Hochatown, Oklahoma | |
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Coordinates: 34°10′01″N94°46′30″W / 34.16694°N 94.77500°W [1] | |
Country | United States |
State | Oklahoma |
County | McCurtain |
Area | |
• Total | 4.67 sq mi (12.09 km2) |
• Land | 4.66 sq mi (12.06 km2) |
• Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
Elevation | 715 ft (218 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 242 |
• Density | 51.98/sq mi (20.07/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
ZIP code | 74728 |
Area code | 580 |
FIPS code | 40-35030 |
GNIS feature ID | 2831204 [1] |
Website | https://www.hochatown.org |
Hochatown, Oklahoma is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States, the second to hold the name after the first was flooded by the damming of the Mountain Fork River to create Broken Bow Lake. [3] The city lies within the Little Dixie region of Oklahoma, an area originally settled largely by Southerners seeking a new start following the Civil War. [4]
The land that would become Hochatown was owned by the Choctaw tribe, with twelve families moving into the area in the 1880s. Like Broken Bow, Hochatown grew around the Choctaw Lumber and Coal Company, (later named Dierks) gaining a post office in 1894 and become a bustling town by 1900. [3] The lumber company built a railroad spur between Hochatown and the community of Eagletown, Oklahoma to facilitate export of logs. [5]
At the time of its founding, Hochatown was located in Bok Tuklo County of the Apukshunnubbee District, one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation.
During the 1920s and 1930s, prime lumber supply dwindled and the lumber company moved to other local areas. Meanwhile, the community became noted for its moonshine production. The town's heyday soon passed, however. The post office shut down in 1963 and the last family left the site in 1966. The cemetery and town church were moved to higher ground while all other buildings were destroyed. The area is now covered by 200+ feet of water. [3]
The second incarnation of Hochatown is located approximately one mile west of Broken Bow Lake on U.S. Route 259 or 20 miles north of Idabel, Oklahoma. [6]
November 8, 2022 Hochatown residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of the ballot question proposing the incorporation of Hochatown with 129 votes in favor of incorporation and 18 votes against. On Monday, November 28, 2022, McCurtain County Commissioners gathered to pass articles of incorporation to re-establish Hochatown as an incorporated municipality. [6] [7]
On Tuesday, January 10, 2023 the first meeting of the town trustees for newly incorporated Hochatown was held at the Chapel of the Pines Church. During the meeting, the Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Dian Jordan, PhD, as the town’s first official Mayor and accepted a donation from long-time resident Vojai Reed for one year of free office space to house the first official Town Hall. [8] [9]
Its economy is based on tourism, largely from Texas. The cabin industry can attract thousands of visitors to the town during peak months. [4] In addition to Broken Bow Lake, the area includes Beavers Bend Resort Park, Hochatown State Park, and Cedar Creek Golf Course at Beavers Bend. [3]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | 242 | — | |
U.S. Decennial Census [10] |
In the 2020 census, the town had a population of 242. [10]
McCurtain County is in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 30,814. Its county seat is Idabel. It was formed at statehood from part of the earlier Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory. The name honors an influential Choctaw family who lived in the area. Green McCurtain was the last chief when Oklahoma became a state in 1907.
Choctaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,204. Its county seat is Hugo.
Hugo is a city in and the county seat of Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located in southeastern Oklahoma, approximately 9 miles (14 km) north of the Texas state line. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,310.
Broken Bow is a city in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,120 at the 2010 census. It is named after Broken Bow, Nebraska, the former hometown of the city's founders, the Dierks brothers. Other Dierks-associated legacies in town include Dierks Elementary School, Dierks Street, and Dierks Train #227 which is preserved in Broken Bow.
Garvin is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 256 at the 2010 census, compared to 143 in 2000.
Idabel is a city in and the county seat of McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,010 at the 2010 census. It is in Oklahoma's southeast corner, a tourist area known as Choctaw Country.
Valliant is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 754 at the 2010 census.
