Binger is a town in Caddo County,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, United States. The population was 672 at the 2010 census. It is the headquarters of the

Caddo Nation of Oklahoma The Caddo people comprise the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma. They speak the Caddo language. The Caddo Confederacy was a network of Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, who ...

, who were settled in the area during the 1870s.May, Jon D. "Binger." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Accessed September 14, 2018.

History

Binger was established immediately after the opening of the Wichita-Caddo Reservation in August 1901, and organized by the Washita Valley Townsite Company. It was named for

Binger Hermann Binger Hermann (February 19, 1843 – April 15, 1926) was an American attorney and politician in Oregon. A native of Maryland, he immigrated to the Oregon Territory with his parents as part of the Baltimore Colony. Hermann would serve in both ...

, then Commissioner of the U. S. Land Office. A post office named Binger opened in November, 1901. Binger's early economy was based on agriculture in the surrounding area, and whose principal crops were peanuts and cotton. The Enid and Anadarko Railway constructed a line from Bridgeport to Anadarko via Binger in 1901-2. This railway was purchased by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway in 1903, and was abandoned in 1939. The ''Binger Journal'', a weekly newspaper, began publication in 1902. Other early businesses included:the Newell Department Store, the First State Bank of Binger, the Binger Hotel, the L. A. Cross Lumber Company and the Deer Head Saloon. The population was 257 at the time of statehood in 1907, and increased to 280 in 1910. According to the U.S. Census, the peak population was 849 in 1930, then dropped to 840 in 1940, and continuing to decline to 603 in 1960. The Caddo Nation headquarters complex is located in Binger. It includes the Caddo Nation Heritage Museum, which opened in 2001.

Geography

Binger is located in northeast Caddo County at (35.309023, -98.341243). It is in the valley of Sugar Creek, a tributary of the

Washita River The Washita River () is a river in the states of Texas and Oklahoma in the United States. The river is long and terminates at its confluence with the Red River, which is now part of Lake Texoma () on the TexasOklahoma border. Geography The ...

, part of the Red River watershed.

U.S. Route 281 U.S. Route 281 (US 281) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway. At it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route. The highway's northern terminus is at the International Peace Garden, north of Dunseith, North Dakota, at t ...

passes through the town, leading north to Hinton and to

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

, and leading east, then south to Anadarko.

Oklahoma State Highway 152 State Highway 152 (abbreviated SH-152) is a state highway running through west-central Oklahoma. It begins at the Texas state line, serving as a continuation of Texas State Highway 152, and continues east to end at Interstate 44 (I-44) in southwe ...

also passes through the town, leading west to New Cordell and east to the center of

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

. According to the

United States 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 town of Binger has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 712 people, 281 households, and 202 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 327 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 70.90%

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 on ...

, 4.80%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 13.70% Native American, 0.28%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 3.81% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 6.50% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 7.06% of the population. There were 281 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $24,333, and the median income for a family was $31,406. Males had a median income of $31,625 versus $19,844 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 town was $11,862. About 15.5% of families and 22.3% 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 28.6% of those under age 18 and 15.5% of those age 65 or over.

"The Mound"

"The Mound", a horror

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

ghostwritten by H. P. Lovecraft for

Zealia Bishop Zealia Brown-Reed Bishop (1897–1968) was an American writer of short stories. Her name is sometimes spelled "Zelia". Although she mostly wrote romantic fiction, she is remembered for three short horror stories she wrote in collaboration with H. ...

, takes place in Binger. Openings into the black abyss of

N'Kai ''The Mound'' is a horror/science fiction novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written by him as a ghostwriter from December 1929 to January 1930 after he was hired by Zealia Bishop to create a story about a Native American mound which i ...

can be found near this town.

Notable people

Johnny Bench John Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from through , with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of t ...

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

catcher for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

during the

Big Red Machine The Big Red Machine is a nickname for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1979 and is widely recognized as being among the best in baseball history. The team won six National League West Division ti ...

era, spent much of his boyhood here *

Verlon Thompson Verlon Thompson is an American singer, songwriter,

, award-winning singer-songwriter, performer, partnered for many years with Guy Clark, Darrell Scott.

Notes

References

External links

Binger-Oney Public Schools

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Binger
{{authority control Towns in Oklahoma Towns in Caddo County, Oklahoma Caddo Populated places established in 1901