Valliant, Oklahoma | |
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Coordinates: 34°00′21″N95°05′10″W / 34.00583°N 95.08611°W [1] | |
Country | United States |
State | Oklahoma |
County | McCurtain |
Area | |
• Total | 1.94 sq mi (5.01 km2) |
• Land | 1.93 sq mi (5.00 km2) |
• Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
Elevation | 525 ft (160 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 819 |
• Density | 424.57/sq mi (163.91/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
ZIP code | 74764 |
Area code | 580 |
FIPS code | 40-76650 [3] |
GNIS feature ID | 2413421 [1] |
Website | Chamber of Commerce, Valliant |
Valliant is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 754 at the 2010 census.
Valliant was founded June 2, 1902, in what was the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, and named for Frank W. Valliant, a chief divisional engineer for the Arkansas and Choctaw Railway then being constructed in the area. [4] At the time of its founding, Valliant was located in Towson County, a part of the Apukshunnubbee District, one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation.
A cotton gin opened in 1903, and continued operation until the 1930s. In 1904, the town incorporated and elected its first mayor. A newspaper began publishing in 1905. Before 1920, the community had two banks, three hotels and nearly 20 other businesses. [4]
Dierks Forests, Inc., known until 1954 as the Dierks Lumber and Coal Company [5] and originally known as Choctaw Lumber Co., [6] was a timber harvesting and processing company primarily in Oklahoma and Arkansas which started with a purchase of forest in 1903 near Valliant. [7] The company grew to own 1.75 million acres of timberland, making it one of the largest family-owned landholding entities in the United States before it was sold to the Weyerhaeuser Company in 1969. [5]
Pine Creek Dam was built nearby in the 1960s to control flooding along the stream. Pine Creek Lake and the Pine Creek Wildlife Management Area, directly north of town, have attracted vacationers. [8] [9]
The town is located in southwestern McCurtain County on U.S. Route 70, 3 miles (4.8 km) from the Choctaw - McCurtin county line. It is 6 miles (9.7 km) north of the Red River and the Oklahoma-Texas state line. Idabel is 15 miles (24 km) southeast on Route 70. [10]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all land.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 656 | — | |
1920 | 809 | 23.3% | |
1930 | 608 | −24.8% | |
1940 | 551 | −9.4% | |
1950 | 661 | 20.0% | |
1960 | 477 | −27.8% | |
1970 | 840 | 76.1% | |
1980 | 927 | 10.4% | |
1990 | 873 | −5.8% | |
2000 | 769 | −11.9% | |
2010 | 754 | −2.0% | |
2020 | 819 | 8.6% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [11] |
According to the census [3] of 2000, Valliant residents included 771 people, 315 households, and 194 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,023.8 inhabitants per square mile (395.3/km2). There were 351 housing units at an average density of 466.1 per square mile (180.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 75.49% White, 9.21% African American, 10.77% Native American, 0.52% from other races, and 4.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.
There were 315 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 74.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 64.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $18,393, and the median income for a family was $26,058. Males had a median income of $24,125 versus $17,344 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,380. About 24.3% of families and 31.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.2% of those under age 18 and 28.2% of those age 65 or over.
The economic base of the town has been agriculture. Early-day crops were cotton and grains. Cotton began to decline after 1930, so the land was shifted into pasture and forage for feeding cattle. Forest products became important in the 1970s, when Weyerhaeuser Co., a paper products company opened a paperboard plant and a paper mill, making it the largest employer in town. [4] [lower-alpha 1]
Valliant is served by US Route 70, and Old State Highway 98, a prior alignment of the current Oklahoma State Highway 98. [13] [14]
The town is a rail connection point, with the Texas, Oklahoma and Eastern Railroad, Kiamichi Railroad, and WFEC Railroad all having interchange points at the location. [15]
McCurtain County Regional Airport (FAA ID: 4o4) is about 17 miles southeast and features a 5002 x 75 ft. paved runway. [16] [13] Commercial air service is available out of Texarkana Regional Airport, about 92 miles southeast. [17]
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.
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.
Haskell County is a county located in the southeast quadrant of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,561. Its county seat is Stigler. The county is named in honor of Charles N. Haskell, the first governor of Oklahoma.
Lockesburg is a city in Sevier County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 739 at the 2010 census.
Keota is a town in southeastern Haskell County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 438 at the 2020 census, a 22.3 percent decrease over the figure of 564 recorded in 2010.
Kinta is a town in Haskell County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 297 at the 2010 census, an increase of 22.2 percent over the figure of 243 recorded in 2000.
McCurtain is a town in Haskell County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 357 at the 2020 census, a 30.8% decrease over the figure of 516 recorded in 2010. A coal mine disaster in 1912 killed 73 miners and ended McCurtain's prosperity. The mine explosion remains one of the worst disasters in Oklahoma history.
Stuart is a town in southeastern Hughes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 180 at the 2010 census, down from 220 in 2000.
Wilburton is a city in Latimer County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Latimer County. The city had a population of 2,285 as of the 2020 Census. Robbers Cave State Park is 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Wilburton.
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Fort Coffee is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. Originally constructed as a U. S. Army fort in 1834, it was named for U. S. General John Coffee, a veteran of the Seminole Wars. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 424 at the 2010 census, a gain of 2.9 percent over the figure of 412 in 2000.
Howe is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 802 at the 2010 census, a gain of 15.1 percent over the figure of 697 recorded in 2000. The town was once noted for producing coal and coke, but today is chiefly supported by agriculture.
Wister is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area. The population was 1,102 at the 2010 census. Wister is named for Gutman G. Wister, an official with the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad.
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.
Wright City is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States, along the Little River. The population was 762 at the 2010 census, a decline of slightly more than 10 percent from the figure of 848 recorded in 2000. Wright City hosts one of the oldest continuous rodeos in Oklahoma, known as Little Cheyenne, held each July 1 through 4. In 1933 a few local cowboys started it as a rodeo, barbecue, and dance. Since 1935, the American Legion, William Wright Post Number 74, has sponsored the event.
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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.