These fountains are the legacy of Hermon Lee Ensign. Before his death in 1899, Ensign made his fortune in publishing and advertising. He was the founder of the Humane Alliance, a group dedicated to improving the lives of horses and other beasts of burden. When Ensign died, a large portion of his estate went to the Humane Alliance’s drinking fountain program.
The group donated at least 130 fountains to municipalities in 44 states, including Enid, Shawnee and Chickasha in Oklahoma. They were of various designs. Notice there are two places the water came out. The upper bowl was for horses while the lower bowls were for dogs. Most were made of polished Maine granite and trimmed in bronze.
Enid’s fountain was built in 1910 and was first located on the east side of Grand Street and in the center of Maine Street. During the 1930s, the fountain was struck by an automobile and was knocked from its pedestal resulting in a large chip in the bowl. The fountain laid broken in the street for quite some time and there were talks of disposing of it, but due to the efforts of the Daughters of the American Revolution, it was moved to Government Springs Park North, where it remained until it was relocated to this site on September 29, 1989, by a group of concerned citizens.
