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Haskell is a city, as of March 2024, in Muskogee 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 2,007 at the 2010 census, a gain of 13.7 percent over the figure of 1,765 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 ...
. Haskell was established in 1904 on the
Midland Valley Railroad The Midland Valley Railroad (MV) was a railroad company incorporated on June 4, 1903 for the purpose of building a line from Hope, Arkansas, through Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma to Wichita, Kansas. It was backed by C. Jared Ingersoll, a Philadelp ...
. It was named for town site developer
Charles N. Haskell Charles Nathaniel Haskell (March 13, 1860 – July 5, 1933) was an American lawyer, oilman, and politician who was the first governor of Oklahoma. As a delegate to Oklahoma's constitutional convention in 1906, he played a crucial role in draftin ...
, who became the first
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of the State of Oklahoma in 1907.


History

Haskell was founded about one and a half miles northeast of the
Muscogee (Creek) Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...
town of ''Sawokla,'' which already had a post office, a store and a cotton gin. Sawokla was a
Hitchiti Hitchiti ( ) was a tribal town in what is now the Southeast United States. It was one of several towns whose people spoke the Hitchiti language. It was first known as part of the Apalachicola Province, an association of tribal towns along the ...
town and had been the home of Creek Chief Samuel Checote. The original tract was allotted to Amos Rolland, a member of the Creek Nation. The store and gin relocated from Sawokla to Haskell as soon as the railroad was completed in 1904. The first store, S. Beshara and Brothers, was started in a tent by two immigrants from Syria. Haskell's first post office was established in 1902, with Nat Lambertson, owner of a new hardware and general store, appointed as first postmaster. Other early businesses were C. E. Henson's general store and A. J. Englert's mill and elevator. The Haskell National Bank was organized in 1904, soon followed by the First National Bank, the International Bank, and the Arkansas Valley Bank. In the early 1990s, the town appointed Charlie B. White, a native son, its first black mayor. He died on March 17, 2013. The railroad enabled farmers near Haskell to ship their produce (grain, hay, corn, melons and cotton) to northern and eastern markets. Haskell counted 720 residents at the time of statehood in 1907. The Robertson Memorial Presbyterian Church, named for a missionary family who had lived in the area, was built in 1909. The President of Henry Kendall College came from Muskogee to preside over the dedication. The building is still in use in the 21st century. Gas and oil were discovered near Haskell in 1910. This sparked a period of prosperity, and Haskell soon could boast of improvements such as paved streets, concrete sidewalks, electric lights, natural gas lines, and water works. The Tulsa-Muskogee Turnpike, completed in 1969, bypassed Haskell and diverted much road traffic from U.S. Highway 64. This caused a significant loss of revenue for many businesses in town. In March 2024 by a vote of the citizens, Haskell changed from a Town to a City Manager form of Government.


Geography

Haskell is located northwest of Muskogee. 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 1,765 people, 679 households, and 482 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 763 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 72.75%
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 ...
, 8.90%
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 ...
, 10.88% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 7.37% 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 0.68% of the population. There were 679 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% 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, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $25,542, and the median income for a family was $29,196. Males had a median income of $26,413 versus $19,926 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 $12,805. About 17.8% of families and 21.8% 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 28.4% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.


Transportation

Haskell is served by US Route 64, Oklahoma State Highway 72, and Oklahoma State Highway 104. US Route 62 and Oklahoma State Highway 16 have a junction just south of town. The privately owned Haskell Airport (FAA ID: 2K9), about 1 mile northeast of Haskell, features a 3710' x 30' paved runway. Commercial air transportation is available at
Tulsa International Airport Tulsa International Airport is a civil-military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of Downtown Tulsa, in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named Tulsa Municipal Airport when the city acquired it in 1929 ...
, about 35 miles north-northwest.


Governance

As of March 2024, by a vote of the citizens Haskell changed from a Town Trustee form of government to a City Manager Council form of government, which consists of four wards, four trustees with a fifth trustee elected at large for a total of five trustees. Candidates must live in a specific ward. The trustees are then elected at large. The mayor is elected from the board of trustees. The board establishes ordinances (laws) and resolutions (policy) and rates for services."Form of Government." Town of Haskell.org
Accessed October 17, 2016.


Recreation

Haskell Lake is located about 3 miles northwest of central Haskell. Created by the WPA, it is about 14 acres in size and known for good fishing. The Arkansas River, just to the east of town, also offers fishing opportunities for species like catfish, though access there is typically had through private lands. The town has Haskell City Park, where it has held its Frontier Day celebration.


References


External links



Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Haskell {{authority control Towns in Muskogee County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Muscogee (Creek) Nation Populated places established in 1904 1904 establishments in Indian Territory