Tonkawa is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, along the

Salt Fork Arkansas River The Salt Fork of the Arkansas River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 31, 2011 tributary of the Arkansas River in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma in the Unite ...

. The population was 3,216 at the 2010 census, a decline of 2.5 percent from the figure of 3,299 in 2000.

History

Named after the Tonkawa tribe, the city of Tonkawa was founded in March 1894, by Eli V. Blake and Wiley William Gregory. Blake and Gregory, originally from Kansas, claimed the land that would become Tonkawa in the Land Run of 1893. Prior to the land run, from 1879 to 1885, the area was known as "Fort Oakland", home to the

Nez Perce people The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...

. In 1885, the remnants of the Tonkawa tribe, who had fled Indian Territory after the 1862 Tonkawa Massacre, returned to settle in the Fort Oakland area. The Blackwell and Southern Railway (later bought by the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...

) built a line through Tonkawa, which stimulated growth of the town. In 1901, the Oklahoma Territory Legislature established the University Preparatory School (now

Northern Oklahoma College Northern Oklahoma College (NOC) is a public community college in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, with additional campuses located in Enid, Oklahoma and Stillwater, Oklahoma. Student enrollment is approximately 2,700. NOC bought the former Phillips University ...

) here. By statehood, the population was 1,238. The discovery of oil caused a

boom Boom may refer to: Objects * Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill * Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation * Boom (sailing), a sailboat part * Boom (windsurfin ...

in the 1920s, and the population was 3,311 in 1930.

Camp Tonkawa

During World War II, Tonkawa was home to Camp Tonkawa, a

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. P ...

. Camp Tonkawa remained in operation from August 30, 1943, to September 1, 1945. Built between October and December 1942, the site contained more than 180 wooden structures for 3,000 German POWs as well as 500 U.S. Army guard troops, service personnel and civilian employees. The first prisoners, consisting of German troops from the

Afrika Korps The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...

, arrived in August 1943. During their internment, prisoners labored at local farms and ranches. In November 1943, a prison riot caused the death of a German soldier, Johannes Kunze. Eight prisoners briefly escaped, only to be recaptured.

Geography

Tonkawa is located in southwestern Kay County at (36.680362, -97.309219). It is on the Salt Fork of the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

, west of

Ponca City Ponca City ( iow, Chína Uhánⁿdhe) is a city in Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 25,387 at the time of the 2010 census- and a population of 24,424 in the 2020 ...

, the largest city in the county.

U.S. Route 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

passes through the northern side of the city, leading east to Ponca City and west to Lamont.

U.S. Route 77 U.S. Route 77 (US 77) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway which extends for in the central United States. As of 2005, Its southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, at Veteran's International Bridge on the Mexican border, wh ...

follows US 60 east to Ponca City, but turns south in Tonkawa and becomes Main Street, then leads south to

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also m ...

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

passes west of the center of Tonkawa, with access from Exits 211 and 214. I-35 leads south to Oklahoma City and north to Wichita, Kansas. According to the United States Census Bureau, Tonkawa has a total area of , of which , or 0.48%, are water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,299 people, 1,197 households, and 801 families residing in the city. The population density was 591.3 people per square mile (228.3/km). There were 1,417 housing units at an average density of 254.0 per square mile (98.0/km). The racial makeup of the city was 86.39% White, 0.85%

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 enslav ...

, 5.55% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 3.06% from other races, and 3.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.64% of the population. There were 1,197 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.06. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 17.3% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,387, and the median income for a family was $35,912. Males had a median income of $27,222 versus $20,128 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,245. About 12.5% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Tonkawa is covered by the Tonkawa Public Schools district which includes Tonkawa Elementary, Tonkawa Middle School, and Tonkawa High School. Tonkawa is also home to

which provides Associates level education.

Points of interest

Museums

* North Oklahoma Botanical Garden and Arboretum * A. D. Buck Museum of Science and History * Tonkawa Historical Museum (McCarter Museum) * Tonkawa Tribal Museum * Eleanor Hays Art Gallery (at

) * Pickens Learning Commons

NRHP sites

The following sites in Tonkawa are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: * First Presbyterian Church of Tonkawa

Notable people

Henry Bellmon Henry Louis Bellmon (September 3, 1921 – September 29, 2009) was an American Republican politician from the U.S. State of Oklahoma. A member of the Oklahoma Legislature, he went on to become both the 18th and 23rd governor of Oklahoma, ...

, first Republican governor of Oklahoma (1963–1967, 1991–1995) and U.S. senator (1969–1981) from Billings, OK * Bo Bowling,

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes ( French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Cana ...

player

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Cities in Kay County, Oklahoma Cities in Oklahoma 1894 establishments in Oklahoma Territory