Sallisaw, Oklahoma
Sallisaw, Oklahoma | ||
---|---|---|
FIPS code 40-65000 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 2411769[1] | |
Website | sallisawok.org |
Sallisaw is a city and
.History
French explorers and traders had travelled through this part of North America in the seventeenth century, and were the people who attached the name Sallisaw to several geographic features.
In the 1840s and 1850s, Sallisaw had been the name of one of the 22 Arkansas River steamboat landings between Fort Smith and Fort Gibson. Modern Sallisaw's beginning as a permanent community began in 1887–1888, when Argyle Quesenbury, a white man, and Will Watie Wheeler, a collateral relative of noted Cherokee leader Stand Watie, laid out lots for a town. Several post offices had existed in the area nearby, even before there was a named community. The site of present-day Sallisaw fell within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation after the tribe was forced to emigrate from its former home in the Southeastern U.S. It had a post office called Childer's Station from 1873 to 1888, when the name was changed to Sallisaw. Another community fifteen miles north bore the name Sallisaw for a period until 1888, when the name of the post office there was changed to Mays, but it closed in 1896.[5]
Will Watie Wheeler established several businesses in the town during the 1880s and 1890s. These included a cotton gin, saw mill, grist mill and lumberyard. In 1896, he opened the Coffin Shop, which later became the Wheeler Funeral Home. The latter was still doing business in Sallisaw in the twenty-first century.[5]
The
Other early businesses included the Economy Store and McDonald Mercantile Company, operated by William Henry McDonald, who also owned a bank; Matthews Brothers, a grocery, was opened in 1898 by Henry and Arch Matthews; W. D. Mayo and E. M. Pointer founded Mayo and Company, a mercantile and farm implement business. Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Ivey established a long-standing drug store (she also owned hotels). By 1900, Sallisaw recorded a population of 965, which increased to 2,255 in 1920. During this time, the community's economy rose and fell with the price of cotton.[5]
After 1920, lumber and its byproducts began playing a major role in the town's economy, along with coal and petroleum products (including natural gas). The local newspaper, Sequoyah County Times, began publication in 1932. It was founded by Wheeler and Florence Mayo. Wheeler was the son of an earlier Sallisaw businessman. As of 2019, the paper was still owned by the Mayo family.[5]
Etymology
The name Sallisaw was taken from the French word salaison, meaning "salt provisions" in English. The French, who hunted in the area long before the town was founded, called Sallisaw Creek Salaiseau because hunters salted bison meat there. English naturalist Thomas Nuttall recorded the name as Salaiseau, in his journal during his exploration of the area in 1819.[5]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33 km2), of which 12.7 square miles (33 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (1.40%) is water.
The city lies within the Green Country region of eastern Oklahoma, known for its rolling green hills.
According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, nearby geographic features include Wildhorse Mountain to the south, Badger Mountain to the northwest, and Lone Pine Mountain to the northeast.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1900 | 965 | — | |
1910 | 2,479 | 156.9% | |
1920 | 2,225 | −10.2% | |
1930 | 1,785 | −19.8% | |
1940 | 2,140 | 19.9% | |
1950 | 2,885 | 34.8% | |
1960 | 3,351 | 16.2% | |
1970 | 4,888 | 45.9% | |
1980 | 6,403 | 31.0% | |
1990 | 7,122 | 11.2% | |
2000 | 7,989 | 12.2% | |
2010 | 8,880 | 11.2% | |
2020 | 8,510 | −4.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[7] |
As of the
There were 3,206 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,821, and the median income for a family was $31,572. Males had a median income of $26,793 versus $19,775 for females. The
Economy
The local economy was based on cotton farming during the town's early years. During the 1920s, the focus of the economy shifted to the production of lumber, oil and natural gas. A prison camp was established here during World War II. After the war, a variety of industrial and retail businesses were established.[5]
The Sequoyah County Times, founded by Wheeler Mayo in 1932, is called "the largest-circulation, non-metro, non-daily newspaper in Oklahoma." It was still owned by the Mayo family as of 2019.[5]
East Cherokee Avenue is a
The only commercial manufacturing reported in Sallisaw has been the BorgWarner Morse Tech, a maker of auto parts and plastic foam packing materials.[5]
Government
The post office is located at 111 McGee Drive, on the east side of town.
Education
Its main public schools are Liberty Elementary, Eastside Elementary, Sallisaw Middle School, and Sallisaw High School which is located on West Ruth Avenue.
In higher education, it features a branch of
The Stanley Tubbs Memorial Library is a branch of the Eastern Oklahoma District Library System (EODLS).[10] The Sallisaw Branch is located in a historic building that once was the Sallisaw railroad station.
Infrastructure
The hospital is Northeastern Health Systems Sequoyah (formerly Sequoyah Memorial Hospital), at 213 Redwood Avenue. Redbird Smith Health Clinic also provides health-related services.[5]
Transportation
The city is served by Sallisaw Municipal Airport (sign KJSV). The main runway, designated 17/35, is 7,000 feet (2,100 m) long by 75 feet (23 m) wide. The facility is attended 7 days per week (0800-1700), except for Federal holidays. It has a lighted wind indicator, but no control tower.[11]
Commercial air transportation is available out of Fort Smith Regional Airport, about 28 miles to the east-southeast.[12]
Rail freight service is provided by both the
Cultural references
- The Joad family from the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck were sharecroppers from Sallisaw. However, the fictional place described in the novel differs from the actual town in many important respects.[5]
Notable people
- John R. Bennett, state representative
- Charles Arthur Floydaka "Pretty Boy Floyd" grew up near Sallisaw.
- Jack C. Montgomery (1917–2002) was a United States Army officer who was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during World War II.
- Brady Bunch fame lived for a time on Highway 64east of Sallisaw near the Gans exit.
- Matt Wells American football coach, former head coach at Texas Tech University
References
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sallisaw, Oklahoma
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Sallisaw, OK Population - Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts - CensusViewer". censusviewer.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mize, Richard."Sallisaw," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed February 9, 2010).
- ^ Green Country Archived 2010-03-26 at the Wayback Machine at TravelOk.com.
- ^ ACSD, Carolyn Stewart. "Census of Population and Housing - U.S. Census Bureau". www.census.gov. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ Evans, Murray. "Cherokee chief: Racing done at Blue Ribbon Downs." NewsOK February 24, 2010. Archived April 24, 2018, at the Wayback Machine Accessed October 13, 2016.
- ^ Eastern Oklahoma District Library System Archived 2016-10-18 at the Wayback Machine Accessed October 14, 2016.
- ^ "KJSV Airport".fltplan.com Archived 2016-10-19 at the Wayback Machine Accessed October 14, 2016.
- ^ "Sallisaw, Oklahoma to Fort Smith Regional Airport". Google Maps. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ "Oklahoma 2018-2020 State Railroad Map" (PDF). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 21, 2021.