Boswell, Oklahoma

Boswell, Oklahoma
Town
Grand entry at the 2018 Boswell FFA Rodeo
Location of Boswell, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 34°01′39″N95°52′09″W / 34.02750°N 95.86917°W / 34.02750; -95.86917
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Choctaw
Area [1]
• Total	0.77 sq mi (1.99 km2)
• Land	0.76 sq mi (1.96 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation [2]	607 ft (185 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	579
• Density	764.86/sq mi (295.16/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	74727
Area code	580
FIPS code	40-07750 [3]
GNIS feature ID	2411710 [2]

Boswell is a town in Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 709 at the 2010 census. ^[4]

History

The Boswell area was one of the Choctaw Nation's first and most important settlements. A Presbyterian missionary station was founded at Mayhew, Indian Territory, three miles north of present-day Boswell in the 1840s. It soon became a government center as well as seat of civilization. Mayhew became the administrative and judicial capital of the Pushmataha District, one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation. ^[5]

Mayhew was located in Blue County, one of the counties comprising the Pushmataha District. In 1886 portions of Blue County, including Mayhew, were joined with parts of adjacent counties to form Jackson County. The new county's seat of government was at Pigeon Roost, south of Boswell.

A United States Post Office was established at Mayhew, Indian Territory on February 5, 1845 and operated until September 30, 1902. It then moved two miles south to Boswell, which was then a new townsite along the new railroad, and changed its name to Boswell.

Boswell was named for S.C. Boswell, a local merchant. ^[6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Boswell has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), of which 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) is land and 1.43% is water.

The town contains Boswell State Park, an Oklahoma State Park largely occupied by a lake, which has been stocked with channel catfish. ^[7]

Climate

Climate data for Boswell, Oklahoma
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	52.1 (11.2)	57.0 (13.9)	66.1 (18.9)	74.0 (23.3)	80.7 (27.1)	88.2 (31.2)	93.4 (34.1)	93.5 (34.2)	86.1 (30.1)	76.4 (24.7)	64.7 (18.2)	55.2 (12.9)	74.0 (23.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	28.7 (−1.8)	33.4 (0.8)	42.2 (5.7)	51.5 (10.8)	59.0 (15.0)	66.6 (19.2)	70.3 (21.3)	69.1 (20.6)	62.9 (17.2)	51.2 (10.7)	41.8 (5.4)	32.4 (0.2)	50.8 (10.4)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.0 (51)	3.1 (79)	3.8 (97)	3.9 (99)	5.7 (140)	4.1 (100)	2.5 (64)	2.5 (64)	4.5 (110)	4.2 (110)	3.7 (94)	2.8 (71)	42.7 (1,080)
Source: Weatherbase.com [8]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	828		—
1920	1,212		46.4%
1930	934		−22.9%
1940	962		3.0%
1950	875		−9.0%
1960	753		−13.9%
1970	755		0.3%
1980	702		−7.0%
1990	643		−8.4%
2000	703		9.3%
2010	709		0.9%
2020	579		−18.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [9]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 709 people, 295 households, and 184 families residing in the town. ^[10] The population density was 1,013 inhabitants per square mile (391/km²). There were 370 housing units at an average density of X per square mile (X/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 63.33% white, 18.05% Native American, 8.32% African American, 2.68% from other races, and 7.33% from two or more races. ^[4] Hispanic or Latino individuals were 5.92% of the population in 2010, having more than doubled since 2000. ^[4]

There were 295 households, out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.9% were married couples living together, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. A third (34.6%) of households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.04. ^[10]

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. ^[10] The median age was 36.6 years. ^[10] For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. ^[10] For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were X males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,917, and the median income for a family was $27,300. ^[11] Males had a median income of $20,000 versus $17,292 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,523. An estimated 35.8% of families and 39.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 64.9% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable People

• Henry G. Bennett, longest-serving president of Oklahoma State University. ^[12]

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Boswell, Oklahoma
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. Census Viewer: Boswell, Oklahoma Population (accessed November 4, 2013)
5. More information about Mayhew and its role in the Choctaw Nation political landscape is available in John Morris' Historical Atlas of Oklahoma and Angie Debo's Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic.
6. George H. Shirk, Oklahoma Place Names, p. 27
7. Outdoor Oklahoma (2005), Volumes 61-62, p. 234.
8. "Historical Weather for Boswell, Oklahoma, United States".
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
10. 2010 Demographic Profile Data, U.S. Census website . (accessed November 4, 2013)
11. 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, U.S. Census website . (accessed November 4, 2013)
12. "Encyclopedia of Arkansas". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved December 29, 2023.

External links

• Two Lane Blacktop: Return to Boswell
• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Boswell