Stilwell, Oklahoma

Stilwell is a city and county seat of Adair County, Oklahoma, United States.[5] The population was 3,949 at the 2010 census, an increase of 20.5 percent from 3,276 at the 2000 census.[6] In 1949, the Oklahoma governor and legislature proclaimed Stilwell as the "Strawberry Capital of the World." Stilwell also serves as a gateway to Lake Tenkiller and the former Adair State Park.[7] As of 2017, 49.0% of children in Stilwell and 37.2% of the general population are living in poverty.[8]

Stilwell, Oklahoma
City
Defunct train station in Stilwell
Location within Adair County and the state of Oklahoma
Coordinates: 35°48′55″N 94°37′53″W
CountryUnited States
StateOklahoma
CountyAdair
Incorporated1897
Government
 • TypeMayor and council
Area
 • Total3.27 sq mi (8.46 km2)
 • Land3.24 sq mi (8.40 km2)
 • Water0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation
1,089 ft (332 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total3,949
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
4,060
 • Density1,252.31/sq mi (483.48/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
74960
Area code(s)539/918 (918 Exchanges:696,797)
FIPS code40-70350[3]
GNIS feature ID1098544[4]
Websitecityofstilwell.com

History

The town was named after Arthur Stilwell, noted philanthropist and founder of the Kansas City Southern Railway.[9] It was built because of the construction of the railroad, and was incorporated on January 2, 1897.[10]

As early as 1901, Stilwell and Westville vied for the role of county seat. When Adair County was formed in 1907, Westville was identified as the county seat, due partly to its location at the intersection of two major railroads: the Kansas City Southern Railway and the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway.[9] After three intensely contested elections, however, Oklahoma governor Charles Haskell proclaimed Stilwell as the county seat on May 6, 1910.[7][11]

The town was served by the Southern Belle (Kansas City Southern) passenger rail line until November 2, 1969. The defunct train station was closed on February 22, 1971 and fell into disrepair due to vandalism.[12] The train station was restored in 2004.[13]

During the Great Depression and World War II, strawberries became a major crop in Adair County. In 1948, the first Stilwell Strawberry Festival was organized. In 1949, the state governor and legislature proclaimed Stilwell as "Strawberry Capital of the World." The 2015 festival had approximately 30,000 people in attendance.[14]

Geography

Stilwell is located at 35°48′55″N 94°37′53″W (35.815234, -94.631359).[15] It is 8 miles (13 km) west of the Arkansas state line and 23 miles (37 km) east of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Stilwell is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 51. Sallisaw and Little Lee creeks are nearby.[16]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2), of which 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.63%) is water.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1900779—
19101,03933.4%
19201,15511.2%
19301,36618.3%
19401,71725.7%
19501,8135.6%
19601,9165.7%
19702,13411.4%
19802,36911.0%
19902,66312.4%
20003,96548.9%
20103,949−0.4%
Est. 20194,060[2]2.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 3,276 people, 1,269 households, and 809 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,033.7 people per square mile (399.0/km2). There were 1,434 housing units at an average density of 452.5 per square mile (174.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 41.88% White, 0.49% African American, 48.41% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.45% from other races, and 5.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.99% of the population.

There were 1,269 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the city, the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.

As of 2017, 49.0% of children in Stilwell and 37.2% of the general population are living below the poverty line.[8]

Economy

Agriculture has been the mainstay of the local economy for a century. Strawberry farming was particularly successful. At one time there were about two thousand acres devoted to strawberries. Ranching became important around 1960. Local industry was largely an outgrowth of agriculture. Employers included Tyson Foods, Stilwell Canning Company and its successor, Mrs. Smith's Bakery/Stilwell Food, Cherokee Nation Industries, and Facet Industries.[7]

On June 5, 2015, 24/7 Wall Street listed Stilwell as the town having the poorest economy in Oklahoma.[18]

The per capita income for Stilwell is $12,872 per year, and median household income is $31,637 per year, as of 2017.[8]

As of 2020, the minimum wage in Stilwell is $7.25 per hour. For full-time students, tipped employees, farm workers, seasonal workers or persons with certain disabilities, the minimum wage is $2.13 per hour.[19]

Health
Mural on a wall in Stilwell: "Strawberry Capital of the World"

News reports on 24 February 2020 declared that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon revise upward the life expectancy of Stilwell residents to 74 years.[20][21] This is a correction to a now-discredited 2018 CDC study which claimed that people in Stilwell lived, on average, only 56.3 years, dying more than 22 years earlier than the national average. The 2018 flawed study collected data from death certificates and geo-located where the deceased residents had lived. The ninety deceased individuals with a P.O. box address were grouped by the study into one "default" location at the very center of the census tract, producing the erroneous 56.3 year life expectancy, the lowest in the United States.[22][23]

