Caddo is a town in
Bryan 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 997 at the 2010 census, a 5.6 percent gain over the figure of 944 recorded in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
. The name is derived from a Caddo word, ''ka do hada’ cho'', meaning "real chief" in English.
["Caddo, Oklahoma - History." Town Restoration Association of Caddo.](_blank)
Accessed November 28, 2016. According to ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', the town was named for the nearby Caddo Hills.
[Brimage, Lucille]
"Caddo,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 15, 2015.
History
The early inhabitants were Caddos and Choctaws, at least in the early 19th Century. A local legend says that the Caddos and the Choctaws had a fierce battle in 1840, about southeast of the site of present-day Caddo, The Choctaws won the battle, driving off the Caddos.
After a patent for the land, located on a
buffalo trail, was obtained in 1872, the first settlers lived in tents.
In 1872, the
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (Katy) built a line through the Choctaw Nation and established a station at Caddo. A post office was opened December 18, 1872, and the railroad reached Denison, Texas by Christmas Day. In 1873, the town population was about four hundred people.
Caddo quickly became a shipping and trade center for the surrounding area. By 1890, Caddo had five cotton gins and a population of 2,170. Caddo incorporated as a city in 1898. It was then the most populous town in the region.
At the time of its founding Caddo was located in
Blue County, a part of 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 ...
of the Choctaw Nation.
Caddo was on the route of the
Jefferson Highway
The Jefferson Highway was an automobile highway stretching through the central United States from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Jefferson Highway was replaced with the new numbered US Highway system in the late 1920s. ...
established in 1915, with that road running more than 2,300 miles from Winnipeg, Manitoba to New Orleans, Louisiana.
When the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway (Frisco) planned to build an east–west line through the area, land prices jumped up. Frisco officials decided to build their line through
Durant instead of Caddo. Durant then became the fastest-growing town, and became the county seat when Bryan County was formed at statehood. By 1930, Caddo's population had fallen to 933.
In 1943, Guy A. Crossett, the editor of The ''Caddo Herald'' newspaper described Caddo's decline. “Caddo was a thriving town when Durant was a switch; when
Hugo
Hugo or HUGO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese
* Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback
* Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...
was a prairie; when
Madill was unborn; when
Coalgate was un-thought-of; when
Ardmore was only in Pennsylvania; when
Idabel
Idabel is a city in and county seat of McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,010 at the 2010 census. It is located in the southeast corner of Oklahoma, a tourist area known as Choctaw Country.
History
Idabel was est ...
was yet to be; when
Atoka was a small village. Yet all have outgrown us. The reason is plain. We did not elect a delegate to
Bill Murray
William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan delivery. He rose to fame on ''The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on ''Saturday Nigh ...
’s famous
Constitutional Convention; and tried to live upon the glories of the past. Finding out too late that we could not run the mill with water that has passed. Yet Caddo’s part in the history of the state is honorable. That is secure. The future is another thing.”
Geography
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 ...
, Caddo 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 944 people, 387 households, and 255 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 443 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 77.97%
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 ...
, 0.64%
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 ...
, 13.67%
Native American, 0.21%
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 ...
, 0.32% 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 7.20% 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 ...
or
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 1.59% of the population.
There were 387 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% 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, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,250, and the median income for a family was $34,643. Males had a median income of $27,731 versus $18,846 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 $12,890. About 14.2% of families and 21.1% 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 30.8% of those under age 18 and 25.1% of those age 65 or over.
Culture and recreation
Caddo holds its Heritage Day Festival on the first Saturday in October every year.
Notable people
*
James M. Flinchum
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguati ...
(1916 - 2011), born in Caddo, editor-in-chief of the former ''Wyoming State Tribune'' (since ''
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
The ''Wyoming Tribune Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Cheyenne and distributed primarily in Laramie County, Wyoming. It is the state's second largest newspaper in terms of circulation, behind the ''Casper Star Tribune''. The ''Tribune Ea ...
'') in
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...
,
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
*
Lydia Starr McPherson (1827–1903), founder of an early Caddo newspaper, the ''Caddo International News''
*
Cowboy Pink Williams
Cowboy Pink Williams, born James Pinckney Williams (April 9, 1892 – April 1, 1976), was an American politician who was the seventh lieutenant governor of Oklahoma from 1955 to 1959 and Oklahoma State Treasurer from 1963 to 1967.
Early life
W ...
(1892-1976), 7th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma
*
Gary Richardson, born in Caddo, former United States attorney
*
Gail Farrell
Gail Farrell (born October 6, 1947) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for her work on the variety program ''The Lawrence Welk Show''.
Biography
Born in Salinas, California, she grew up in Durant, Oklahoma as an only child on her f ...
(singer, songwriter, pianist), grew up in Caddo and nearby
Durant, Oklahoma
Durant () is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States that serves as the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The population was 18,589 in the 2020 census. Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical A ...
.
Notes
References
External links
Caddo information''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' - Caddo
{{authority control
Towns in Bryan County, Oklahoma
Towns in Oklahoma
Populated places established in 1872