Boswell is a town in Choctaw 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 709 at the 2010 census.Census Viewer: Boswell, Oklahoma Population
(accessed November 4, 2013)

History

The Boswell area was one of the Choctaw Nation's first and most important settlements. A Presbyterian missionary station was founded at

Mayhew, Indian Territory Mayhew, Indian Territory, located two miles north of present-day Boswell, Oklahoma, was the seat of government of the Pushmataha District of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Choctaw Nation, in the Indian Territory. It was located in Jackson County ...

, three miles north of present-day Boswell in the 1840s. It soon became a government center as well as seat of civilization. Mayhew became the administrative and judicial capital of the

Pushmataha District Pushmataha District was one of three provinces, or districts, comprising the former Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. Also called the Third District, it encompassed the southwestern one-third of the nation. The Pushmataha District was named ...

, one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation. Mayhew was located in Blue County, one of the counties comprising the Pushmataha District. In 1886 portions of Blue County, including Mayhew, were joined with parts of adjacent counties to form Jackson County. The new county's seat of government was at Pigeon Roost, south of Boswell. A

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

was established at Mayhew, Indian Territory on February 5, 1845, and operated until September 30, 1902. It then moved two miles south to Boswell, which was then a new townsite along the new railroad, and changed its name to Boswell. Boswell was named for S.C. Boswell, a local merchant.

Geography

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 ...

, Boswell has a total area of , of which is land and 1.43% is water. The town contains Boswell State Park, an Oklahoma State Park largely occupied by a lake, which has been stocked with

channel catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus''), known informally as the "channel cat", is a species of catfish native to North America. They are North America's most abundant catfish species, and the official state fish of Kansas, Missouri, Nebra ...

Climate

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 709 people, 295 households, and 184 families residing in the town.2010 Demographic Profile Data
U.S. Census website
. (accessed November 4, 2013) The population density was . There were 370 housing units at an average density of X per square mile (X/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 63.33%

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 ...

, 18.05% Native American, 8.32%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 2.68% from other races, and 7.33% 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 individuals were 5.92% of the population in 2010, having more than doubled since 2000. There were 295 households, out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.9% 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, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. A third (34.6%) of households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were X males. The median income for a household in the town was $20,917, and the median income for a family was $27,300. Males had a median income of $20,000 versus $17,292 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 $13,523. An estimated 35.8% of families and 39.2% 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 64.9% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable People

* Henry G. Bennett, longest-serving president of

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

. * Owanah Anderson - author and human rights activist.

References

External links

Two Lane Blacktop: Return to Boswell

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Boswell
{{authority control Towns in Choctaw County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma State parks of Oklahoma