Atoka County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,007. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Atoka. The county was formed before statehood from Choctaw Lands, and its name honors a Choctaw Chief named Atoka.

History

The area forming Atoka County was part of the Choctaw Nation after the tribe was forced to relocate in the early 1830s to Indian Territory from its home in the Southeastern United States. Unlike the State of Oklahoma, whose county boundaries follow the precise north–south, east–west grid established with the state's township and range system, the Choctaw Nation established its internal divisions using easily recognizable landmarks, such as mountains and rivers, as borders. The territory of present-day Atoka County fell within the

Pushmataha District Pushmataha District was one of three administrative super-regions comprising the former Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. Also called the Third District, it encompassed the southwestern one-third of the nation. The Pushmataha District was na ...

, one of the three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation. Within that district, it was in parts of Atoka,

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

, and Jack's Fork counties. The Choctaw named their Atoka County in honor of Chief Atoka, a leader of a party that migrated from Georgia to Indian Territory; the name was retained when Oklahoma became a state.James C. Milligan, "Atoka County." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
/ref> In 1858, the

Butterfield Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service i ...

established a stagecoach route through the area. It carried passengers, US Mail, and some freight. One station, Waddell's, was near Wesley; a second station, Geary's, was between Waddell's and the Muddy Boggy River, while a third was at Boggy Depot. During the Civil War, Confederate troops established a supply depot named Camp Boggy Depot here. After the war, the town of Atoka was established. In 1872, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway (nicknamed the Christopher Casey) built a track through the county. It bypassed Boggy Depot and passed through Atoka; this access increased the importance of Atoka, but lack of the railroad contributed to the decline of Boggy Depot. The economy of Atoka County has been largely built on coal mining, limestone quarrying, forestry, and agriculture. Cattle raising became the leading business in the mid-twentieth century. A major employer is the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Farm (renamed the Mack H. Alford Correctional Center), a medium-security prison that opened in 1933.

Geography

Atoka County is in southeastern Oklahoma, in a 10-county area designated for tourism purposes by the

Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation The Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation is a department of the government of Oklahoma within the Tourism and Branding Cabinet. The Department is responsible for regulating Oklahoma's tourism industry and for promoting Oklahoma as a to ...

as Choctaw Country. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.5%) is water. Atoka County is drained by North Boggy, Clear Boggy and

Muddy Boggy Creek Muddy Boggy Creek, also known as the Muddy Boggy River, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 3, 2011 river in south central Oklahoma. The stream headwaters arise jus ...

s, which are tributaries of the Red River.

Atoka Reservoir Lake Atoka Reservoir (also called Atoka Lake) is a reservoir in southeastern Oklahoma, north of Atoka, Oklahoma, county seat of Atoka County, Oklahoma. It was built in 1959 to expand the water supply for Lake Stanley Draper Lake Stanley Draper is ...

is in the northern section of the county. The

Ouachita Mountains The Ouachita Mountains (), simply referred to as the Ouachitas, are a mountain range in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. They are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thru ...

are in the eastern part of the county, while the Sandstone Hills and Coastal Plains physiographic regions provide a more level terrain suitable for agriculture in the north and western part of the county. About 12 miles WSW of the town of Atoka is Boggy Depot State Park, the historic site of a once large community on the

stagecoach route. The

Katian The Katian is the second stage of the Upper Ordovician. It is preceded by the Sandbian and succeeded by the Hirnantian Stage. The Katian began million years ago and lasted for about 7.8 million years until the beginning of the Hirnantian millio ...

Age of the

Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start of the Silurian Period Mya. T ...

Period of geological time is named for Katy Lake, which is two miles north east of Atoka. The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (

GSSP A Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) is an internationally agreed upon reference point on a stratigraphic section which defines the lower boundary of a stage on the geologic time scale. The effort to define GSSPs is conducted ...

