Keota is a town in southeastern Haskell 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 438 at the 2020 census, a 22.3 percent decrease over the figure of 564 recorded in 2010.

History

The town was first called "KeeOtter", which was later changed to "Keota". The town's name may come from a

Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...

word meaning "the fire gone out", referring to an entire tribe being destroyed by disease, or may be derived from "Jim Keese", a rancher who owned the land where the townsite was located, and "Otter," for Otter Creek, a tributary of the Sans Bois Creek which winds its way through town."Keota,"
Hyder, Glenn O.''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed March 30, 2015. Keota was founded in 1904 by the Midland Valley Railroad's land company, and a post office was established in 1905. By 1911, the town supported several businesses, a hotel, and a lumberyard. The town supported local cotton growers, and was a railroad shipping point for their product. The Great Depression caused Keota's population to fall from 494 in 1920 to 470 in 1930, though it rebounded to 619 by 1970. Craig, Linda. "Haskell County, Oklahoma History." 2009.
Accessed October 17, 2016. In 1971, the

McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System The McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) is part of the Inland waterways of the United States, United States inland waterway system originating at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa and running southeast through Oklahoma and Arka ...

was established on the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...

, about 10 miles north of Keota. A dam on the river created the

Robert S. Kerr Reservoir Robert S. Kerr Reservoir is located within the Cookson Hills, on the Arkansas River in Sequoyah, Le Flore, Haskell, and Muskogee counties in eastern Oklahoma, US. It is about eight miles south of the nearest major town, Sallisaw, Oklahoma. The ...

, which reaches to Keota. This enabled the Port of Keota to be established. Light industry was beginning to be drawn to the town at the end of the twentieth century, though by 2013, little remained of the port but a boatlaunch The railway had long been abandoned. On December 31, 1974, the nearby Otter Creek Archaeological Site (NR 74001661) was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. At the time of its founding, Keota was located in

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 ...

Choctaw Nation The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Native American reservation occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. At roughly , it is the second-largest reservation in area after the Navajo, exceeding t ...

.Morris, John W. ''Historical Atlas of Oklahoma'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986), plate 38.

Geography

Keota is located west of

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, third-most populous city in Arkansas, United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, Sebastian County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the pop ...

and south southwest of Sallisaw. 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 517 people, 204 households, and 140 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 230 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 81.43%

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 ...

, 12.19% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 2.71% from other races, and 3.48% 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 4.84% of the population. There were 204 households, out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% 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, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.15. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $20,000, and the median income for a family was $25,750. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $13,250 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 $10,023. About 19.7% of families and 27.0% 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 26.9% of those under age 18 and 31.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Sim Iness - Olympic gold medalist and world record holder for the discus. * Major General Sidney Marks - distinguished WWII infantry officer and All-American wrestler.

References

{{authority control Towns in Haskell County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Oklahoma populated places on the Arkansas River Populated places established in 1904