Haskell County, Oklahoma

Haskell County is a county located in the southeast quadrant of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,561. Its county seat is Stigler. The county is named in honor of Charles N. Haskell, the first governor of Oklahoma.

History

The area now comprising Haskell County was created at statehood primarily from the former Sans Bois County of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory. Sans Bois County was part of the Moshulatubbee District, one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation. Small portions of present-day Haskell County fell within Gaines County and Skullyville County, Choctaw Nation.

In 1908, county voters picked Stigler over Keota and Whitefield as the county seat.Larry O'Dell, "Haskell County."
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.] Retrieved October 2, 2013.

Underground coal mining was undertaken here in the early 20th century, creating jobs and attracting railroad construction to southern Haskell County. The San Bois Coal Company built more than 400 company houses in McCurtain, Oklahoma, McCurtain and Chant (two towns that eventually merged into one) for their miners. In 1912, a large, underground explosion rocked the Number Two mine at McCurtain, killing 73 miners and bankrupting the San Bois Company. The McCurtain disaster and the declining demand for coal in the 1920s halted underground coal mining in the county.

Strip mining continued. The Lone Star Steel Company became the county's leading coal producer. Haskell County was the source of 20% of Oklahoma's coal production between 1950 and 1980.

Agriculture was the most important component of the county economy in the early 20th century. Cotton was the most important crop, followed by corn and oats. The collapse of cotton prices and the Great Depression caused a drop in population, as well as farm acreage. In 1934, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration helped over 85% of Haskell County's population. Ranching supplanted farming, which was forced to diversify. By 1964, livestock accounted for about 70% of the county's revenues.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (7.8%) are covered by water. The county elevation varies because of the Sans Bois Mountains in the southern part of the county from . The relatively large water area results from the presence of Eufaula Lake and the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir. The South Canadian River at the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir. The river forms the northeastern border with Sequoyah County.

Major highways

* State Highway 2
* State Highway 9
* State Highway 31
* State Highway 71
* State Highway 82

Adjacent counties

* Muskogee County (north)
* Sequoyah County (northeast)
* Le Flore County (east)
* Latimer County (south)
* Pittsburg County (west)
* McIntosh County (northwest)

National protected area

* Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, 12,769 people were living in the county; 74.9% were White, 15.9% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% Black or African American, 1.2% of some other race, and 7.0% of two or more races. About 3.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race), and 8.4% were of American, 7.3% German, 6.4% Irish and 5.0% English ancestry.

As of the census of 2000, 11,792 people, 4,624 households, and 3,380 families lived in the county. The population density was . The 5,573 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 78.24% White, 0.61% Black or African American, 14.60% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 5.81% from two or more races. About 1.50% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 4,624 households, 31.7% had children under 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were not families. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the age distribution was 26.0% under 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,553, and for a family was $29,872. Males had a median income of $25,493 versus $17,462 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,775. About 16.1% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under 18 and 18.6% of those 65 or over.

Politics

Despite the county being home to a significant Native American population and a Democratic registration advantage well into the 2010s, Haskell County has not voted that way in presidential elections in the 21st century. Unlike other Native-administered counties, however, the rightward shift only increased after the 2004 election, with the GOP hitting well over 70% of the vote in the county in the Barack Obama era and topping out with 83.1% for Donald Trump in 2020.

Communities

City

* Stigler (county seat)

Towns

* Keota
* Kinta
* McCurtain, Oklahoma, McCurtain
* Tamaha
* Whitefield

Census-designated places

* Enterprise
* Hoyt
* Lequire

Haskell County Courthouse

Stigler is home to the Haskell County Courthouse, which has become notable for erecting marble statues of the Ten Commandments and the Mayflower Compact on the front lawn (see ''Separation of church and state in the United States''). In the seventh commandment, the word "adultery" is misspelled.

A unanimous federal appeals court ruled that county commissioners in Haskell County unconstitutionally sought to promote their personal religious beliefs by erecting a Ten Commandments monument on the front lawn of the county's courthouse. The decision by the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals comes in a challenge filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Oklahoma on behalf of a local resident.

After the court decision, the marble statue was moved about 600 feet east to private property. Therefore, the statue was still displayed on the main street, available to anyone who desired to view and read the information.

NRHP sites

The following sites in Haskell County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
* Cotton Storage House, Kinta
* Haskell County Courthouse, Stigler
* Kinta High School, Kinta
* McCurtain, Edmund, House, Kinta
* McCurtain, Green, House, Kinta
* Mule Creek Site, Stigler
* Otter Creek Archeological Site, Keota
* Scott Store, Kinta
* Stigler School Gymnasium--Auditorium, Stigler
* Tamaha Jail and Ferry Landing, Stigler

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Haskell County

Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory

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1907 establishments in Oklahoma
Populated places established in 1907