However, the Rock Island railroad bypassed the town in 1901 and created the locale that became Guymon, Oklahoma.

Most of Hardesty’s residents and businesses relocated to Guymon, and the original town withered.

[5] The town nevertheless incorporated in 1947 and remains in place, complete with a post office and a school district covering 250 square miles.

The town is approximately 18 miles southeast of Guymon along Oklahoma State Highway 3,[8] which runs concurrently with U.S. Route 412 through Hardesty.

In 2007, a lawsuit was brought against the local high school for religious discrimination and failure to separate church and state, after a student allegedly was kicked off the basketball team for refusing to participate in compulsory pre and post game prayers.

[11] PACER shows the federal case, CIV-06-845-M, ended with that Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice filed October 29, 2008, and signed by all parties.