Shady Point, sometimes referred to as Shadypoint, 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 1,026 at the 2010 census, a 21.0 percent increase over the figure of 848 recorded in 2000.

History

A post office was established at Harrison, Indian Territory on September 17, 1891. It was named for William H. Harrison, an attorney and Choctaw leader. On December 11, 1894 its name was changed to Shady Point, Indian Territory. At the time of its founding the community was located in Sugar Loaf County, a part of the Moshulatubbee District of the Choctaw Nation.Morris, John W. ''Historical Atlas of Oklahoma'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1986), plate 38. In 1894, the settlement moved eastward to the proposed route of the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad, which built a track through Indian Territory in 1895–96. In 1900, the Kansas City Southern Railway bought out the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad. The population was estimated at 200 In 1901. In the same year, the

Poteau Valley Railroad The Poteau Valley Railroad was a shortline running from Calhoun, Oklahoma to Shady Point, Oklahoma, encompassing of track. It began in 1900 and was abandoned in 1926. History The small settlement of Shady Valley, Oklahoma had been relocated ...

built tracks from Shady Point to the mines at Sutter (which was renamed Calhoun in 1914), bringing prosperity to Shady Point as a coal shipping point. Agriculture became the basis for Shady Point's economy during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The Evans Coal Company closed its deep-shaft coal mine in 1980, the same year the town incorporated. The population then was 235. Applied Energy Services built a power plant in 1991 that burned half of the coal produced in Oklahoma by the end of the twentieth century.

Geography

Shady Point is north of Poteau. 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 , all land.

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 2000, there were 848 people, 306 households, and 241 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 344 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 86.56%

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 ...

, 8.96% 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 ...

, 0.47% from other races, and 3.66% 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 ...

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 2.59% of the population. There were 306 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% 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, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.19. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $24,453, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $23,906 versus $18,036 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 $13,091. About 19.7% of families and 23.8% 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 t ...

, including 30.2% of those under age 18 and 22.4% of those age 65 or over.

NRHP sites

Several sites in and around Shady Point are on the

National Register of Historic Places listings in Le Flore County, Oklahoma __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in LeFlore County, Oklahoma. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in LeFlore County, Okl ...

, including the Dog Creek School, the Shady Point School, and

Trahern's Station Trahern's Station was a stage stand on the old Butterfield Overland Mail route in Indian Territory. It was located about 9 miles west of what is now the town of Shadypoint in Le Flore County, Oklahoma. The station was named for Judge James N. ...

References

{{Authority control Towns in LeFlore County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Fort Smith metropolitan area Populated places established in 1891