Haskell County, Oklahoma

Haskell County is a county located in the southeast quadrant of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,769.[1] Its county seat is Stigler.[2] The county is named in honor of Charles N. Haskell, the first governor of Oklahoma.

Not to be confused with Haskell, Oklahoma.
Haskell County
U.S. county
Location within the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°14′N 95°07′W
Country United States
State Oklahoma
Founded1907
Named forCharles N. Haskell
SeatStigler
Largest cityStigler
Area
 • Total625 sq mi (1,620 km2)
 • Land577 sq mi (1,490 km2)
 • Water49 sq mi (130 km2)  7.8%%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total12,769
 • Estimate 
(2019)
12,627
 • Density22/sq mi (8/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district2nd

History

The area now comprising Haskell County was created at statehood primarily from the former Sans Bois County of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory. Sans Bois County was part of the Moshulatubbee District, one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation. Small portions of present-day Haskell County fell within Gaines County and Skullyville County, Choctaw Nation.

In 1908 county voters picked Stigler over Keota and Whitefield as the county seat.[3]

Underground coal mining was undertaken here in the early 20th century, creating jobs and attracting railroad construction to southern Haskell County. The San Bois Coal Company built more than four hundred company houses in McCurtain and Chant (two towns that eventually merged into one) for their miners. In 1912 a large, underground explosion rocked the Number Two mine at McCurtain, killing 73 (seventy-three) miners and bankrupting the San Bois Company.[3] The McCurtain disaster and the declining demand for coal in the 1920s halted underground coal mining in the county.

Strip mining continued. The Lone Star Steel Company became the county's leading coal producer. Haskell County was the source of 20 percent of Oklahoma's coal production between 1950 and 1980.[4]

Agriculture was the most important component of the county economy in the early 20th century. Cotton was the most important crop, followed by corn and oats. The collapse of cotton prices and the Great Depression caused a drop in population as well as farm acreage. In 1934 the Federal Emergency Relief Administration helped over 85 percent of Haskell County's population. Ranching supplanted farming, which was forced to diversify. By 1964, livestock accounted for about 70 percent of the county's revenues.[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 625 square miles (1,620 km2), of which 577 square miles (1,490 km2) is land and 49 square miles (130 km2) (7.8%) is water.[5] The county elevation varies because of the Sans Bois Mountains in the southern part of the county from 500 feet (150 m) to 1,500 feet (460 m).[3]

The relatively large water area results from the presence of Eufaula Lake and the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir. The South Canadian River forms the northern border with McIntosh and Muskogee counties before draining into the Arkansas River at the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir. The Arkansas is the northeastern border with Sequoyah County.[3]

Major highways
  • State Highway 2
  • State Highway 9
  • State Highway 31
  • State Highway 71
  • State Highway 82

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
191018,875—
192019,3972.8%
193016,216−16.4%
194017,3246.8%
195013,313−23.2%
19609,121−31.5%
19709,5785.0%
198011,01015.0%
199010,940−0.6%
200011,7927.8%
201012,7698.3%
2019 (est.)12,627[6]−1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2019[1]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 12,769 people living in the county. 74.9% were White, 15.9% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% Black or African American, 1.2% of some other race and 7.0% of two or more races. 3.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 8.4% were of American, 7.3% German, 6.4% Irish and 5.0% English ancestry.[11]

