Stigler is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of 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 ...

. The population was 2,685 at the time of the 2010 census, down from 2,731 recorded in 2000.

History

At the time of its founding, Newman, later Stigler, was located in Sans Bois County, a part of the

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 ...

of the

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 ...

in Indian Territory. A post office was established at Newman, Indian Territory on April 30, 1892. The community was named for Dr. Martin W. Newman, a pioneer and physician.Shirk, George H. ''Oklahoma Place Names'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965), pp. 149 & 198. Joseph Stigler is said to have founded the town in 1889. He was familiar with the area, as earlier he had served as a deputy marshal under federal judge Isaac C. Parker, whose court 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 ...

, had jurisdiction over

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

.Glenn O. Hyder, "Stigler," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''
Accessed 2015-05-21. The post office name was changed to Stigler on May 3, 1893 by the U.S. Post Office Service, because the former name caused some confusion with the town of Norman. 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 ...

was constructed to Stigler in 1904, which attracted more settlers and more types of businesses. By the following year, the town had become incorporated. At statehood in 1907, Stigler was named as the county seat of newly created Haskell County. Stigler is home to the Haskell County Courthouse. In the late 20th century, the county court was known for having installed marble plaques inscribed with the

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...

and the

Mayflower Compact The Mayflower Compact, originally titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the men aboard the ''Mayflower,'' consisting of Separatist Puritans, adventurers, a ...

on the front lawn of the courthouse. (''See

Separation of church and state in the United States "Separation of church and state" is a metaphor paraphrased from Thomas Jefferson and used by others in discussions of the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads: "Congres ...

''.) In the seventh commandment, the word "

adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...

" was misspelled as "adultry". Opponents sued for the commandments to be removed, arguing that the installation was unconstitutional and violated the principle of the

separation of church and state in the United States "Separation of church and state" is a metaphor paraphrased from Thomas Jefferson and used by others in discussions of the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads: "Congres ...

. The court agreed and ordered the Commandments removed from the lawn. However, it was only moved over about 20 feet and is basically still on the lawn of the courthouse.

Geography

Stigler is located in central Haskell County. Oklahoma State Highway 9 is the city's Main Street, and leads east to Keota and west to Whitefield. Oklahoma State Highway 82 leads south from Stigler to Lequire. Muskogee is to the north, and

is to the east. 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 ...

, Stigler has a total area of , of which , or 1.42%, are water.

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 2,731 people, 1,096 households, and 697 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,216 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.76%

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 ...

, 0.04%

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 ...

, 15.45% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.59% from other races, and 4.83% 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 2.67% of the population. There were 1,096 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% 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, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.06. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,594, and the median income for a family was $28,839. Males had a median income of $24,350 versus $22,500 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 city was $16,293. About 20.5% of families and 25.8% 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 33.1% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Stigler prospered through agriculture during the early part of the 20th century. However, cotton and corn could not sustain the town through the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

of the 1930s. According to the '' Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', local farmers became raisers of livestock, largely with the assistance of the federal government. After World War II, construction of two large new reservoirs in the region, Eufaula Lake and Robert S. Kerr Reservoir, generated many jobs in construction, followed by an upsurge of

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

to the area. Stigler also succeeded in attracting several small manufacturing plants. The Stigler Industrial Park is owned by the city (Stigler Industrial Trust), and covers , located a quarter mile off State Highway 9. It currently houses seven employers, with a total of 194 employees.

Education

Public schools

The Stigler Board of Education is responsible for the Stigler School System, which consists of one grade school, one middle school and one high school. The Board of Education has five members and meets monthly.

Kiamichi Technology Center

One campus of the Kiamichi Technology Center (KTC) is located at 1410 Old Military Road in Stigler. The Stigler branch offers training programs in automobile service technology, construction technology, cosmetology, emergency medical services, health science and welding technology."KTC: Kiamichi Technology Center: Stigler Campus."
Accessed October 16, 2016.

Transportation

Air

Stigler Regional Airport, owned by the city of Stigler (FAA Identifier GZL), is northeast of the city. It went into service in January 1997, for private aircraft. There is no control tower and no scheduled airline service. Runway 17/35 is asphalt covered, with dimensions of .

Transportation

Stigler is at the intersection of Oklahoma State Highway 9 and Oklahoma State Highway 82. KI BOIS Area Transit System (KATS) is a rural public transportation system that operates over 200 buses and vans that transport people to senior citizens centers, grocery stores, doctors, and work. KATS serves residents of Adair, Cherokee, Haskell, Hughes, Latimer, LeFlore, McIntosh, Okmulgee, Okfuskee, Pittsburg, Sequoyah and Wagoner counties. Its administrative office and maintenance facility is in Stigler.

Governance

City council

Stigler has a council-manager form of government. City officials are: * Founder of Stigler - Joseph Stigler * Mayor - Larry Godfrey * Vice Mayor - Brad Martin * Council Member - Brian Morrison * Council Member - William "Bill" Allen * Council Member - Rebecca "Becky" Bumpers * City Manager - Bobby Mouser * Sheriff - Terry Garland

City departments

* Police Department Gary Balinger is police chief and John Vail is the assistant police chief. Kenny Medlock is 911 Director. There are 9 full-time and 4 part-time officers,4 full-time and 1 part-time Dispatchers. * Fire Department consists of Fire Chief Jim Hays and 25 volunteer firefighters. ="StiglerGov"/>

Media

Stigler has had several newspapers, starting with the ''Stigler Beacon'', which was followed by the ''State Sentinel.'' Others have been the ''Haskell County Leader,'' the ''Haskell County News'', the ''Haskell County Tribune'', the ''Country Star'', and the ''Stigler News-Sentinel''.

Notable people

* Norma Howard, Choctaw contemporary painter * Ted Risenhoover (1934-2006), born in Stigler and graduated from Stigler High School in 1952. "Focus on Haskell County." ''Oklahoma Ad Valorem Forum''. Vol. 21, Issue 6. June 2012. p. 7
Accessed October 17, 2016. A newspaper publisher, he represented the Second Congressional District in the

U. S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

from 1975 to 1979. * William G. Stigler (1891 - 1952), lived and was buried in Stigler. He was the son of founder Joseph Stigler. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma law school, he became a lawyer and represented the Second Congressional District in the

from 1944 to 1952.

Notes

References

External links

City of Stigler official website

Stigler Public Library
{{authority control Cities in Haskell County, Oklahoma Cities in Oklahoma County seats in Oklahoma Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Populated places established in 1889