Disney, Oklahoma

Disney is in the northeastern corner of Mayes County, on the south shore of the Grand Lake o' the Cherokees, a reservoir on the Neosho River. The town is also known as "Disney Island"{{cn|date=May 2025}} because it sits between the east end of the Pensacola Dam, the main dam which forms the lake, and two smaller dams on the lake to the east. The northern part of Disney is lake-front, while the southern part is roughly bounded by Summerfield Creek, fed by the spillways from the two eastern dams.

Oklahoma State Highway 28 passes through the town, leading west across the Pensacola Dam {{convert|2|mi|0}} to Langley. The town of Jay is {{convert|17|mi}} to the east via highways 28 and 20.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Disney has a total area of {{convert|1.42|sqmi|2}}, of which {{convert|1.24|sqmi|2}} are land and {{convert|0.18|sqmi|2}}, or 12.62%, are water.

Disney has a herd of "island deer" that, while wild and not kept in an enclosure, act more like dogs, strolling across Main Street (Hwy 28) and nibbling on lawns, shrubs, and flowers.

There is a convenience store, a bait shop, a post office, two drive-ins, and a sporting goods / lake apparel store in the historic "Dam Hotel" building. There are also offices for construction firms, a gift shop, two churches, and a church camp facility.

When the dam was built in the early 1930s, Disney was a different place—hundreds of workers, bosses, engineers, truck drivers, and all the services a large workforce would require were based in and near Disney. The Rogers Cabins motel is the former "superintendent's" quarters. About ten WPA-era rock cabins, remodeled as motel rooms, are available. It is one of the few, if not the only, hotels / B&Bs, etc. on the southeast part of the lake. In the October 1938 issue of Scribner's magazine, famed artist Thomas Hart Benton wrote and illustratedScribners magazine, Oct. 1938, pages 16-19 an article about Disney, titled "Thirty-Six Hours in a Boom Town".

Disney's growth is limited by the size of the island and the technical difficulties with bringing municipal services across the dams, so Disney has its own water plant, no public sewer system (all septic), and no natural gas service to houses.

The first church in Disney was built by William J. Morrow. He worked on the dam from start to finish, living there with his family.

The Picture in Scripture Amphitheater is {{convert|4|mi|0}} east of town, and on Fridays and Saturdays for several weeks during the summer it presents the story of the apostle Paul.{{cite web|url= https://www.grandlake.com/todo--family--picture-in-scripture-amphitheater/786 |title=Picture in Scripture Amphitheater|publisher=GrandLake.com|accessdate=October 20, 2019}}

{{US Census population

|1960= 224

|1970= 303

|1980= 464

|1990= 257

|2000= 226

|2010= 311

|2020= 222

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}

}}

As of the 2010 census Disney had a population of 311. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 73.0% white, 17.0% Native American, 0.3% from some other race, 9.6% reporting two or more races and 0.6% Hispanic or Latino from any race.2010 general profile of population and housing characteristics for Disney from the US Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 226 people, 124 households, and 56 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|175.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 252 housing units at an average density of {{convert|195.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 80.53% White, 0.44% African American, 9.29% Native American, and 9.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population.

There were 124 households, out of which 10.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.7% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.8% were non-families. 46.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.82 and the average family size was 2.59.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 14.6% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 28.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,417, and the median income for a family was $36,875. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $25,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,975. About 21.4% of families and 24.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under the age of 18 and 21.3% of those 65 or over.

It is in the Jay Public Schools school district.{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st40_ok/schooldistrict_maps/c40097_mayes/DC20SD_C40097.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Mayes County, OK|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=2024-10-12}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st40_ok/schooldistrict_maps/c40097_mayes/DC20SD_C40097_SD2MS.txt Text list]

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081230023732/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/D/DI008.html Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Disney]
• [http://www.grandlake.onlineradio247.com Grand Lake Radio Network]
• [https://i1.wp.com/malefactorsregister.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/whoopee.png "Woman Chosen Mayor" United Press May 11, 1938]

{{Mayes County, Oklahoma}}

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Category:Towns in Mayes County, Oklahoma

Category:Towns in Oklahoma