Bokoshe, Oklahoma
| Bokoshe, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Location of Bokoshe, Oklahoma |
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| Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Le Flore |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2) |
| • Land | 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 515 ft (157 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 512 |
| • Density | 1,024.0/sq mi (365.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 74930 |
| Area code(s) | 539/918 |
| FIPS code | 40-07450[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1090373[2] |
Bokoshe (/bəˈkoʊʃə/ bə-KOH-shə) is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bokoshe is a Choctaw word meaning "little creek."[3] The population was 512 at the 2010 census, a 13.8 percent gain from 450 at the 2000 census.[4]
History
Bokoshe was a Choctaw settlement in 1886, when a post office was established here with William A. Sanner serving as the first Postmaster.[5] The principal business was a coal mine that employed ten miners. By 1900, the population was 153. The Ft. Smith and Western Railroad built tracks in 1901 to this area to ship the coal elsewhere. The Midland Valley Railroad built its own line in 1903 - 1904. The town moved south from its initial location to the intersection of the two railroads. Two other coal mines soon opened nearby, and the population grew to 483 by 1910. By 1920, the census reported a population of 869.[3]
Bokoshe's mines fared better during the Great Depression than those elsewhere in the state. By 1930, the population had declined to 690, and continued dropping to 431 in 1960. The coal industry recovered and the town's population rebounded to 588 in 1970, then fell again to 403 in 1990. The population was 450 in 2000 and 512 in 2010.[3]
In 2013, the residents of Bokoshe filed a class-action lawsuit against 50 companies after millions of gallons of fracking wastewater had been discharged in the town.[6][7]
Geography
Bokoshe is located at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (35.188150, -94.790519).[8]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 153 | — | |
| 1910 | 483 | 215.7% | |
| 1920 | 869 | 79.9% | |
| 1930 | 715 | −17.7% | |
| 1940 | 690 | −3.5% | |
| 1950 | 589 | −14.6% | |
| 1960 | 431 | −26.8% | |
| 1970 | 588 | 36.4% | |
| 1980 | 556 | −5.4% | |
| 1990 | 403 | −27.5% | |
| 2000 | 450 | 11.7% | |
| 2010 | 512 | 13.8% | |
| Est. 2014 | 497 | [9] | −2.9% |
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As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 450 people, 174 households, and 121 families residing in the town. The population density was 844.4 people per square mile (327.8/km²). There were 218 housing units at an average density of 409.1 per square mile (158.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 74.00% White, 0.22% African American, 20.67% Native American, and 5.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.22% of the population.
There were 174 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% 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 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,250, and the median income for a family was $29,375. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $17,813 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,100. About 18.2% of families and 27.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.2% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- George "Rube" Foster (1888–1976), American League baseball pitcher, retired to Bokoshe.[3]
- William R. Shockley (1918–1945), awarded Congressional Medal of Honor, born in Bokoshe.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Larry O'Dell, "Bokoshe." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
- ↑ CensusViewer: Population of the City of Bokoshe, Oklahoma.[1].
- ↑ FIRST POST OFFICES WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF OKLAHOMA by George H. Shirk; http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v026/v026p179.pdf
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Bokoshe
- The Bokoshe Environmental Cause Group
- Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
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Municipalities and communities of Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States
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| Footnotes |
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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