Editing Stringtown, Oklahoma

{{Short description|Town in Oklahoma, US}}
{{Other uses|Stringtown (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Stringtown, Oklahoma
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = Stringtown 1978.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = A view of the town in 1978 looking towards the old post office
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = 
|image_map                = OKMap-doton-Stringtown.PNG
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Stringtown, Oklahoma
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Oklahoma|County]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_name1        = [[Oklahoma]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Atoka County, Oklahoma|Atoka]]
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = Mayor and Chairman of Water Department 
|leader_name              = Robert Smith
|established_title        = 
|established_date         = 
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_sq_mi         = 5.44
|area_total_km2           = 14.09
|area_land_sq_mi          = 5.39
|area_land_km2            = 13.95
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.05
|area_water_km2           = 0.14
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_note          = 
|population_total         = 419
|population_metro         = 
|population_urban         = 
|population_density_km2   = 30.03
|population_density_sq_mi = 77.79
|timezone                 = CST
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|coordinates             = {{coord|34|28|12|N|96|03|18|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 653
|website                  = 
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 74569
|area_code                = [[Area code 580|580]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 40-70850<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2413343<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2413343}}</ref>
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|unit_pref = Imperial
|area_footnotes = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
|population_footnotes = 
}}

'''Stringtown''' is a town in [[Atoka County, Oklahoma|Atoka County]], [[Oklahoma]], United States. The population was 419 as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 Census]],<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Stringtown%20town,%20Oklahoma|title=Stringtown (town), Oklahoma|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 2, 2024}}</ref> which was a 2.2% increase over the population of 410 reported at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]],<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4070850|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212200301/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4070850|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Stringtown town, Oklahoma|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder|access-date=July 16, 2013}}</ref> which itself was an increase of 3.5% from the figure of 396 recorded in 2000. It is the second largest town in Atoka County.

The town is notable for the '''Mack H. Alford Correctional Center''', a medium-security prison operated by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, just outside Stringtown.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|12.2|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|12.1|km2|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.2|km2|disp=flip}}, or 1.24%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

Stringtown is located at the southern intersection of [[U.S. Route 69 in Oklahoma|U.S. Highway 69]] and [[Oklahoma State Highway 43|State Highway 43]].<ref name="odot-2008-map">{{cite map|publisher=Oklahoma Department of Transportation|title=Official State Map|edition=2008}}</ref>

==History==
[[Image:Stringtown Dance Hall.jpg|left|thumb|The abandoned dance hall where Deputy Eugene C. Moore was shot and killed by the Barrow Gang in 1932]]
Sources differ as to the origins of the name: one suggests the original name was Springtown for a local sulphur spring but a spelling mistake labeled it Stringtown, while another suggests it got the name because businesses were strung out along the railroad tracks.<ref name=OHS>{{cite web|url=https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=ST050 |title=Stringtown|publisher=Oklahoma Historical Society|access-date=December 28, 2020}}</ref> Once home to a bank, theater, and pub, the town has grown recently, both economically and in population. Companies noticing business opportunities in game hunting. population growth since the 1990 census and the addition of a new café have brought new life to the town. Annually in September, the Good Ole Days Festival celebrates the town's past with a parade, cookout, and concert.

[[File:okterritory.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Oklahoma and Indian Territory, 1890s]]
A post office was established at Stringtown, Indian Territory on August 17, 1874.  For a few weeks in July 1877 the official name of the post office was Sulphur Springs, Indian Territory.  the present name is a modification of Springtown, the original name of the settlement.  At the time of its founding, Stringtown was located in [[Atoka County, Choctaw Nation]], a territorial-era government unit that included parts of today's Atoka, Coal, Hughes, and Pittsburg counties.<ref>Morris, John W.  ''Historical Atlas of Oklahoma'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986), plate 38; Shirk, George H.  ''Oklahoma Place Names'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965), p. 199.</ref>

On August 5, 1932, while [[Bonnie Parker]] was visiting her mother, [[Clyde Barrow]] and two associates were drinking alcohol at a dance in Stringtown (illegal under [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]]). They were approached by Sheriff C. G. Maxwell and his deputy, at which time Clyde opened fire, killing deputy Eugene C. Moore. That was the first killing of a lawman by what was later known as the Barrow Gang, a total which would eventually amount to nine slain officers.

In the 1940s during [[World War II]], [[Fritz Johann Hansgirg]], the Austrian inventor of magnesium and [[heavy water]] processes was interned at the [[Internment of German Americans|U.S. alien internment camp]] located in Stringtown.

In the late 1960s, a [[tornado]] touched down in the town directly on top of the (then) recently  built Community Center, now the Senior Citizens Center. The tornado was only on the ground for a few seconds, but during that time the building was almost destroyed. It was an unusual occurrence for a tornado to touch down in the town itself, given its location between two chains of steep hills.

