Rattan, Oklahoma

Last updated

Rattan, Oklahoma
Town
OKMap-doton-Rattan.PNG
Location of Rattan, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 34°12′01″N95°24′47″W / 34.20028°N 95.41306°W / 34.20028; -95.41306 [1]
CountryUnited States
State Oklahoma
County Pushmataha
Area
[2]
  Total3.99 sq mi (10.34 km2)
  Land3.95 sq mi (10.24 km2)
  Water0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2)
Elevation
[1]
459 ft (140 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total276
  Density69.80/sq mi (26.95/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
74562
Area code 580
FIPS code 40-61950 [3]
GNIS feature ID2412531 [1]

Rattan is a town in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 276 at the 2020 census.

Contents

Geography

Rattan is located in southern Pushmataha County at the intersection of Oklahoma routes 3 and 93. Rock Creek flows past just west of the community center and Hugo Lake lies to the south in adjacent Choctaw County. The southwest end of the Ouachita Mountains lies to the north. [4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10 km2), all land. [5]

History

Established in approximately 1910, Rattan was named for Rattan, Texas, from which a number of its early white settlers came.

Rattan, Texas—located in Delta County, twenty-one miles southwest of Paris, Texas—was named for local postal officer Clarence V. Rattan in 1893. Following Oklahoma's statehood in 1907 a number of Delta County families relocated to the new Pushmataha County, among them Akins, Akards, and Helms. The Delta County family (or families) apparently establishing itself in Rattan has not been identified. [6]

Originally overshadowed by the nearby white settlement of Belzoni, Oklahoma, Rattan did not become economically successful enough to merit its own United States Post Office until December 12, 1910, with its first postmaster being Moses A. Fleming. [7] Belzoni’s success as a farming hub sapped Rattan of much of its potential vitality, and it was not until the former's decline that Rattan emerged as the population center of southeastern area of the county.

Prior to establishment of its post office with the name “Rattan”, the area was called Sulphur Springs, Indian Territory. Sulphur Springs, located 3/4 mile south-southeast of the highway intersection of OK 3 and OK 93 in present-day Rattan, was county seat of Cedar County, Choctaw Nation. It was established by the Choctaws’ Doaksville Constitution of 1860 and, in the manner of most Choctaw county seats, served a part-time role as legal and political center. It was never a sizeable permanent settlement and boasted almost no mercantile or retail stores. [8]

County court met on the first Monday of each month and was called Probate Court, even though it was more similar to modern-day county court proceedings than a modern probate court. The court met in a large log house, constructed of long, straight logs, serving as both an Indian Methodist church and court house. The Cedar County Court House was torn down by white settlers sometime after Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907, after which it ceased serving any legal use. [8] The Court House was located about 200 yards north of the Sulphur Springs and 1/4 mile due west of Rattan Cemetery.

Sulphur Springs took its name from several sulphur springs located in the vicinity. A number of Choctaw families living around the Cedar County Court House used them as well as visitors to court. [8]

The improved Ft. Smith to Ft. Towson military road of 1839 passed along the east side of Rattan (at the water tower and Howard's Cafe, 1.02 miles east of the OK 93 junction with OK 3) after crossing the "Seven Devils" on its way southeast to Spencer Academy and Doaksville. This wagon road was heavily used by the U.S. Army from 1839–48, and remained the main road through Cedar County until the Frisco railroad was completed in 1887 from Ft. Smith through Antlers to Paris, Texas. The initial U.S. land survey of the area was conducted in 1896. T4S, R18E shows Rock Creek, the Court House and the military road. [9]

Natural resources were key to Rattan’s early growth. Many of its settlers were farmers. Timber, logged in the Kiamichi Mountains north of the community, also fueled growth. A number of logging trams, or railroad lines, were built into the mountains and large camps of loggers and their dependents lived along the tracks for months on end. These mobile, rolling communities were sizeable enough to feature small schools, physicians offices, and general stores. Most of their residents lived in railroad cars which traveled along with the work crews as they logged deeper into the mountains.

Rattan became the Great Depression-era recipient of a handsome public school built by the Works Progress Administration. Constructed of native stone brought from nearby fields, it continues in use today.

During the 1990s Rattan incorporated as a town, and now offers basic public services.

School students from Rattan made news headlines during 2000 as they initiated a series of events with international repercussions. During World War II the Moyers area was the site of two lethal air crashes. British pilots operating from a Royal Air Force base in Texas crashed into White Rock Mountain and Big Mountain, killing four crew men. Two planes were destroyed. A third plane crash-landed successfully a few miles northwest at Jumbo.

These events had receded from memory and were generally forgotten until a history class in the Rattan Public School began pursuing information about them. Their research led them to commemorate the events. On February 20, 2000, the AT6 Monument was dedicated in the fliers' honor at the crash site on Big Mountain. Over 1,000 people attended the ceremony, and the story of it and Rattan's intrepid young scholars was carried by the British Broadcasting Corporation and many newspapers around the world.

More information on Rattan, Sulphur Springs, the AT6 Monument, and the Kiamichi River valley may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1980 332
1990 257−22.6%
2000 241−6.2%
2010 31028.6%
2020 276−11.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [10]

As of the census [3] of 2000, there were 241 people, 111 households, and 65 families residing in the town. The population density was 60.6 inhabitants per square mile (23.4/km2). There were 127 housing units at an average density of 31.9 per square mile (12.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 81.74% White, 12.86% Native American, 1.24% Pacific Islander, and 4.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.49% of the population.

There were 111 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 24.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,357, and the median income for a family was $29,167. Males had a median income of $30,833 versus $24,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,819. About 17.6% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 17.8% of those 65 or over.

Notable person

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pushmataha County, Oklahoma</span> County in Oklahoma, United States

Pushmataha County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,812. Its county seat is Antlers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburg County, Oklahoma</span> County in Oklahoma, United States

Pittsburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,773. Its county seat is McAlester. The county was formed from part of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory in 1907. County leaders believed that its coal production compared favorably with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the time of statehood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LeFlore County, Oklahoma</span> County in Oklahoma, United States

LeFlore County is a county along the eastern border of the U.S state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,129. Its county seat is Poteau. The county is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area and the name honors a Choctaw family named LeFlore. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma is the federal district court with jurisdiction in LeFlore County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latimer County, Oklahoma</span> County in Oklahoma, United States

Latimer County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its county seat is Wilburton. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,444. The county was created at statehood in 1907 and named for James L. Latimer, a delegate from Wilburton to the 1906 state Constitutional Convention. Prior to statehood, it had been for several decades part of Gaines County, Sugar Loaf County, and Wade County in the Choctaw Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choctaw County, Oklahoma</span> County in Oklahoma, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo, Oklahoma</span> City in Oklahoma, United States

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 2020 census, the city population was 5,166.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broken Bow, Oklahoma</span> City in Oklahoma, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valliant, Oklahoma</span> Town in Oklahoma, United States

Valliant is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 754 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albion, Oklahoma</span> Town in Oklahoma, United States

Albion is a town in northeast Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the Pushmataha-Latimer county line. The population was 106 at the 2010 census. When Albion was established, before Oklahoma became a state, the community was located in Wade County, Choctaw Nation, in what was then known as Indian Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antlers, Oklahoma</span> City in Oklahoma, United States

Antlers is a city in and the county seat of Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,221 as of the 2020 United States census. The town was named for a kind of tree that becomes festooned with antlers shed by deer, and is taken as a sign of the location of a spring frequented by deer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clayton, Oklahoma</span> Town in Oklahoma, United States

Clayton is a town in northern Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 821 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiamichi River</span> River in Oklahoma, United States

The Kiamichi River is a river in southeastern Oklahoma, United States of America. A tributary of the Red River of the South, its headwaters rise on Pine Mountain in the Ouachita Mountains near the Arkansas border. From its source in Polk County, Arkansas, it flows approximately 177 miles (285 km) to its confluence with the Red River at Hugo, Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuskahoma, Oklahoma</span> Unincorporated community and census-designated place in Oklahoma, United States

Tuskahoma is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in northern Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States, four miles east of Clayton. It was the former seat of the Choctaw Nation government prior to Oklahoma statehood. The population was 102 as of the 2020 United States census.

Moyers is an unincorporated community located in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States.

Kosoma is a ghost town and former railroad station in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located just off Oklahoma State Highway 2, approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Antlers.

Belzoni is a community in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States. Located several miles southwest of Rattan, it was formerly home to a thriving community and continues as a place name.

Cedar County was a political subdivision of the Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. The county formed part of the nation’s Apukshunnubbee District, or Second District, one of three administrative super-regions.

Sulphur Springs was a Choctaw Indian community formerly existing in the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory. It was located 3/4 mile south-southeast of the highway intersection of OK 3 and OK 93 in present-day Rattan, in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma.

The Pushmataha County Historical Society is a historical society devoted to collecting and preserving the history of Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States. It is headquartered in the historic Frisco Depot in Antlers, Oklahoma, which it operates as a public museum.

Tobias William Frazier, Sr. (1892–1975) was a full-blood Choctaw Indian who was a member of the famous fourteen Choctaw Code Talkers. The Code Talkers pioneered the use of American Indian languages as military code during war. Their initial exploits took place during World War I, and were repeated by other Native American tribes during World War II. They are referred to collectively as Code Talkers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rattan, Oklahoma
  2. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. Oklahoma Atlas & Gazeteer, DeLorme, 1st ed., 1998, p. 66 ISBN   0899332838
  5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. Entry for Rattan, Texas appearing in the Handbook of Texas, available online at http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hrr06.
  7. George B. Shirk, Oklahoma Place Names, p. 175; Post Office Site Location Reports, Record Group 28, National Archives
  8. 1 2 3 "Harrison Frazier", Indian-Pioneer Papers, Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma Libraries; Angie Debo, Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic
  9. See 1896 U.S. Land Survey plat for Rattan at https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/survey/default.aspx?dm_id=19243&sid=k2ardhvf.kt5#surveyDetailsTabIndex=1
  10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.