Spiro, Oklahoma

Spiro, Oklahoma
Town
Spider engraved on shell, from Spiro Mounds, near the town of Spiro. Spider engraved on shell, from Spiro Mounds, near the town of Spiro.
Location of Spiro, Oklahoma Location of Spiro, Oklahoma
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Le Flore
Area
• Total	2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2)
• Land	2.1 sq mi (5.5 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	492 ft (150 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,167
• Density	1,049.5/sq mi (405.2/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	74959
Area code(s)	539/918
FIPS code	40-69350
GNIS feature ID	1098363

Spiro is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,164 at the 2010 census, a 2.8 percent decline from 2,227 at the 2000 census. The town is notable for its proximity to the Spiro Mounds, one of Oklahoma's most important archaeological sites.

History

In 1895 - 1896, the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad (later owned by the Kansas City Southern Railroad) established a station at the present site of Spiro, which it connected directly to Fort Smith, Arkansas, According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture this attracted residents from the nearby town of Skullyville and soon made Spiro the principal town in this area. The town population was 543 in 1900.

The Spiro post office was created in 1898. There are several reasons given for its name. One claims that Spiro was the maiden name of the first postmistress. Another claims it was the maiden name of the mother of a Fort Smith banker. Yet another claims it was named for the father-in-law of a Fort Smith banker.

Cotton was the basis for the local economy. In 1901, Spiro had three cotton yards and one gin. By 1910, there were three cotton gins and the population had grown to 1,173. Cotton declined during the Great Depression, but timber and livestock became important industries. The population declined to 969 in 1930, then rebounded to 1,365 by 1950.

The town was struck by an F5 tornado on March 26,1976, resulting in two deaths.

Geography

Spiro is located at (35.241464, -94.620717). It is 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the Arkansas River, 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and 10 miles (16 km) west of the Oklahoma-Arkansas border.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (3.18%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	543		—
1910	1,173		116.0%
1920	1,162		−0.9%
1930	969		−16.6%
1940	1,041		7.4%
1950	1,365		31.1%
1960	1,450		6.2%
1970	2,057		41.9%
1980	2,221		8.0%
1990	2,146		−3.4%
2000	981		−54.3%
2010	2,164		120.6%
Est. 2014	2,178		0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,227 people, 875 households, and 587 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,049.5 people per square mile (405.6/km²). There were 992 housing units at an average density of 467.5 per square mile (180.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 80.47% White, 5.21% African American, 6.11% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 1.35% from other races, and 6.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.51% of the population.

There were 875 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $18,241, and the median income for a family was $25,556. Males had a median income of $23,716 versus $16,694 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,195. About 23.2% of families and 29.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.8% of those under age 18 and 29.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Bill Blankenship - football coach, currently head coach at University of Tulsa, born in Spiro in 1956
• Albert E. Brumley (1905 - 1977) - famous gospel songwriter and publisher, born in Spiro in 1905; best known for the hymn, "I'll Fly Away"
• Henry Burris - professional Canadian football player, former NFL quarterback, born in Spiro in 1975
• Rod Shoate - professional football player for the New England Patriots
• Ryan Franklin (b. 1973) - Major League Baseball pitcher, grew up in Spiro
• Dallas Frazier - Bakersfield Sound singer-songwriter, born in Spiro in 1939, grew up in Bakersfield, California; left the music industry in the 1980s and is now a minister

External links

• Spiro Public Library
• Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory