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 1,500 at the 2020 census, a 8.1% decrease from 2010.
History
Present-day Minco began as a settlement named Silver City on 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 community was initially a collection of tents housing Caddo, Wichita, Kiowa, and Comanche tribesmen.Jackson, Gwen. "Minco." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' Accessed June 15, 2018. It was approximately east of the present-day location. After the Rock Island extended its railroad track to the Chisholm Trail, the town physically moved to the end of the rail line and renamed itself Minco.
The town was originally included in the
Chickasaw Nation
The Chickasaw Nation () is a federally recognized Indigenous nation with headquarters in Ada, Oklahoma, in the United States. The Chickasaw Nation descends from an Indigenous population historically located in the southeastern United States, in ...
. Minco is believed to be named after the great Chickasaw chief and warrior, ''Itawamba Minco'', who later acquired the name of
Levi Colbert
Levi Colbert (June 2, 1834) was an early 19th-century Chickasaw leader and the namesake of Itawamba County, Mississippi.
Early life and education
Levi Colbert was born around 1759 in the Chickasaw Nation (present-day Alabama). He was the ...
, and who resided on Chickasaw land in
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
, near Cotton Gin Port.
Minco was officially settled sometime ''circa'' 1890, several years before Oklahoma achieved statehood. The post office opened in July 1890.
In its early stages, Minco was a very busy town because of its location at the end of the
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
The original Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.
At ...
until the railroad was extended further south two years later. Charles B. Campbell owned the occupancy rights of the land that the town was built on. His wife was Miss Maggie (Margaret) Williams, a daughter of W. G. (Caddo Bill) Williams, owner of the Half Moon Ranch, who started Silver City in 1872, by building a trading store for those cattlemen driving their herds of cattle up the Chisholm Trail.
Before the establishment of Minco as a town, three major expeditions passed through the area. The first expedition was conducted by Captain
Randolph B. Marcy
Randolph Barnes Marcy (April 9, 1812 – November 22, 1887) was an officer in the United States Army, chiefly noted for his frontier guidebook, the ''Prairie Traveler'' (1859), based on his own extensive experience of pioneering in the west. This ...
in 1849. Marcy was ordered to escort 1,500 individuals headed to the
California gold fields
The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the Uni ...
. When the expedition approached the Minco area they kept to the south side of Buggy Creek, which Marcy named "Deer Creek". Marcy named his route the Fort Smith to Santa Fe Trail. There was a road established in 1839-1840 on the north side of the
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .Santa Fe merchant who had connections with merchants in
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 ...
.
During the summer of 1853, the first railroad survey was conducted from Fort Smith to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
by Lt. Amiel Weeks Whipple. Whipple's survey followed Marcy's route from Fort Smith, until they reached the Caddo County Buttes. At that point the expedition moved westward, whereas Marcy had turned north to join the Fort Smith to the
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the ...
, not far north of
Hydro
Hydro (from ) may refer to:
Energy technologies
* Water-derived power or energy:
** Hydropower, derived from water
** Hydroelectricity, in electrical form
* "Hydro", AC mains electricity in parts of Canada
* Micro hydro, a type of hydroelect ...
. Whipple continued westward, leaving Oklahoma just west of the Antelope Hills in present-day Roger Mills County.
The Rock Island Railroad Co.'s original purpose in extending the railroad to Minco was to provide a gateway for the shipping of cattle from the grazing lands of the Chickasaw Nation, just to the south of the town. On August 4, 1901, the Chickasaw Nation's land was opened to white settlement, making Minco a railroad hub for the entire region.
On October 14, 1901, local citizens formed a company for the purpose of selling vacant lots in the town to encourage settlement. It was known as the Minco Townsite and Investment Company.
Minco was originally composed mainly of merchants who provided supplies for the many travelers that used the railroad infrastructure of the town. It is the oldest town in the western part of Oklahoma, so its many businesses served residents for many miles around. The hardware store and tin shop originally opened by Kirk Woodworth in 1891 is still in existence. The remains of some of the hotels that were used by the many temporary residents stand along its Main Street.
In September 1894 Meta Chestnutt, a teacher from
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
who was determined to bring education to the frontier, specifically to Native Americans, along with the services of J.H. Bond, established the El Meta Bond College, one of the first of its kind in the area. The college offered elementary, grammar, and high school courses along with some music and drama courses. Having faced economic troubles for the whole of its existence, it was decommissioned in 1920 due to decreasing enrollment after the arrival of newer educational institutions that came with statehood. After the demolition of the old school building, a modern masonry armory was constructed in 1936 and today serves as a community gathering center. A community park occupies part of the old campus. In this park there is a plaque commemorating Meta Chestnutt and her contributions to the school.
