Bokchito is a town in Bryan 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. As of the 2020 census, the community had 574 residents. It is located on the west side of what is now Bokchito Creek.

History

A post office was established at Bokchito, Indian Territory on August 11, 1894. It was named for the local waterway, Bok Chito, which in the

Choctaw language The Choctaw language (Choctaw: ), spoken by the Choctaw, an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, US, is a member of the Muskogean languages, Muskogean language family. Chickasaw language, Chickasaw is a separate but closely related l ...

means "Big Creek."Milligan, Keith
"Bokchito,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 15, 2015. Bokchito, Indian Territory was platted and incorporated by the federal government as a town within the Choctaw Nation on April 27, 1901. At that time, the population was estimated at 200. When founded, Bokchito was located in Blue County, a part of the

Moshulatubbee District Moshulatubbee District was one of three provinces, or districts, comprising the former Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. Also called the First District, it encompassed the northern one-third of the nation. In some historic records it is spel ...

of the Choctaw Nation.Morris, John W. ''Historical Atlas of Oklahoma'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1986), plate 38. Notable people connected to Bokchito include decorated Vietnam war veteran Paul Fredrick May and author Ramiro Pesina.

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

lived in Bokchito when he was in college.

Geography

Bokchito is located east of Durant and west of Hugo. The town is at the intersection of

U.S. Route 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern, Southern and Southwestern United States ...

and

Oklahoma State Highway 22 State Highway 22 (abbreviated SH-22) is a U.S. State highway in Oklahoma. It runs in a west-to-east pattern through the south-central part of the state, running from SH-1 at Ravia to US-70 at Bokchito. There are no letter-suffixed spur hi ...

. 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 ...

, the town 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 564 people, 248 households, and 150 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 293 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 78.19%

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 ...

, 13.65% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 7.45% 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 1.77% of the population. There were 248 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% 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, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.97. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $21,923, and the median income for a family was $26,528. Males had a median income of $24,911 versus $20,000 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 $12,579. About 20.8% of families and 24.6% 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 34.5% of those under age 18 and 22.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The economy of the area around Bokchito is based on agriculture and the production of beef and dairy cattle. Important crops have included cotton, corn, peanuts, oats, hay, and cucumbers.

Education

The towns of Bokchito and

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

consolidated their separate school districts to form the Rock Creek District. The elementary school is located in Blue, and the high school is in Bokchito.

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Bokchito
{{authority control Towns in Bryan County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma