Cowlington is a town in

LeFlore County Leflore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,317. The county seat is Greenwood. The county is named for Choctaw leader Greenwood LeFlore, who signed a treaty to cede his peo ...

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 ...

. It is part of the

Fort Smith metropolitan area The Fort Smith Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is a five-county area including three Arkansas counties and two Oklahoma counties, and anchored by the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas. The total MSA populati ...

. The population was 155 at the time of the 2010 census, a gain of 16.5 percent over the figure of 133 recorded in 2000.

History

The fertile soil of the Arkansas River bottom land, in which the present town of Cowlington is located, attracted settlement as soon as the Choctaw tribe migrated to Indian Territory. Many of these inhabitants fled during the American Civil War, returning only when hostilities had ceased. White men also came after the war and began leasing land. Among these were Coke and Fowler Cowling. A settlement formed that was informally known as Short Mountain. A post office named Cowlington, to honor the Cowling family, opened in the community in 1884. Jeremy Henson, "Cowlington," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Accessed March 20, 2015.
/ref> At the time of its founding, Cowlington was located in the

Moshulatubbee District Moshulatubbee District was one of three administrative super-regions comprising the former Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. Also called the First District, it encompassed the northern one-third of the nation. In some historic records it is ...

of the Choctaw Nation.Morris, John W. ''Historical Atlas of Oklahoma'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1986), plate 38. Cowlington's economy was largely based on agricultural services. Area production included wheat, potatoes, cotton, and livestock. The town prospered because of its access to the steamboat trade on the river. Two floods along the Arkansas River, in 1898 and 1904, devastated the local economy, but the town recovered each time. However, railroads built lines through LeFlore County in the late 1800s, and began to supplant the steamboats. Fowler Cowlington tried to convince some of the railroads to build a track through Cowlington, but failed in this effort. More residents began to move away. {{efn, Even Fowler Cowlington decided to sell his land and moved to

Pittsburg County, Oklahoma Pittsburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,837. Its county seat is McAlester. The county was formed from part of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory in 1907. County leade ...

. The onset of the Great Depression caused many other people to move away, as well. Construction of the Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam between 1964 and 1970 coincided with a large increase in Cowlington's population to a high of 751 residents at the 1970 U. S. Census. Tourism became a significant portion of the local economy, although the population declined again after construction was completed.

Geography

Cowlington is located at {{coord, 35, 18, 26, N, 94, 47, 29, W, type:city (35.307146, -94.791413).{{cite web, url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html, publisher=

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 ...

, accessdate=2011-04-23, date=2011-02-12, title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 It is {{convert, 2, miles, km south of Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam (part of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System). The town is also {{convert, 10.5, miles, km south of Sallisaw. According to the

, the town has a total area of {{convert, 0.9, sqmi, km2, all land.

Demographics

{{US Census population , 1900= 272 , 1910= 378 , 1920= 344 , 1930= 265 , 1940= 224 , 1950= 83 , 1960= 74 , 1970= 751 , 1980= 546 , 1990= 756 , 2000= 133 , 2010= 155 , 2020= 109 , footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web, url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html, title=Census of Population and Housing, publisher=Census.gov, accessdate=June 4, 2015 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 133 people, 55 households, and 38 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert, 145.3, PD/sqmi, PD/km2, sp=us, adj=off. There were 67 housing units at an average density of {{convert, 73.2, /sqmi, /km2, sp=us, adj=off. The racial makeup of the town was 74.44%

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 ...

, 8.27% Native American, 3.76% 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 13.53% 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 3.76% of the population. There were 55 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% 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, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 30.9% 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 2.42 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $16,591, and the median income for a family was $19,167. Males had a median income of $16,875 versus $23,125 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 $9,323. There were 6.3% of families and 9.6% of the population living 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 no under eighteens and 8.7% of those over 64.

References

External links

''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' - Cowlington

Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
{{Le Flore County, Oklahoma {{authority control Towns in LeFlore County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Fort Smith metropolitan area Oklahoma populated places on the Arkansas River Populated places established in 1884 1884 establishments in Indian Territory