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 11,792 people, 4,624 households, and 3,380 families living in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile (8/km2). There were 5,573 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 78.24% White, 0.61% Black or African American, 14.60% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 5.81% from two or more races. 1.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,624 households, out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.60% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.90% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,553, and the median income for a family was $29,872. Males had a median income of $25,493 versus $17,462 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,775. About 16.10% of families and 20.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.10% of those under age 18 and 18.60% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Despite the county being home to a significant Native American population and a wide Democratic registration advantage, the county -- like every Oklahoma county since 2000 -- has avoided the party entirely in presidential elections in the 21st century. Unlike other Native-administered counties, however, the rightward shift only increased after the 2004 election, with the GOP hitting well over 70% of the vote in the county in the Barack Obama era and topping out with 78.1% for Donald Trump in 2016.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2019[13]
Party Number of Voters Percentage
Democratic 4,387 63.42%
Republican 1,984 28.68%
Others 546 7.90%
Total 6,917 100%
Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 78.1% 3,701 18.6% 882 3.3% 155
2012 72.3% 3,069 27.7% 1,175
2008 68.5% 3,207 31.5% 1,474
2004 55.3% 2,946 44.7% 2,378
2000 44.1% 2,039 54.2% 2,510 1.7% 79
1996 30.0% 1,442 57.5% 2,762 12.5% 601
1992 26.3% 1,461 55.3% 3,069 18.3% 1,016
1988 37.7% 1,822 61.4% 2,963 0.9% 44
1984 48.5% 2,417 50.9% 2,535 0.6% 29
1980 40.4% 2,024 57.4% 2,874 2.3% 113
1976 29.1% 1,401 70.3% 3,388 0.6% 29
1972 63.1% 2,815 31.6% 1,408 5.3% 237
1968 37.1% 1,516 38.2% 1,563 24.8% 1,013
1964 34.8% 1,355 65.2% 2,542
1960 52.0% 1,858 48.0% 1,712
1956 42.5% 1,758 57.5% 2,381
1952 41.7% 1,872 58.3% 2,619
1948 30.2% 1,390 69.8% 3,206
1944 41.7% 2,102 58.0% 2,924 0.3% 15
1940 40.5% 2,661 59.3% 3,896 0.1% 9
1936 35.5% 2,182 64.5% 3,961 0.0% 1
1932 24.8% 1,439 75.2% 4,357
1928 54.0% 2,580 45.4% 2,172 0.6% 30
1924 40.2% 1,935 51.5% 2,480 8.3% 401
1920 52.7% 2,673 43.4% 2,201 4.0% 201
1916 33.1% 976 50.4% 1,486 16.4% 484
1912 30.3% 902 46.7% 1,388 23.0% 685

Communities

City

Towns

Census-designated place

Haskell County Courthouse

Stigler is home to the Haskell County Courthouse, which has become notable for erecting marble statues of the Ten Commandments and the Mayflower Compact on the front lawn (see Separation of church and state in the United States). In the seventh commandment, the word "adultery" is misspelled.[15]

A unanimous federal appeals court ruled that county commissioners in Haskell County, Oklahoma unconstitutionally sought to promote their personal religious beliefs by erecting a Ten Commandments monument on the front lawn of the county's courthouse. The decision by the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals comes in a challenge filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Oklahoma on behalf of a local resident.

After the court decision, the marble statue was moved approximately 600 feet east to private property. Therefore, the statue was still displayed on the main street, available to anyone who desired to view and read the information.

NRHP sites
Main article: National Register of Historic Places listings in Haskell County, Oklahoma

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

  • Cotton Storage House, Kinta
  • Haskell County Courthouse, Stigler
  • Kinta High School, Kinta
  • McCurtain, Edmund, House, Kinta
  • McCurtain, Green, House, Kinta
  • Mule Creek Site, Stigler
  • Otter Creek Archeological Site, Keota
  • Scott Store, Kinta
  • Stigler School Gymnasium--Auditorium, Stigler
  • Tamaha Jail and Ferry Landing, Stigler

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. Larry O'Dell, "Haskell County." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.] Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  4. "Focus on Haskell County." Oklahoma Ad Valorem Forum. Vol. 21, Issue 6. June 2012. p. 6 Accessed October 17, 2016.
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  6. "County Population Totals: 2010-2019". Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  9. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  11. ""American FactFinder"". Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  13. "Oklahoma Registration Statistics by County" (PDF). OK.gov. January 15, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  14. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  15. http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3067/149/1600/10c.jpg

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