Chouteau is the second-largest town in Mayes County,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, United States. The population was 2,059 at the 2020 census.

History

Chouteau, originally called "Cody's Creek", became a stop on the

Katy railroad Katy or KATY may refer to: People and Characters * Katy, a short form of the name Katherine * Katy (given name) * Katy (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a fictional character * Katy Perry * Katie Perry, Australian fashion designer * Katy Perry (prison ...

in 1871. It soon became a thriving cattle town.''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Hastings, Virginia Lindse

The name was changed to Chouteau after the creek that flows north of town that was named for French fur trader

Auguste Pierre Chouteau Auguste Pierre Chouteau (9 May 1786 – 25 December 1838) was a member of the Chouteau fur-trading family who established trading posts in what is now the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Chouteau was born in St. Louis, then part of Spanish colonia ...

from the Chouteau family. Auguste created the first permanent white settlement in present-day Salina, northeast of Chouteau.

Geography

Chouteau is in southern Mayes County, near the junction of U.S. Routes 69 and 412. US-69 passes through the town center, leading north to Pryor Creek, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, and south to Wagoner. US-412 passes through the southern end of the town, leading west to

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

and east to

Siloam Springs, Arkansas Siloam Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, Benton County, Arkansas, United States, and located on the western edge of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers metropolitan area, Northwest Arkansas metropolitan area. As of the 2020 Unite ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the town of Chouteau has a total area of , of which , or 0.03%, are water. Chouteau Creek passes to the north and east of the town, flowing to the

Neosho River The Neosho River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. Its tributaries also drain portions of Missouri and Arkansas. The river is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National ...

to the southeast.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census Chouteau had a population of 2,097. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 74.9% white, 0.2% black or African American, 16.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race and 8.1% from two or more races. 1.8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,931 people, 751 households, and 560 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 806 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 77.01%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.41%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 14.34% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 1.19% from other races, and 6.84% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.76% of the population. There were 751 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% 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 2.95. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,950, and the median income for a family was $40,109. Males had a median income of $31,750 versus $19,559 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $15,482. About 12.2% of families and 14.8% 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 ...

, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over. The major employer for Chouteau and the surrounding area is the

MidAmerica Industrial Park MidAmerica Industrial Park (MAIP), which is Oklahoma's largest industrial park, the third-largest industrial park in the United States, and the eighth-largest industrial park in the world, is located in Pryor, Oklahoma. In 2023, over 80 firms were ...

, located approximately three miles northeast of town.

Historic sites

*Territorial Commercial District, consisting of three commercial buildings on Main St. all constructed in 1903 and sharing common walls. *The Farmers and Merchants Bank at 201 W. Main Street.

Parks and recreation

Chouteau has a number of facilities in its general area, including: * Guy Williams Park, located in town * Pryor Creek Golf Course which is 11 miles away * Lake Hudson which is 17 miles away * Lake W. R. Holway, formerly Chimney Rock Lake, which is 20 miles away * Chouteau Bend Recreational Area which is 6 miles away * Mazie Landing Public Use Area which is 7 miles away *

Fort Gibson Lake The Fort Gibson Dam is a gravity dam on the Grand (Neosho) River in Oklahoma, north of the town of Fort Gibson. The dam forms Fort Gibson Lake. The primary purposes of the dam and lake are flood control and hydroelectric power production, altho ...

, Blue Bill Point which is 14 miles away

Education

It is in the Chouteau-Mazie Public Schools school district.
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MidAmerica Industrial Park

Located four miles from Chouteau, the

houses more than 80 companies, including Fortune 500 leaders such as

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

DuPont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

and Nordam. The facility includes its own airfield, the MidAmerica Industrial Park Airport, featuring a 5,000 foot runway refurbished in 2016.

Notable people

* Johnny Ray (born 1957)

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

and

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Chouteau
{{authority control Towns in Mayes County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma