Le Flore County, Oklahoma

LeFlore County is a county along the eastern border of the U.S state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 48,129. Its county seat is Poteau. The county is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area and the name honors a Choctaw family named LeFlore.Larry O"Dell, "LeFlore County," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
/ref> The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma is the federal district court with jurisdiction in LeFlore County.

History

The Choctaw Nation signed the Treaty of Doak's Stand in 1820, ceding part of their ancestral home in the Southeastern U.S. and receiving a large tract in Indian Territory. They signed the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830, which ceded the remainder of their original homeland. Most of the remainder of the Choctaw were removed to Indian Territory, escorted by federal military troops, in several waves.

In 1832, the federal government constructed the Choctaw Agency in Indian Territory about west of Fort Smith, Arkansas. The town of Skullyville developed around the agency. It was designated as county seat of Skullyville County, the capital of the Moshulatubbee District of which Skullyville County was a part, and the national capital of the Choctaw Nation.

The U.S. Indian agents lived in the town. In the late 1850s, it was designated as a stage stop ( Walker's Station) for the Butterfield Overland Mail route.

In 1834, the U.S. Army built Fort Coffee a few miles north of Skullyville, but reassigned the garrison after four years. The Methodist Church took over the facility, converting it for use as the Fort Coffee Academy for Boys, a missionary school. That church also established the New Hope Seminary for Girls in 1845, just east of town. In 1847, the Choctaw Agency burned and its functions were transferred to Fort Washita.

During the Civil War, the Choctaw allied with the Confederacy and many of their men served in its army. The Battle of Devil's Backbone was fought near the present town of Pocola on September 1, 1863. Union Major General James G. Blunt defeated Confederate Brigadier General William Cabell. Union troops burned the Fort Coffee Academy in 1863, because it was being used to house Confederate troops.

In 1866, the Choctaw government reopened New Hope Seminary, but never rebuilt a boys academy. New Hope Seminary operated until it burned in 1896. The first school for Choctaw freedmen opened at Boggy Depot. In 1892, the Tushkalusa (Black warriors) Freedmen Boarding school opened three miles southeast of Talihina.

From 1886, development of coal mining and timber production attracted considerable railroad construction; the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad built tracks from Wister west to McAlester. In 1898, the company extended the line east from Wister to Howe, continuing the line to Arkansas in 1899. (This line was leased to the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway in 1904).

In 1896, the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad (acquired by the Kansas City Southern Railway in 1900) built tracks through the region from north to south, exiting into Arkansas near the Page community in southern LeFlore County. In 1900-01, the Poteau Valley Railroad built a line from Shady Point to Sutter (later known as Calhoun, which they abandoned in 1926. Also in 1900-01, the Arkansas Western Railroad constructed tracks from Heavener east to Arkansas. In 1901, the Fort Smith and Western Railroad connected Coal Creek west to McCurtain in Haskell County. In 1903-04, the Midland Valley Railroad laid tracks from Arkansas west through Bokoshe to Muskogee. The Oklahoma and Rich Mountain Railroad, owned by the Dierks Lumber and Coal Company, constructed the county's last railroad, from Page to the lumber town of Pine Valley in 1925–26.

Prior to statehood, the area that became LeFlore County was part of Moshulatubbee and the Apukshunnubbee districts. Its present-day territory fell primarily within Nashoba, Skullyville, Sugar Loaf, and Wade Counties, with small portions falling within Cedar and San Bois Counties, in the Choctaw Nation.

Robert S. Kerr, former governor of Oklahoma and U.S. senator, established a ranch outside Poteau in the 1950s. In 1978, the family donated this residence to the state. It was adapted and opened for use as the Kerr Conference Center and Museum. The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the Overstreet-Kerr Historical Farm are also in the county.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (1.2%) are covered by water.

The Arkansas River forms the northern boundary of the county, while its tributaries, the Poteau and James Fork Rivers drain much of the county into the Arkansas. The Kiamichi, Little and Mountain Fork Rivers drain the rest of the county into the Red River. The Ouachita Mountains extend into the southern part of the county, along with associated ranges: Winding Stair Mountains and Kiamichi Mountains. Cavanal Hill is partly in the northern part of the county.

Natural attractions

Lake Wister, a flood-control reservoir, is in the central part of the county.Harold Crain, "Wister." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
/ref> The Ouachita National Forest, in the county's southern half, and Heavener Runestone State Park are tourist attractions. Additionally, Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area is located in the county. It is one of two national recreation areas located in Oklahoma, the other being Chickasaw.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 59
* U.S. Highway 259
* U.S. Highway 270
* U.S. Highway 271
* State Highway 1
* State Highway 9
* State Highway 31
* State Highway 63

Adjacent counties

* Sequoyah County (north)
* Sebastian County, Arkansas (northeast)
* Scott County, Arkansas (east)
* Polk County, Arkansas (southeast)
* McCurtain County (south)
* Pushmataha County (southwest)
* Latimer County (west)
* Haskell County (northwest)

National protected areas

* Indian Nations National Wildlife and Scenic Area
* Ouachita National Forest (part)
* Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area
* Spiro Mounds

Demographics

By the 2020 census, its population was 48,129.

At the 2000 census,48,109 people, 17,861 households, and 13,199 families were residing in the county. The population density was . The 20,142 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 80.35% White, 2.21% African American, 10.72% Native American, 0.21% Asian], 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.44% from other races, and 5.03% from two or more races. About 3.84% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. By ancestry, 22.7% were of United States, American, 10.1% Irish, 9.6% German, and 7.7% English.

Of the 17,861 households, 33.4% had children under 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were not families. About 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.05. In the county, the age distribution was 26.1% under 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,278, and for a family was $32,603. Males had a median income of $26,214 versus $19,792 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,737. About 15.4% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under 18 and 16.5% of those 65 or over. According to 2021 census estimates, its median household income was $43,049 and the county had a poverty rate of 23.5%.

Politics

Communities

Cities

* Heavener
* Poteau (county seat)

Towns

* Arkoma
* Bokoshe
* Cameron
* Cowlington
* Fanshawe (partly in Latimer County)
* Fort Coffee
* Howe
* LeFlore
* Panama
* Pocola
* Rock Island
* Shady Point
* Spiro
* Talihina
* Wister

Census-designated places

* Hodgen
* Monroe
* Whitesboro

Other unincorporated communities

* Big Cedar
* Milton
* Muse
* Octavia
*Page
* Skullyville

NRHP sites

These sites in LeFlore County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

References

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1907 establishments in Oklahoma
Populated places established in 1907
Fort Smith metropolitan area