Earlsboro is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 594 by the 2020 United States census. It was once called "...the town that whisky built and oil broke."
U.S. Route 259 is a north–south spur of U.S. Route 59 that runs for 250 miles (400 km) through rural areas of northeastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma. The highway's southern terminus is near Nacogdoches, Texas, at an interchange with its parent route, US 59. Its northern terminus is in the Ouachita Mountains, approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Heavener, Oklahoma, where it reunites with US 59. For most of its length, US 259 lies 30–50 miles (48–80 km) to the west of its parent route.
Eagletown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 528 at the 2010 census. Located on Mountain Fork River, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from the Oklahoma-Arkansas border, it was the first permanent Choctaw settlement in the Indian Territory, who called it osi yamaha ("Eagle"). Eagletown was an important town from 1834 to 1906, and after 1850, served as county seat for the Choctaw Nation's Eagle County. The town name was officially changed to "Eagle Town" in 1850, then changed to the present Eagletown in 1892. When Indian Territory was preparing to unite with Oklahoma Territory to form the new state of Oklahoma in 1906, Eagletown lost its county seat status and became just another unincorporated community in the new McCurtain County.
Broken Bow Lake is a reservoir in southeastern Oklahoma, located on Mountain Fork River and 9 miles (14 km) northeast of the town of Broken Bow in McCurtain County. It is one of the largest fresh water lakes within the state of Oklahoma, and a popular tourist destination for locals and visitors from neighboring Texas and Arkansas.
Beavers Bend State Park is a 3,482 acres (14.09 km2) Oklahoma state park located in McCurtain County. It is approximately 10.5 miles (16.9 km) north of Broken Bow on SH-259A. It was established in 1937 and contains Broken Bow Lake.
Hochatown State Park was once an independent Oklahoma state park in far-southeastern Oklahoma, north of the city of Broken Bow. It was combined into Beavers Bend State Park in 2017. It is a popular destination for tourists from Oklahoma and Texas interested in camping or boating on Broken Bow Lake.
Choctaw Country is the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation's official tourism designation for Southeastern Oklahoma. The name was previously Kiamichi Country until changed in honor of the Choctaw Nation headquartered there. The current definition of Choctaw Country includes ten counties, being Coal, Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, McCurtain, Pushmataha, Le Flore, Latimer, Haskell, and Pittsburg counties. The department created the term as one of six designated travel regions within the state. However, other definitions of Southeastern Oklahoma may include additional counties.
Choctaw Casinos & Resorts is a chain of seven Native American casinos and hotels located in Oklahoma, owned and operated by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
The 2010 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2010, to elect the next governor of Oklahoma. Due to term limits established by the Oklahoma Constitution, incumbent Democratic Governor Brad Henry could not seek re-election. The race had been hotly contested by both political parties, with several well-known Oklahomans announcing their candidacy up to two years before the election. This was the first time a woman challenged another woman for Governor of Oklahoma.
U.S. Route 70 is a transcontinental U.S. highway extending from Globe, Arizona to Atlantic, North Carolina. Along the way, 289.81 miles (466.40 km) of its route passes through the state of Oklahoma. Entering the state south of Davidson, the highway serves Oklahoma's southern tier before exiting the state east of Broken Bow. It serves the cities of Ardmore, Durant, Hugo, and Idabel, as well as Tillman, Cotton, Jefferson, Carter, Marshall, Bryan, Choctaw, and McCurtain counties.
Curtis McDaniel is a U.S. politician from the state of Oklahoma. McDaniel formerly served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives on behalf of District 1, which encompasses McCurtain County and the southern portion of LeFlore County.
Red River County was a political subdivision of the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory, prior to Oklahoma being admitted as a state. The county formed part of the Nation's Apukshunnubbee District, or Second District, one of three administrative super-regions.
Henry Lee Johnson was a 15-year-old black teenager who was murdered in Idabel, Oklahoma by a man in 1980 after entering the parking lot of the Black Hat Club. His murder led to a riot in Idabel that left two more men dead.