) of the Katian stage is the Black Knob Ridge Section in the county.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 69 * US 75

U.S. Highway 75 * Oklahoma State Highway 3

State Highway 3 * Oklahoma State Highway 7

State Highway 7 * State Highway 43 *

Indian Nation Turnpike The Indian Nation Turnpike, also designated State Highway 375 (SH-375), is a toll road in southeastern Oklahoma, United States, running between Hugo and Henryetta, Oklahoma, a distance of . It is the longest tollway in the state. Route descrip ...

Adjacent counties

* Pittsburg County (north) * Pushmataha County (east) * Choctaw County (southeast) * Bryan County (south) * Johnston County (west) * Coal County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

, there were 14,182 people, 4,964 households, and 3,504 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 14 people per square mile (5.5/km²). There were 5,673 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). 73.8% of the population were

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 13.8% Native American, 3.7% Black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 1.1% of some other race and 7.1% of two or more races. 2.9% were

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...

(of any race). 24.5% were of American, 11.7%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and 8.5%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

ancestry. 97.4% spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and 1.4%

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

as their first language. There were 4,964 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 117.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $24,752, and the median income for a family was $29,409. Males had a median income of $26,193 versus $18,861 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $12,919. About 15.70% of families and 19.80% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 25.40% of those under age 18 and 21.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Government and infrastructure

The

Oklahoma Department of Corrections The Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC or ODOC) is an agency of the state of Oklahoma. DOC is responsible for the administration of the state prison system. It has its headquarters in Oklahoma City, across the street from the headquarters ...

operates the

Mack Alford Correctional Center Mack H. Alford Correctional Center (MACC, originally the Stringtown Correctional Center) is an Oklahoma Department of Corrections prison in unincorporated Atoka County, Oklahoma, near Stringtown. The medium security prison, which opened in 1973 ...

in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

, near Stringtown.Mack Alford Correctional Center
."

. Retrieved on November 22, 2010.

Communities

City

* Atoka (county seat)

Towns

* Caney * Stringtown * Tushka

Census-designated places

* Wardville *

Lane In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each ...

Other unincorporated places

* Bentley * Bethany * Blackjack * Boehler *

Boggy Depot ''Boggy Depot'' is the debut solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell. The vinyl edition was released on March 31, 1998, and the CD was released on April 7, 1998 through Columbia Records. The album was named after the ...

* Bruno * Burg * Centerpoint * Chockie * Cook * Crystal * Daisy * Dok * East Allison * East Talico * Farris * Flora * Forrest Hill * Fugate * Goss * Grassy Lake * Half Bank Crossing * Harmony * Hickory Hill * High Hill * Hopewell * Iron Stob * Limestone Gap * Lone Pine * Mayers Chapel * McGee Valley * Mt. Carmel * Mt. Olive * Negro Bend * New Hope * Nix * Old Farris * Patapoe * Payton Crossing * Pine Springs * Plainview * Pleasant Hill * Redden * Reynolds * Rock Springs * Standing Rock * Star * Taloah * Valley View * Voca * Wards Chapel * Webster * Wesley * West Allison * West Telico * Wilson

NRHP sites

The following sites in Atoka County are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

: * Atoka Armory, Atoka * Atoka Community Building, Atoka * Isaac Billy Homestead and Family Cemetery, Daisy * Boggy Depot Site, Atoka * First Methodist Church Building, Atoka * First Oil Well in Oklahoma, Wapanucka * Indian Citizen Building, Atoka * Captain Charles LeFlore House, Limestone Gap * Masonic Temple, Atoka * Bo McAlister Site, Wapanucka * Middle Boggy Battlefield Site and Confederate Cemetery, Atoka * Old Atoka County Courthouse, Atoka * Old Atoka State Bank, Atoka * Pioneer Club, Atoka * Joe Ralls House, Atoka * Captain James S. Standley House, Atoka * Waddell's Station Site, Wesley * Zweigel Hardware Store Building, Atoka

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Atoka County

Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory

Atoka County Sheriff's Office
{{authority control 1907 establishments in Oklahoma Populated places established in 1907