout the state greatly accelerated the city's growth. While those who had made money during this early oil boom largely escaped the Depression, the majority of Americans and Oklahomans were not so lucky. By 1935, rural migrants and unemployed workers had built