Gerty is a town in southern
Hughes 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 118 at the
2010 census.
History
During the early 1830s, as a result of President Andrew Johnson's Indian Relocation policy, the Choctaw Indians began moving into this part of what was called Indian Territory. One Choctaw community, then called "Buzzard Flop," became a rest stop for travelers and freight wagons headed westward. The site provided ample clear spring water and adequate level ground on which to camp. The Choctaws also found that the site was suitable cattle country, and several families built ranches in the area.
[/enc/entry.php?entry=GE012 Fran Cook and Spencer P. Petete. "Gerty." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.](_blank)
Accessed July 1, 2019.
By 1880, the Choctaws had found that this made ideal country of cattle raising. In 1891 the
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway (also known as the CRI&P or "Rock Island") built an east-west line ten miles north of Guertie. In 1893 James S. Raydon, a Choctaw who had already received his allotment of land from the Dawes Commission, built a log cabin, put in a store, and established a post office. The latter was approved by the federal government on June 15, 1894, and called "Guertie", for Raydon's daughter. Raydon was the first postmaster.
After the Dawes Commission had finished allotting land to eligible Choctaws, George Sorrell sold his quarter section, containing Guertie, to the federal government. The townsite was then surveyed and the lots sold, stimulating settlement. In December 1907 the town name was changed to Raydon. In that year of statehood the town had population of 600, four general mercantile stores, three hotels, three drug stores, two blacksmith shops, three active lodges, three churches, a hospital, a bank, a café, a sawmill, and a newspaper called the ''Guertie News''. Because citizens began to get mail intended for an office name "Ragan", in June 1910 the Post Office Department changed the name back to Guertie and then changed the spelling to Gerty, to avoid confusion with Guthrie in Logan County.
Gerty has not showed a clear trend of population since its establishment. It first appeared in the U.S. census of 1910, showing a population of 305. The number declined to 137 by 1930, before rising to 206 by 1960. It has never reached 200 in the census between 1960 and the present.
Geography
Gerty is located in southern Hughes County west of
U.S. Route 75
U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway that runs in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is located at the Canadian border near Noyes, Minnesota, at a now-closed border crossing. From this point, the highway ...
, southeast of
Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to:
Buildings
* Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee
* Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas
* Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univ ...
, southeast of
Holdenville and south of
Calvin Calvin may refer to:
Names
* Calvin (given name)
** Particularly Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States
* Calvin (surname)
** Particularly John Calvin, theologian
Places
In the United States
* Calvin, Arkansas, a hamlet
* Calvin T ...
.
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 of Gerty has a total area of , all land.
The town drains south to Panther Creek, a tributary of
Muddy Boggy Creek
Muddy Boggy Creek, also known as the Muddy Boggy River, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 3, 2011 river in south central Oklahoma. The stream headwaters arise ju ...
and part of the
Red River watershed.
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 101 people, 40 households, and 29 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 51 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 83.17%
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 ...
, 12.87%
Native American, and 3.96% 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 0.99% of the population.
There were 40 households, out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,250, and the median income for a family was $18,750. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $13,750 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 $8,496. There were 20.0% of families and 25.3% 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 ...
, including 25.0% of under eighteens and 50.0% of those over 64.
Education
It is in the
Calvin Public Schools school district.
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Text list
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Gerty began its educational system with subscription schools. It built A two-story, frame building was constructed on the present school site in 1903. Money, labor, and lumber were donated, the latter freighted in from the Kiamichi Mountains
The Kiamichi Mountains (Choctaw: ''Nʋnih Chaha Kiamitia'') are a mountain range in southeastern Oklahoma. A subrange within the larger Ouachita Mountains that extend from Oklahoma to western Arkansas, the Kiamichi Mountains sit within Le Flor ...
. Gatewood and Lawrence districts consolidated with Gerty in 1923, followed by Social Hill district in 1947.
References
External links
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Gerty
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Towns in Hughes County, Oklahoma
Towns in Oklahoma
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Populated places established in 1894
1890s establishments in Indian Territory