The nearby Mack Alford State Penitentiary is a large source of employment in the county. It was an [[internment camp]] for [[Internment of Japanese Americans|Japanese Americans]] arrested as "enemy aliens" and later for German [[prisoner of war|POWs]] during World War II.<ref>[http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Stringtown%20%28detention%20facility%29/ "Stringtown (detention facility)"] ''Densho Encyclopedia''. Retrieved June 20, 2014.</ref><ref>J. Burton, M. Farrell, F. Lord & R. Lord. ''Confinement and Ethnicity: An Overview of World War II Japanese American Relocation Sites'', [http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17n.htm "U.S. Army Facilities: Stringtown, Oklahoma"], (National Park Service, 2001); retrieved June 20, 2014.</ref>

Despite its small size, Stringtown (2010 pop. 410) is the second-largest town in Atoka County, behind [[Atoka, Oklahoma|Atoka]] (pop. 3,107) and ahead of [[Tushka, Oklahoma|Tushka]] (pop. 312). On January 14, 2014, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol disbanded the Stringtown Police Department for generating too much of the city’s revenue off of writing traffic tickets, a violation of the state "[[speed trap]]" law.<ref>"[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/speed-trap-profits-could-come-end-small-town-new-laws/ New laws aim to put brakes on nation's speed traps]", [[CBS News]]; retrieved May 3, 2017.</ref>

The Garside house is one of the biggest historical sites of the town, next to the Bonnie and Clyde monument. The land the Garside house sits on was allotted to Joseph and Sarah Garside and their two children in 1902. In the middle of building the house, a tornado came through the town and tore down the part of the house that had been built. The Garsides had to start over again, but in 1915 they finished a two-story house. The house and land was later purchased by E. H. Colbertson, the first white man to buy land in that area. Approximately four years ago, the house was remodeled and decorated to be a museum.

The Southwest Stone Company, also known as the Rock Crusher, is one of the biggest sources of employment in the county. The crusher moved from Chockee to Stringtown in the early 1900s. Up until that point, Stringtown had not had electricity yet.

The railroad that runs through Stringtown stretches from south Texas, takes several routes in Oklahoma and Kansas, and reaches to the northern parts of Missouri. The part that runs through Stringtown was built in 1872 and is known now as the [[Union Pacific Railroad]].

Stringtown was once home to a [[sawmill]] and a [[cotton gin]] that had the biggest production rate in the late 1800s. When a fire burnt the town on July 15, 1954, the sawmill and cotton gin burned down, along with half the town, including a café, a jailhouse, a barbershop, a bank, and a hotel. All that was left was Robert’s Store and a few homes. The town never really was rebuilt after this. Today, there is a school, a church, a fire department, City Hall, Dianna’s Store, and a senior citizens center.

==Government and infrastructure==
[[Image:Stringtown Post Office.jpg|thumb|right|The old Stringtown Post Office, which was demolished early in the 1990s as it had become structurally unsound.]]
The [[United States Postal Service]] operates the Stringtown Post Office.<ref>"[http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/stringtown-107-e-reba-mcentire-ave-stringtown-ok-1383770 Post Office Location - STRINGTOWN]", [[United States Postal Service]]; retrieved November 22, 2010.</ref>

The [[Oklahoma Department of Corrections]] operates the [[Mack Alford Correctional Center]] in an [[unincorporated area]] in [[Atoka County, Oklahoma|Atoka County]], near Stringtown.<ref>"[http://www.doc.state.ok.us/facilities/institutions/macc.htm Mack Alford Correctional Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404095358/http://www.doc.state.ok.us/facilities/institutions/macc.htm |date=2013-04-04 }}", [[Oklahoma Department of Corrections]]; retrieved November 22, 2010.</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1920= 360
|1930= 558
|1940= 718
|1950= 499
|1960= 414
|1970= 397
|1980= 1047
|1990= 366
|2000= 396
|2010= 410
|2020= 419
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 396 people, 166 households, and 113 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|83.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 217 housing units at an average density of {{convert|45.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 69.95% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 11.36% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 10.35% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.25% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.25% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], and 7.83% from two or more races.

There were 166 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,536, and the median income for a family was $22,614. Males had a median income of $19,643 versus $14,861 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $9,612. About 15.1% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 45.0% of those under age 18 and 30.9% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
It is in the [[Stringtown Public Schools]] school district.<ref name=2020USCensusSDMap>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st40_ok/schooldistrict_maps/c40005_atoka/DC20SD_C40005.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Atoka County, OK|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-10-13}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st40_ok/schooldistrict_maps/c40005_atoka/DC20SD_C40005_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

==Notable people==
{{Portal|Oklahoma}}
* [[Jerry Cantrell]], guitar player for Alice in Chains
* [[Bettis Garside|B.A. Garside]], executive director of United China Relief 
* [[Reba McEntire]], country singer
* [[Tyrus McGee]] (born 1991), basketball player in the [[Israel Basketball Premier League]]
* [[Crystal Robinson]], former professional basketball player WNBA
* [[U.L. Washington]], former professional baseball player

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Atoka County, Oklahoma}}
{{Japanese American internment camps}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Atoka County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Towns in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma]]