Beland, Oklahoma

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Beland, Oklahoma
USA Oklahoma location map.svg
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Beland
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Beland
Coordinates: 35°41′30.37″N95°32′8.92″W / 35.6917694°N 95.5358111°W / 35.6917694; -95.5358111
Country United States
State Oklahoma
County Muskogee
Established1903
Elevation
580 ft (177 m)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code 918 & 539

Beland is a ghost town in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. Not much remains there, besides a few buildings.

History

In 1903, Beland (formerly Chase) was founded 8 miles southwest of Muskogee, Oklahoma as a black settlement. [1] In 1906, a wealthy African-American attorney and business man by the name of Cornelius Jones bought the entirety of Chase for $4,000 (now worth about $135,000 in today's money). Jones sponsored selling town lots in black-owned newspapers in the south. The town's name was changed to Beland in 1908, and was successful for a bit. Beland lost its post office in 1926. [2]

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References

  1. "African Towns and Settlements of Indian and Oklahoma Territories".
  2. "Three Rivers History: Black towns were places of opportunity". June 23, 2012.