In 1960, the first municipal
natural gas
Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
company in Oklahoma was founded in Minco by James Burton Branum, Jr. It operated along with the Minco Tag Agency from an office in the back of what was then Branum's Variety Store on Main street.
In 2007, the Minco Historical Society established a museum to exhibit the numerous historical facts associated with the town.
Geography
Minco is located in northern Grady County. The city limits extend north to the
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .Canadian County.
U.S. Route 81
U.S. Route 81 or U.S. Highway 81 (US 81) is a major north–south U.S. highway that extends for in the central United States and is one of the original United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the American Association of Sta ...
passes through the center of town, leading north to El Reno and south to
Chickasha
Chickasha is a city in and the county seat of Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,051 at the 2020 census, a 0.1% increase from 2010. The city is named for and strongly connected to Native American heritage, as "Chicka ...
, the Grady County seat.
Oklahoma State Highway 37
State Highway 37 (abbreviated SH-37) is a designation for two separate highways in the state of Oklahoma. The northern section runs between Hinton and Moore in central Oklahoma, while the southern section runs from the Texas state line at the ...
leads east from the center of Minco to Tuttle and west from the northern part of Minco to
Cogar
''Cogar'' (; " Whisper") is an Irish television documentary series, shown on the Irish language channel TG4. It focuses on people who have been "ignored" or are at the margins of society.
''Cogar'' was first broadcast in 2000, the first episod ...
.
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
is to the northeast of Minco.
In the 2010 census, Minco had a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.28%, is water.
A musical tour of the town by comic Lucas Ross can be seen here.
Demographics
In the 2000 census, there were 1,672 people, 658 households, and 467 families living in Minco. The population density was . There were 714 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.99%
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 ...
, 0.06%
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 ...
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 3.47% of the population.
In 2000, there were 658 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% 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, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% 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 3.07.
In 2000, 29.1% of Minco's population were under the age of 18, 7.8% were aged from 18 to 24, 26.8% were aged from 25 to 44, 20.7% were aged from 45 to 64, and 15.7% were 65 years of age or older. In 2000, the median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in Minco was $31,098, and the median income for a family was $40,223. Males had a median income of $30,357 versus $22,426 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 Minco was $18,331. About 9.7% of families and 13.5% 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 13.2% of those under age 18, and 22.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Agriculture
A sign at the city limits reads, "Welcome to Minco, The Land of Milk and Honey". It is based on the town having a large number of dairy farmers and Oklahoma's largest beekeeping company, Gibson-Ross Clover Bloom Honey. Since 1990, every first Saturday of December, Minco brings in thousands of tourists to the Christmas Honey Festival. Jim Ross, owner of the Ross Honey Company, gives tours all day and shows the entire honey production process.Nelson, Melissa. "Minco Is Land Of Milk, Honey." NewsOK. October 19, 1998. Accessed June 14, 2018.
Electric power generation
In 2012, construction began on a series of wind farms near Minco, named Minco I, Minco II, and Minco III. In 2017, the wind farms generated 300 megawatts of electricity, some of which is used to power Google's Mayes County, Oklahoma facility.
Media
Minco has two weekly newspapers. The ''Minco Millennium'' is located on the corner of Main Street and Highway 81, and has been published every week since the summer of 1998. The ''Minco-Union City Times'' is a newspaper that serves Minco and Union City.
Minco's earlier newspapers and years of publication since origin are as follows:
*''Minco Minstrel'', 1890–1897, 190?-1916, 1921–1999
*''Minco Monitor'', 1892-1899
*''Minco Weekly'', 1899-1900
*''Minco Herald'', 1916–1921 (this time period fills in the Minstrel gap)
Microfilm copies of these papers are available at the Oklahoma Historical Society building, south of the state capital, on the second floor.
Government
Minco has a mayor and four council members. There are four wards, with one council member from each. It has its own police department and a fire department."Government." Minco, Oklahoma. Accessed February 24, 2018.
Notable person
*
Sherri Hill
Sherri Hill (born Sherri Branum; 1949) is an American fashion designer and businesswoman who specializes in formal evening wear.
Early years
Sherri Branum, known professionally as Sherri Hill, is one of five children born to James and Rob ...