Clayton is a town in northern Pushmataha 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 555 as of the 2020 Census.

History

Clayton was formerly known as Dexter. 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 Dexter, Indian Territory on March 31, 1894, and was named for Dexter Chapman, early-day resident. Dexter was located in Wade County, Choctaw Nation. The official name of the post office name changed to Clayton, Indian Territory on April 5, 1907. Its name is thought to have been derived from Clayton, Missouri. It is also possible the town renamed itself after William H.H. Clayton, judge of the U.S. Court for the Central District of

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

. Judge Clayton was prominent in the role to gain

’s statehood. Clayton is the largest town or community in northern Pushmataha County. It is the region's largest trading center due to its relative distance from the county seat of Antlers—36 miles. Flagpole Mountain retains a fire tower. Built of metal and several stories tall, it was once part of a network of towers, all staffed, from which a fire watch was maintained. It is the only tower remaining in Pushmataha County, although it is no longer operational. Views from the tower offer a panorama stretching for many miles in any direction. Clayton, as regional trading center, remains economically healthy, with a locally based economy. It is currently home to a public school, several churches, and numerous businesses and homes. During recent years the Clayton High School has become recognized as an architecturally and historically significant building, and has been added to the

NRHP The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The building was found to be a very unusual example of WPA architecture—one of only two known single-use auditoriums constructed by the WPA. On February 13, 2015, approximately 5% of the town population was arrested in a methamphetamine drug sweep. More information on the history of Clayton may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society.

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 ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.58% is water. Clayton, located in the Kiamichi River valley, is framed on its west by Flagpole Mountain (1,562 ft.) and to its east by unnamed mountains topping 1,600 feet in elevation. Within a few miles of Clayton is scenic McKinley Rocks, a collection of massive boulders strewn across a mountain top. South of Clayton is Clayton Lake State Park which is surrounded by a pine tree forest. Northwest of town is Sardis Lake, a

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

dam which impounds the water of Jack's Fork Creek. The Pushmataha Wildlife Refuge is also nearby.

Utilities

* Telephone, Internet, and Digital TV Services is provided by Hilliary Communications.

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 719 people, 335 households, and 191 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 404 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 74.41%

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 ...

, 19.33% Native American, and 6.26% 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 0.70% of the population. There were 335 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% 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, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.88. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $23,516, and the median income for a family was $23,009. Males had a median income of $13,750 versus $17,556 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 $13,530. 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 ...

were 8.8% of people, 31.3% of families, 49.4% of those under 18 and 37.0% of those over 64.

References

External links

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