History

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

Grainola, Oklahoma Grainola is a town in northwest Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 31 at the 2010 census, a figure which was unchanged from 2000. Webb City was located at the northern end of the Burbank Oil Field, discovered in 1920. All mineral rights in Osage County were owned by the

Osage tribe The Osage Nation ( ) ( Osage: 𐓁𐒻 𐓂𐒼𐒰𐓇𐒼𐒰͘ ('), "People of the Middle Waters") is a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Great Plains. The tribe developed in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 700 BC along ...

of American Indians. The

Osage Railway The Osage Railway was incorporated in 1921 to accommodate traffic from the oil fields located in the Osage Nation. The first part of its mainline was constructed in 1922 from a connection with the Midland Valley Railroad at Foraker, Oklahoma, to ...

, one of the

Muskogee Roads The Muskogee Roads was the colloquial name for a system of railroads under common management operationally headquartered in Muskogee, Oklahoma and controlled by the Muskogee Company of Philadelphia. The Muskogee Roads were the only Class I railroa ...

, built a line through the town in 1924 connecting Shidler and

Lyman, Oklahoma Lyman was a town in Osage County, Oklahoma, located about 20 miles (30 driving miles) northeast of Ponca City, Oklahoma, and 30 miles southeast of Winfield, Kansas, the two closest population centers. It became an oilfield boomtown shortly afte ...

. Although the oil find brought a degree of prosperity, Webb City never developed into a modern town. Water was scarce and there was no electricity. The business district had unpaved streets and most of the buildings were built of wood frame and false fronts. The town began to decline in the late 1920s, as the oil boom faded. In 1928, it was heavily damaged by a tornado, and many of the businesses did not rebuild. The decline continued through 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 ...

. Its high school closed in 1944, and consolidated with the high school in Shidler. The elementary school closed in 1956, and consolidated with the elementary school in Shidler. The Osage Railway was abandoned in 1955."Ghost town of Webb City, Oklahoma."
Retrieved September 1, 2014. The 1930 census (the first census taken in Webb City) showed 493 residents. The population declined thereafter.

Geography

Webb City is located at (36.807311, -96.709265). It is northwest of Shidler and northwest of

Pawhuska Pawhuska ( osa, 𐓄𐓘𐓢𐓶𐓮𐓤𐓘 / hpahúska, ''meaning: "White Hair"'', iow, Paháhga) is a city in and the county seat of Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named after the 19th-century Osage chief, ''Paw-Hiu-Skah'', ...

. 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 95 people, 35 households, and 28 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 46 housing units at an average density of 183.4 per square mile (71.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 77.89%

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 ...

, 10.53% Native American, and 11.58% from two or more races. There were 35 households, out of which 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.4% 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, and 20.0% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 131.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $17,500. Males had a median income of $29,583 versus $8,750 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 $9,857. There were 23.1% of families and 37.1% of the population living 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 54.5% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Economy

The economy of the surrounding area relies on farming and ranching. However, most of the employed town residents work in construction or sales.

References

{{authority control Towns in Osage County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Populated places established in 1921