Commerce is a city in
Ottawa County,
Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,473 at the
2010 census, down 6.5 percent from the figure of 2,645 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 S ...
, and lower than the 2,555 residents it
had in 1920.
Commerce is included in the
Joplin, Missouri metropolitan area
The Joplin, Missouri, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of Jasper and Newton counties in southwest Missouri, anchored by the city of Joplin. The estimated 2020 population o ...
.
History
![Okterritory](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Okterritory.png)
What became Commerce was land that was part of the
Quapaw Indian Agency,
allocated in the late 1830s. The
Quapaw
The Quapaw ( ; or Arkansas and Ugahxpa) people are a tribe of Native Americans that coalesced in what is known as the Midwest and Ohio Valley of the present-day United States. The Dhegiha Siouan-speaking tribe historically migrated from the Oh ...
were removed to the area in the 1830s by the federal government after residing for hundreds of years on the west side of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
in what later entered the union as the state of
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
.
Immigrants arrived and formed a
mining camp
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
named Hattonville after Amos Hatton. In 1906, Hatton developed the Emma Gordon
zinc and lead mine, whose resources had attracted workers.
Starting in 1908, the Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri Inter-Urban Railway built a line between Miami and Commerce to serve the mining industry.
In a series of steps the
line was later acquired by the
St. Louis–San Francisco Railway
The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway , commonly known as the "Frisco", was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central United States from 1876 to April 17, 1980. At the end of 1970, it operated of road on of track, not includi ...
. In 1913, the residents called the local post office North Miami, though by June 1914 the post office took the present-day city's name that came from the Commerce Mining and Royalty Company, which had bought the mining camp.
In 1914, the mining company platted the town; a
mayor–council government
The mayor–council government system is a system of local government that has a mayor who is directly elected by the voters serve as chief executive, and a separately elected legislative city council. It is one of the two most common forms of ...
formed two years later.
By the
1920 census, Commerce had a population of 2,555. The town's population has remained roughly the same size ever since.
Commerce was on
Route 66 when that highway was commissioned in 1926, and was the first town on the
route through Oklahoma after crossing the Kansas border westbound.
Commerce was the site of two notable events in the mid-1930s. In April 1934,
Bonnie and Clyde and their associate
Henry Methvin
Henry Methvin (April 8, 1912 – April 19, 1948) was an American criminal, a bank robber, and a Depression-era outlaw. He is best remembered as the final member of Bonnie and Clyde's gang. His role in the gang has often been misattributed to ...
killed Commerce Constable William C. Campbell and kidnapped police chief Percy Boyd.
By May,
Bonnie and Clyde would both be dead.
In 1935, in an event that would later become notable in retrospect,
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...
's father would move his family to Commerce, to work as a miner.
Mantle would later be nicknamed "The Commerce Comet."
Most mines closed by 1960, due to a declining market and the realization of extensive environmental damage to ground, water and air. Residents have turned to occupations such as farming and ranching,
Geography
Commerce is located at (36.933529, -94.871371),
five miles () north of
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
on
U.S. Route 69, which was once part of
historic U.S. Route 66.
[Larry O'Dell, "Commerce" ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Accessed March 8, 2015.](_blank)
/ref> 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 t ...
, the city 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 in ...
of 2000, there were 2,645 people, 968 households, and 693 families residing in the city. 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 3,232.2 people per square mile (1,245.4/km). There were 1,079 housing units at an average density of 1,318.5 per square mile (508.1/km). The racial makeup of the city was 68.05% 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 ...
, 13.35% Native American, 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 ...
, 0.19% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 11.68% 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 5.97% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...
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 18.53% of the population.
There were 968 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,982, and the median income for a family was $30,547. Males had a median income of $25,104 versus $18,466 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 city was $11,734. About 14.7% of families and 16.7% 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 22.8% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
Commerce has been home to several professional athletes, most notably Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...
, a Hall of Fame professional baseball player. Others include:
* Orien Crow, professional football player
* Doug Furnas
Dwight Douglas Furnas (December 11, 1959 – March 2, 2012) was an American professional wrestler and powerlifter. He was an APF National and World Powerlifting Champion, who set multiple world records in the 275 pound weight class. As a wrestler, ...
, World Class Powerlifter and professional wrestler
* Bob Seymour
Robert Arnold Seymour (June 13, 1916 – May 28, 1977) was an American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. He was drafted in the tenth round of the 1940 NFL Draft. Seymour also played in the All ...
, professional football player
* Bo Wininger
Francis G. "Bo" Wininger (November 16, 1922 – December 7, 1967) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s.
Wininger played on the same high school football and baseball teams in Commerce, Oklahoma as ...
, professional golfer
![Mantle1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Mantle1.jpg)
Gallery
Image:Route 66 with Mickey Mantle Sign.jpg, Route 66 sign in Commerce Oklahoma
Image:Old Conoco Station - Commerce.jpg, Old Conoco station, now a museum
Image:Mickey Mantle Monument - Commerce.jpg, Monument to Commerce native Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...
References
External links
*
"Commerce", ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''
Ottawa County Map
{{authority control
Cities in Ottawa County, Oklahoma
Cities in Oklahoma
Zinc mining in the United States