Rainfall samples collected over a 13-year span at an air quality station near Stilwell found abnormally high levels of mercury. The study found an annual average mercury concentration of nearly 11 ng/l, about one and a half times higher than the national average.[24] Health services include the Cherokee Nation Wilma Mankiller Health Clinic, the Stilwell Memorial Hospital, the Oklahoma Department of Public Health, and the Stilwell Nursing Home.[7] According to the Census Bureau, 28.5% of all residents, and 60% of those who are unemployed do not have health insurance.[8]

Education

Stilwell Public Schools provides education for children from kindergarten through twelfth grade. There is one elementary school, one middle school and one high school. Technical or vocational studies beyond high school level are offered by the Indian Capital Technology Center campus in Stilwell.[7]

Stilwell was briefly served by the Flaming Rainbow University, a private, baccalaureate university between 1971 - 1989.[25] Despite being dubbed a "non-traditional university", it obtained accreditation from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in 1974 and was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.[26] According to its founder, David Hilligoss, the school was created to "Provide an education to Isolated Indians and rural whites in this beautifully treed and poverty stricken section of the state". The Flaming Rainbow University was named in honor of a Sioux medicine man's vision, which featured a rainbow symbolizing knowledge and its power.[27] The university lost all accreditation in 1989 and closed.

Government

Stilwell has a mayor-council form of government, with five members on the city council. City departments reporting to the mayor include the police department, volunteer fire department, sewer and garbage service, natural gas and electric service. After being de-funded and closed, the former Adair State Park in Stilwell has since been acquired by the county government.[28]

Crime

The crime rate in Stilwell is 122% higher than the national average, and 71% higher than the state average.[29] Stilwell has seen an increase in violent crime in the last 11 years.[30]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  6. CensusViewer:Stilwell, Oklahoma Population
  7. Barker, Betty Starr. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. "Stilwell." Retrieved September 10, 2010. Archived 2010-05-01 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. Bureau, U. S. Census. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  9. Hill, Luther B. (1910). A History of the State of Oklahoma. I. The Lewis Publishing Company. p. 470.
  10. Barker, Betty Starr. "Stilwell". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  11. Oklahoma Almanac Online (PDF). Oklahoma Department of Libraries. 2005.
  12. "Stilwell train depot remains Adair County fixture". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  13. "Tracks to a new era: Stilwell revives old train station". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  14. "Economic Contribution of the Stilwell Strawberry Festival to Adair County's Economy" (PDF).
  15. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  16. Whitaker, Rachel. "Adair County". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2010-07-28. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  17. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  18. "The Poorest Town in Each State". 247wallst.com. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  19. "Oklahoma Department of Labor - Wage and Hour". www.ok.gov. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  20. Overall, Michael. "Oklahoma town doesn't have the nation's lowest life expectancy after all". Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  21. Wurtz, Maureen. "CDC data was "flawed" when it listed Stilwell as the town with the lowest life expectancy". Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  22. "Stilwell, Oklahoma, tops troubling list: shortest life spans in nation". Omaha.com. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  23. Overall, Michael. "Stilwell, Oklahoma, has lowest life expectancy in the United States". www.tulsaworld.com. Tulsa World. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  24. Sather, Mark E.; Mukerjee, Shaibal; Smith, Luther; Mathew, Johnson; Jackson, Clarence; Callison, Ryan; Scrapper, Larry; Hathcoat, April; Adam, Jacque; Keese, Danielle; Ketcher, Philip (2013-04-01). "Gaseous oxidized mercury dry deposition measurements in the Four Corners area and Eastern Oklahoma, U.S.A." Atmospheric Pollution Research. 4 (2): 168–180. doi:10.5094/APR.2013.017. ISSN 1309-1042.
  25. "UWW Flaming Rainbow | University Without Walls Research Collaborative". Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  26. "School Fights Tradition, Seeks Own Credibility". Oklahoman.com. 1986-03-02. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  27. Fink, Jerry. "Indian College Might Lose Federal Funds". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  28. "All Seven Oklahoma State Parks Slated For Closure To Remain Open." News on 6. August 12, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  29. "Stilwell, OK Crime Rates & Crime Map". www.areavibes.com. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  30. "Crime in Stilwell, Oklahoma". www.city-data.com. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
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