Panama is a town in
Le Flore County
LeFlore County is a county along the eastern border of the U.S state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 50,384. Its county seat is Poteau. The county is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area and the name honors a Choct ...
,
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 ...
, United States. It is part of the
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...
-Oklahoma
Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
. The population was 1,413 at the
2010 census.
History
A post office was established at Panama, Indian Territory on January 14, 1898. At the time of its founding, Panama was located in
Skullyville County
Skullyville (also spelled Scullyville) is an unincorporated rural community in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is approximately one mile east of Spiro and southwest of Fort Smith, Arkansas. The community is within the Fort Smith, Ar ...
, part of the
Moshulatubbee District of the
Choctaw Nation.
This town began as a coal mining community named Red Town because all of the miners' shacks were painted red. The origin of the town name of "Panama" is uncertain. Some historians claim that the name was inspired by the building of the Panama Canal. But since the town was already called Panama by 1898, the inspiration would have to have been based on the unsuccessful French effort at building the canal which started 1881 and ended in 1889, and not the successful American effort which did not start until 1904 and was not completed until 1914.
In 1896 the
Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad
The Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad was a railway company that began operations in the 1890s and owned a main-line between Kansas City, Missouri, and Port Arthur, Texas. It was led by Arthur Stilwell before being thrown into receivership ...
(trackage acquired by the
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...
in 1900) built a north–south line through the region. The
Midland Valley Railroad
The Midland Valley Railroad (MV) was a railroad company incorporated on June 4, 1903 for the purpose of building a line from Hope, Arkansas, through Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma to Wichita, Kansas. It was backed by C. Jared Ingersoll, a Philadelph ...
built an east–west line through the region in 1903–1904. The town of Panama moved to the crossing of the two railroads. The Panama post office first opened January 14, 1898, but the order was rescinded for some unknown reason on February 23, 1898. The post office reopened February 21, 1899.
[Arlene LeMaster, "Panama," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Accessed March 22, 2015.](_blank)
/ref>
Panama was still supported by coal mining in 1930. The Ozark Coal and Mining Company had established itself there in 1898, however the coal mines began to close in the 1930s. A creosote plant, established in 1937, provided some jobs for the former miners. The Panama Coal Company, which had engaged in strip mining, went bankrupt in 1977.
Geography
Panama is located at (35.170591, -94.670099). It is north of Poteau on State Highway 59.
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 the ...
, the town has a total area of , of which 0.66% is water.
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 incl ...
of 2010, there were 1,413 people, 530 households, and 364 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 626 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 78.27% 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 ...
, 13.09% Native American, 0.35% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 2.12% from other races, and 5.52% 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 ...
or 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 4.53% of the population.
There were 530 households, of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% 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, 15.5% had a female head of family, and 31.3% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had a person 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 2.57 people; the average family size was 3.12 people.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.93% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $23,385, and the median income for a family was $29,500. Males had a median income of $27,260 versus $17,679 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 $12,878. About 19.2% of families and 24.3% 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 t ...
, including 30.8% of those under age 18 and 18.8% of those age 65 or over.
In popular culture
On February 13, 2013, the American Pickers came to town.
References
{{Authority control
Towns in LeFlore County, Oklahoma
Towns in Oklahoma
Fort Smith metropolitan area