Iraan's Name Still Carries the Yates Boom

Two dry holes preceded the strike. In October 1926, the I. G. Yates No. 1 well brought in oil, and the ranch headquarters became a boom town. The rush was hard to house in such an isolated place, so Ira Yates turned a barn into a hotel. People called the camp Red Barn Community.

In April 1927, Yates hired H. L. George to survey a townsite three miles north. A contest chose the name: C. R. Hallmark combined Ira with Ann, Yates's wife, to make Iraan. His prize was a city lot. K. P. Looney opened a service station, and the post office followed in 1928.

The boom also left a comic strip behind. Freelance writer V. T. Hamlin created Alley Oop while working in Iraan, and a city park honors the characters. The town name and the cartoon park both grew out of the same rush around the Yates field.