Dover is a town in Kingfisher 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 464 at the 2010 census. a 26.4 percent gain over the figure of 367 in 2000.

History

The area around Dover was ideal for cattle grazing, By 1884, all the land had been leased to cattlemen. The Red Fork Traders' Ranch had been established near the

Chisholm Trail The Chisholm Trail ( ) was a stock trail and wagon route used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in southern Texas, across the Red River into Indian Territory, and northward to rail stops in Kansas. The trail cons ...

. The land was opened for settlement by the Land Run of 1889, and the trading post was well-placed to benefit from the farmers that settled nearby. The Rock Island built a track through the Traders' Ranch and constructed abridge across the Cimarron River in October 1889. A settlement called Red Wing grew up around the ranch. In 1890, a post office designated "Dover" was established, and the community took that name. By 1893, the community had an estimated 150 residents, growing to about 500 by 1910. Dover was the site on April 3, 1895, where the outlaw gang known as the

Wild Bunch The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...

held up a Rock Island train. The gang was unable to open the safe containing $50,000 in army payroll, so they robbed the passengers instead. A posse surprised and scattered the gang around noon. Thus Dover has the distinction of being the place of the last robbery by the Wild Bunch as a gang, although its individual members kept up the robberies and killings until their own demises. On September 18, 1906, a bridge across the Cimarron River near Dover collapsed beneath a Rock Island train bound for

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

from

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The bridge was a temporary structure unable to withstand the pressure of debris and high water. Replacement with a permanent structure had been delayed by the railroad for financial reasons. Several sources report that over 100 persons were killed, although this figure is disputed. The true number may be as low as 4. A tornado in May 1999 destroyed about one-third of the town, killing one.

Geography

Dover is located north of

Kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

.Dianna Everett, "Dover" ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Retrieved March 7, 2015. 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 367 people, 138 households, and 98 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 151 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 84.74%

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 ...

, 2.18%

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 ...

, 1.91% Native American, 6.54% from other races, and 4.63% 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 14.99% of the population. There were 138 households, out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% 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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.22. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,219, and the median income for a family was $36,563. Males had a median income of $24,583 versus $18,636 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 $17,287. About 11.0% of families and 15.1% 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 17.8% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Towns in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma