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Big Cabin is a town in Craig County,
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
, United States. The population was 265 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 9.6 percent from the figure of 293 recorded in
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
.


History

The town was named for a local landmark, a plank cabin, that existed near the place where the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway built a switch in 1871–2. The first post office in this part of Indian Territory opened in 1872. (though it was not named Big Cabin until 1892). Some entrepreneurs built a stockyard in the town in 1888. The first two-story frame building was constructed in 1892. In 1892 the Post Office Department assigned a postal designation to Big Cabin. A school for non-Indian children began in 1895. The railroad built a depot in 1903.Craig County Genealogical Society, "Big Cabin." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Retrieved September 3, 2014.
Big Cabin was platted as a town in 1904. It began the process to incorporate in 1926, but did not finish the task until 1958. Meanwhile, the area around Big Cabin became noted for producing hay. A local resident claimed that the town had shipped out more hay between 1893 and 1910 than any other town in the U.S. He claimed that Big Cabin was "the Hay Capital of the World."


Geography

Big Cabin is located near the southern border of Craig County.
U.S. Route 69 U.S. Route 69 (US 69) is a major north–south United States highway in the central United States. When it was first created, it was only long, but it has since been expanded into a Minnesota to Texas cross-country route. The highway's ...
passes through the town, leading north to Vinita, the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
, and south to Adair.
Interstate 44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, T ...
, the
Will Rogers Turnpike The Will Rogers Turnpike is a controlled-access toll road in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The highway begins as a continuation of the Creek Turnpike in Tulsa, continuing northward from the I-44/ US-412 interchange there ...
, passes just north of the town, with access from Exit 283. Via I-44, it is southwest to
Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...
and northeast to
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, Big Cabin has a total area of , all land.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 293 people, 120 households, and 89 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 137 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 75.77%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 14.68% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 8.53% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.71% of the population. There were 120 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.84. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,972, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $21,964 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $18,165. About 19.6% of families and 18.9% 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 25.4% of those under the age of 18 and 10.3% of those 65 or over.


Government


Traffic citations

In 2004 Big Cabin raised nearly three-fourths of its revenue from traffic citations for speeding. The state of Oklahoma enacted a law in 2004 that penalizes towns where the citation revenue exceeds 50% of the annual budget. As a result of a complaint filed by a local business, Oklahoma's Department of Public Safety designated the town a
speed trap Speed limit, Speed limits are enforced on most public roadways by authorities, with the purpose to improve driver compliance with speed limits. Methods used include roadside speed traps set up and operated by the police and automated roadside "s ...
, and prohibited the town's officers from writing traffic tickets for six months. The police department maintained that enforcement lowered the annual rate of traffic deaths.


Education

It is in the Vinita Public Schools school district. In fall 1991 the
Big Cabin School District Big Cabin School District was a school district headquartered in Big Cabin, Oklahoma. The district territory includes parts of the following counties: Craig County, Oklahoma, Craig, Mayes County, Oklahoma, Mayes, and Rogers County, Oklahoma, ...
, which had a student population of under 100, voted to dissolve itself. There were referendums on merging with the Adair school district and the White Oak school district, but the residents of the district did not accept them. In May 1992 residents voted to join the Vinita school district.


Notable people

* Grady Louis McMurtry (b. October 18, 1918, d. July 12, 1985, Martinez, CA), Occultist, Grand Master and Outer Head of Ordo Templi Orientis and Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, 1971-1985. * Ralph Terry (1926-2022), American major league professional baseball player.


References


External links


Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Big Cabin
{{authority control Towns in Oklahoma Towns in Craig County, Oklahoma Populated places within the Cherokee Nation reservation