Chelsea, Oklahoma

Chelsea, Oklahoma
Town
Location in Oklahoma Location in Oklahoma
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Rogers
Area
• Total	1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2)
• Land	1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	722 ft (220 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,964
• Density	1,155.3/sq mi (446.4/km2)
Time zone	Central (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	74016
Area code(s)	539/918
FIPS code	40-13700
GNIS feature ID	1091232
The high school mascot is the Green Dragons.

Chelsea is a town in Rogers County, Oklahoma. The population was 1,964 at the 2010 census, a decline of 8.3 percent from 2,136 at the 2000 census. Chelsea was named after the area in London, England, by Charles Peach, a railroad official who was a native of that city. Chelsea used to be one of the largest towns in Oklahoma. Chelsea is the home of Oklahoma's first oil well.

History

In 1881, Chelsea began as a stop on the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. A post office was established in November 1882. The community incorporated as a town in the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, in 1889. The town was surveyed and platted in 1902. The Bank of Chelsea, the first state bank in Indian Territory, began operation in March 1896.

The town economy has historically rested on farming, ranching and oil production. Important farm products were oats, corn, wheat and pecans. Chelsea became noted as a shipping point for cattle and hay before statehood in 1907. The Chelsea-Alluwe oil field was discovered southwest of Chelsea in 1889 by the United States Oil and Gas Company.

Geography

Chelsea is located at (36.535544, -95.431466). It is 19 miles (31 km) northeast of Claremore and 47 miles (76 km) northeast of Tulsa. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	566		—
1910	1,350		138.5%
1920	1,692		25.3%
1930	1,527		−9.8%
1940	1,642		7.5%
1950	1,437		−12.5%
1960	1,541		7.2%
1970	1,622		5.3%
1980	1,754		8.1%
1990	1,620		−7.6%
2000	2,136		31.9%
2010	1,964		−8.1%
Est. 2014	1,956		−0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,136 people, 835 households, and 539 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,267.4 people per square mile (488.0/km²). There were 961 housing units at an average density of 570.2 per square mile (219.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.93% White, 25.70% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 8.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 835 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,127, and the median income for a family was $29,432. Males had a median income of $29,018 versus $19,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,889. About 14.9% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 24.3% of those age 65 or over.

Pryor Creek Bridge

File:Hogue House.jpg

Hogue House

Education

Chelsea High School, is a 2A School with Grades K-12. In 1998 the Chelsea High School boys track team won the state championship. In 2007 the Chelsea High School Varsity cheerleading squad won the state championship. Also in 2007 the Chelsea High School Softball team won state championship. In 2013, the Chelsea Academic team won the 3A State Championship.

Government and infrastructure

In July 2015 all police officers of the Chelsea Police Department quit. They decided to preemptively leave instead of being fired; the police chief was going to be fired and they learned about this plan. The Rogers County Sheriff's Office temporarily took over policing duties.

Due to an unethical local government and businessman, the entire police dept resigned. A local businessman was stopped and investigated for a DUI.

Video shows businessman Brian Haggard ask the officer for a favor.

“If you would give me a free pass tonight I would please appreciate it,” he said.

Haggard owns a construction and excavation company in Chelsea.

The officer, Nicholas Pappe, is new to the police department and pulled Haggard over for a suspected DUI.

“Good evening sir, do you know why I pulled you over,” he asked Haggard, video shows.

At some point during the stop, Hagard made a phone call to Town Administrator, Kenny Weast, who shows up on the scene.

“Yes I spoke to the chief and the police commissioner and all that," Pappe said.

"I can't take him home,” Weast asked the officer.

“No sir, he blew over the legal limit,” Pappe explained.

Assistant Chief of police Travis Hogan stands by his officer who stood his ground, even when Weast showed up.

"It's a very, very, good stop the officer made. He's a rookie officer and he made a good stop,” said Hogan.

Tuesday night the town board reviewed the dash cam video and voted to keep the town administrator in his position.

The crowd roared, and police officers were shocked.

"They hired us to do a job and we took an oath to do a job, and that job we did, and he did a great job at it. We were definitely put in our place,” Hogan said.

He said when his officer took Hagard to jail he threatened the officers job, and now that job seems to be in the hands of Weast.

"He has hire/fire power over the police department and he tried to interfere in one of our arrests, and they awarded him for it,” said Hogan.

Pappe's future employment with the city will be discussed in a meeting next week.

The assistant chief said the situation has made for a hostile work environment between the police department and the city.

Neighbors say Weast and Hagard are business partners and own a bar north of Chelsea.

We tried to talk to Weast, but he rushed out of the meeting and said he had no comment.

National Register of Historic Places

The following sites in Chelsea are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Chelsea Motel
• Hogue House
• Pryor Creek Bridge

Notable residents

• Birthplace of Admiral Joseph J. Clark (November 12, 1893).
• Home to Clem McSpadden, U.S. Representative from Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District from 1973-75 and grand-nephew of Will Rogers.
• World Series MVP Pitcher Ralph Terry was a member of Chelsea High School Green Dragons baseball teams.

External links

• Chelsea entry at the Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture