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Helena is a town in southeastern Alfalfa County,
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
, United States. Residents pronounce the town's name with a long E: "Heh-LEE'-nuh." The population was 1,403 at the 2010 census. It is the site of the James Crabtree Correctional Center, run by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, with a population of 1,003 inmates in 2010. It is the site of the Timberlake Public School district's high school, shared with the nearby towns of Goltry, Jet, Nash, and Nescutunga.


History

In June 1915, Helen S. Monroe received a postal designation for Helena. Monroe became the first postmaster and the town's namesake. Shortly after the
Cherokee Outlet The Cherokee Outlet, or Cherokee Strip, was located in what is now the state of Oklahoma in the United States. It was a 60-mile-wide (97 km) parcel of land south of the Oklahoma-Kansas border between 96 and 100°W. The Cherokee Outlet wa ...
opened to settlement, numerous small communities emerged in what was then southwestern Woods County (now Alfalfa county). When the Arkansas Valley and Western Railway survey bypassed the nearby settlement of Carwile, those residents began migrating closer to the proposed railroad, near where H. H. Anderson had established a store around 1896. The townsite was laid out nearby in 1902, and the village was incorporated the following year, by which time the population was 160. The Woods County High School, one of only two in
Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as ...
at that time, was constructed in 1903 and opened in 1904 with 400 students. On January 6, 1904, the Arkansas Valley and Western Railway (part of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway system) reached Helena. Growing fast, by mid-1905 it was estimated that 700 residents supported two banks, two schools, two newspapers, four grain elevators, a flour mill, and two lumberyards. By 1909, there were
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...
,
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
,
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
, and
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...
churches. The 1910 census showed 760 residents, a number which had increased to 776 by 1940.


Helena Mammoth

In July 2013, the remains of a
mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...
were found two miles northwest of Helena by workers of Access Midstream, a
natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon ...
provider, on land owned by brothers Dr. Michael Thorp and Tom Thorp.
Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, Ne ...
geographer Carlos Cordova, and geography doctoral student Tom Cox excavated the site from September 2013 until October 2013. Oklahoma State University has plans to display the mammoth, which was donated by the Thorp's.


Geography

Helena is located at (36.546478, -98.270558). 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 th ...
, the town has a total area of , all land. Helena lies along State Highway 58.


Climate


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 inc ...
of 2000, there were 443 people, 177 households, and 120 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 211 housing units at an average density of 563.8 per square mile (220.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.58%
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 ...
, 0.45%
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 ensl ...
, 1.35% Native American, 0.45% 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 3.16% 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 form ...
or Latino of any race were 1.81% of the population. There were 177 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% 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, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.90. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,705, and the median income for a family was $36,528. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $18,839 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 $14,985. About 9.9% of families and 8.6% 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 10.8% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.


References


External links


Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Helena


{{authority control Towns in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma