Swink, Oklahoma

Swink is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 66.[3] The population was 83 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town; the community disincorporated on December 1, 2000.[4]

Swink, Oklahoma
Census-designated place
Location of Swink, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 34°1′6″N 95°12′10″W
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Choctaw
Area
• Total	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km^2)
• Land	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km^2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km^2)
Elevation	492 ft (150 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	66
• Density	270/sq mi (104.4/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	74761
Area code(s)	580
FIPS code	40-71950[1]
GNIS feature ID	1098700[2]

History

A post office was established at Swink, Indian Territory on August 14, 1902. It was named for D.R. Swink, a local merchant.[5] At the time of its founding, Swink was located in Kiamitia County, a part of the Apukshunnubbee District of the Choctaw Nation.[6]

Swink is the location of the historic District Choctaw Chief's House, which was the home of District Choctaw Chief Thomas LeFlore.[7] The house was built in 1837 and is the oldest house in the state of Oklahoma that remains on its original site.[7] The house is on the National Register of Historic Places.[8]

Geography

Swink is located in eastern Choctaw County at 34°1′6″N 95°12′10″W (34.018441, -95.202851).[9] U.S. Route 70 passes along the northern edge of the community, leading west 19 miles (31 km) to Hugo, the county seat, and east 6 miles (10 km) to Valliant.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Swink CDP has an area of 0.23 square miles (0.6 km²), all land.[10]

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 66 people, 36 households, and 20 families residing in the community.[3] There were 54 housing units.[3] The racial makeup of the town was 92.4% White, 1.5% Native American, and 6.1% from two or more races.[3] Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.[3]

There were 36 households, out of which 11.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families.[3] 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[3] The average household size was 1.83 and the average family size was 2.30.[3]

In the town the population was spread out, with 7.6% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 16.5% from 25 to 44, 31.8% from 45 to 64, and 39.4% who were 65 years of age or older.[11] The median age was 54.5 years.[11] For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males.[11] For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.[11]

According to the 2013 American Community Survey, The median income for a household in the town was $21,875, and the median income for a family was $21,042.[12] Males had a median income of $105,313, and there were not enough sample observations to calculate a median income for females.[12] The per capita income for the community was $21,206.[12] There were 17.6% of families and 18.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including 33.3% of those under the age of 18 and 4.8% of those 65 years of age or older.[12]

Steamboat Heroine

Near Swink was the discovery of Oklahoma’s only steamboat wreck.[13] The steamboat Heroine sank in the Red River on May 7, 1838, after hitting a submerged snag.[14] The Red River changed course in the early 1840s, leaving the Heroine buried in what became a pasture.[14] In the 1990s during a period of flood, the river moved again and Heroine reappeared in a riverbank.[14] In 1999 the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University collaborated on a dig of the site.[14] The excavation occurred between 2001 and 2008.[15] Reconstructed segments of the boat and its machinery, along with artifacts from the wreck, are now in the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City.[16]

References

1. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 - 2010 Demographic Profile Data: Swink CDP, Oklahoma," Archived 2020-02-13 at Archive.today American Fact Finder, United States Census Bureau. Accessed May 28, 2015.
4. Population Estimates Boundary Changes Archived 2010-08-06 at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau, 2007-07-01. Accessed 2008-11-06.
5. Shirk, George H. Oklahoma Place Names (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965), p. 201.
6. Morris, John W. Historical Atlas of Oklahoma (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986), plate 38.
7. "District Choctaw Chief's House," TravelOK, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. Accessed May 28, 2015.
8. State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma Historical Society. Oklahoma's National Register Handbook. Oklahoma Historical Society, April 1, 2015. Accessed May 28, 2015.
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
10. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Swink CDP, Oklahoma". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
11. "QT-P1 Age Groups and Sex: 2010 - 2010 Census Summary File 1: Swink CDP, Oklahoma," Archived 2020-02-13 at Archive.today American Fact Finder, United States Census Bureau. Accessed May 28, 2015.
12. "DP03 Selected Economic Characteristics - 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates: Swink CDP, Oklahoma," Archived 2020-02-13 at Archive.today American Fact Finder, United States Census Bureau. Accessed May 28, 2015.
13. "Secrets of the Heroine". KTEN News, November 10, 2008. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
14. "Heroine". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
15. "The Cargo of the Steamboat Heroine and the Army of the Frontier, 1838" (PDF). Nina Mayon Chick, Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University, May 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
16. "Kerr-McGee Gallery". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved May 25, 2020.