Fort Supply is a town in Woodward 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, northwest of the city of Woodward, the county seat. The population was 330 at the 2010 census.

History

The United States Army post of Fort Supply was established in 1868 as a "Camp of Supply" for the winter campaign that General Philip Sheridan led against the Southern Plains Indians. People established the town of Fitzgerald three miles west-southwest of the site of the former Fort Supply in 1902, but this town quickly failed. Rancher H. H. Halsell sold the land one mile west of Fort Supply to territorial legislator James P. Gandy. Gandy hired surveyors to plat the land for a town site and founded the town of Supply in 1903. He moved most of the original buildings of Supply from the recently failed town of Fitzgerald. The Government established the first post office for the town of Supply on May 12, 1903. In the early years, area farmers and ranchers centered their economic trade around the town. In 1908, the State of Oklahoma transformed Fort Supply, the derelict army post, into Western Oklahoma State Hospital, also known as Western State Hospital or Fort Supply State Hospital, the first state-operated mental institution of Oklahoma. The

Flood Control Act of 1936 The Flood Control Act of 1936, , (FCA 1936) was an Act of Congress, Act of the United States Congress signed into law by President of the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt on 22 June 1936.

provided for construction of a dam and reservoir one mile southeast of the town in the valley of Wolf Creek. Work began on the largest earthen dam in the United States of America in October 1938 and Fort Supply Lake was completed in May 1942. The

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

administers Fort Supply Lake and the adjacent wildlife and recreation area. On May 1, 1943, the people changed the name of the post office and town of Supply to Fort Supply. On December 6, 1988, the State of Oklahoma located a new prison, William S. Key Correctional Center, on the grounds of nearby former Fort Supply. Western State Psychiatric Center also has operations on the grounds. Agriculture and employment at these state institutions form the economic base of the community of Fort Supply.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. Fort Supply Reservoir is directly south; the Hal & Fern Cooper Wildlife Management Area, covering 16,080 acres and administered by the

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation is an agency of the state of Oklahoma responsible for managing and protecting Oklahoma's wildlife population and their habitats. The Department is under the control of the Wildlife Conservation Co ...

, is to the east.

Climate

Demographics

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 328 people, 136 households, and 98 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 171 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.73%

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 ...

, 0.30%

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 ...

, 1.83% Native American, 0.61% from other races, and 1.52% 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 0.91% of the population. There were 136 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% 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, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.91. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,893, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $28,333 versus $20,833 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 $15,836. About 5.8% of families and 6.8% 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 13.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Historic sites

The nearby Cooper Bison Kill Site is on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Harper County, Oklahoma. The Fort Supply Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Woodward County, Oklahoma.

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Fort Supply (town)
{{authority control Towns in Oklahoma Towns in Woodward County, Oklahoma