Situated in the northeastern quadrant of Custer County, Custer
City is located on State Highway 33, four miles east of U.S.
Highway 183. Originally, Custer City was known as Graves, when a
post office was established there on January 22, 1894, in the
dugout home of Phillip Graves, who served as the first
postmaster. Graves had participated in the Cheyenne-Arapaho
Opening on April 19, 1892. Between 1901 and 1903 the Blackwell,
Enid and Southwestern Railroad (later the St. Louis and San
Francisco Railway) constructed a line that connected the town
with Darrow in Blaine County to the northeast and the Red River
to the south. On September 28, 1904, the post office name
changed to Custer City, in honor of Lt. Col. George A. Custer
(who had reached the rank of major general during the Civil
War). Two years later the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway
(later the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway) also built a
line through Custer City. The townsite was opened for settlement
in July 1902 when the Frisco Townsi