Haskell County, Oklahoma

The area now comprising Haskell County was created at statehood primarily from the former Sans Bois County of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory. Sans Bois County was part of the Moshulatubbee District, one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation. Small portions of present-day Haskell County fell within Gaines County and Skullyville County, Choctaw Nation.

In 1908, county voters picked Stigler over Keota and Whitefield as the county seat.[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=HA047 Larry O'Dell, "Haskell County."] Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.] Retrieved October 2, 2013.

Underground coal mining was undertaken here in the early 20th century, creating jobs and attracting railroad construction to southern Haskell County. The San Bois Coal Company built more than 400 company houses in McCurtain and Chant (two towns that eventually merged into one) for their miners. In 1912, a large, underground explosion rocked the Number Two mine at McCurtain, killing 73 miners and bankrupting the San Bois Company. The McCurtain disaster and the declining demand for coal in the 1920s halted underground coal mining in the county.

Strip mining continued. The Lone Star Steel Company became the county's leading coal producer. Haskell County was the source of 20% of Oklahoma's coal production between 1950 and 1980.[https://www.ok.gov/tax/documents/avfJune12.pdf "Focus on Haskell County." Oklahoma Ad Valorem Forum. Vol. 21, Issue 6. June 2012. p. 6] Accessed October 17, 2016.

Agriculture was the most important component of the county economy in the early 20th century. Cotton was the most important crop, followed by corn and oats. The collapse of cotton prices and the Great Depression caused a drop in population, as well as farm acreage. In 1934, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration helped over 85% of Haskell County's population. Ranching supplanted farming, which was forced to diversify. By 1964, livestock accounted for about 70% of the county's revenues.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|625|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|49|sqmi}} (7.8%) are covered by water.{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_40.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=February 21, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}} The county elevation varies because of the Sans Bois Mountains in the southern part of the county from {{convert|500|to|1500|ft|m}}. The relatively large water area results from the presence of Eufaula Lake and the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir. The South Canadian River forms the northern border with McIntosh and Muskogee counties before draining into the Arkansas River at the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir. The river forms the northeastern border with Sequoyah County.

• 20px State Highway 2
• 20px State Highway 9
• 20px State Highway 31
• 20px State Highway 71
• 20px State Highway 82

• Muskogee County (north)
• Sequoyah County (northeast)
• Le Flore County (east)
• Latimer County (south)
• Pittsburg County (west)
• McIntosh County (northwest)

• Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (part)

{{US Census population

|1910= 18875

|1920= 19397

|1930= 16216

|1940= 17324

|1950= 13313

|1960= 9121

|1970= 9578

|1980= 11010

|1990= 10940

|2000= 11792

|2010= 12769

|2020= 11561

|estyear=

|estimate=

|estref=

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=February 21, 2015}}
1790-1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=February 21, 2015}} 1900-1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ok190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=February 21, 2015}}
1990-2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=February 21, 2015}} 2010{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/40/40061.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 9, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606154721/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/40/40061.html|archive-date=June 6, 2011}}

}}

As of the 2010 United States Census, 12,769 people were living in the county; 74.9% were White, 15.9% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% Black or African American, 1.2% of some other race, and 7.0% of two or more races. About 3.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race), and 8.4% were of American, 7.3% German, 6.4% Irish and 5.0% English ancestry.{{Cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml |title="American FactFinder" |access-date=January 8, 2015 |archive-date=January 8, 2015 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20150108070337/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml |url-status=dead }}

As of the census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}} of 2000, 11,792 people, 4,624 households, and 3,380 families lived in the county. The population density was {{convert|20|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people|}}. The 5,573 housing units had an average density of {{convert|10|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units }}. The racial makeup of the county was 78.24% White, 0.61% Black or African American, 14.60% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 5.81% from two or more races. About 1.50% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 4,624 households, 31.7% had children under 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were not families. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the age distribution was 26.0% under 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,553, and for a family was $29,872. Males had a median income of $25,493 versus $17,462 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,775. About 16.1% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under 18 and 18.6% of those 65 or over.

Despite the county being home to a significant Native American population and a Democratic registration advantage well into the 2010s, Haskell County has not voted that way in presidential elections in the 21st century. Unlike other Native-administered counties, however, the rightward shift only increased after the 2004 election, with the GOP hitting well over 70% of the vote in the county in the Barack Obama era and topping out with 83.1% for Donald Trump in 2020.

{{PresHead|place=Haskell County, Oklahoma|source={{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 29, 2018}}}}

{{PresRow|2024|Republican|4,156|718|62|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|2020|Republican|4,165|783|66|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|2016|Republican|3,701|882|155|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|2012|Republican|3,069|1,175|0|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|2008|Republican|3,207|1,474|0|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|2004|Republican|2,946|2,378|0|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|2,039|2,510|79|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,442|2,762|601|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|1,461|3,069|1,016|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|1,822|2,963|44|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1984|Democratic|2,417|2,535|29|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|2,024|2,874|113|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|1,401|3,388|29|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1972|Republican|2,815|1,408|237|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1968|Democratic|1,516|1,563|1,013|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|1,355|2,542|0|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1960|Republican|1,858|1,712|0|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|1,758|2,381|0|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|1,872|2,619|0|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|1,390|3,206|0|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|2,102|2,924|15|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|2,661|3,896|9|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|2,182|3,961|1|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,439|4,357|0|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1928|Republican|2,580|2,172|30|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|1,935|2,480|401|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1920|Republican|2,673|2,201|201|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|976|1,486|484|Oklahoma}}

{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|902|1,388|685|Oklahoma}}

{{PresFoot|1908|Democratic|1,139|1,401|366|Oklahoma}}

• Stigler (county seat)

• Keota
• Kinta
• McCurtain
• Tamaha
• Whitefield

• Enterprise
• Hoyt
• Lequire

Stigler is home to the Haskell County Courthouse, which has become notable for erecting marble statues of the Ten Commandments and the Mayflower Compact on the front lawn (see Separation of church and state in the United States). In the seventh commandment, the word "adultery" is misspelled.

A unanimous federal appeals court ruled that county commissioners in Haskell County unconstitutionally sought to promote their personal religious beliefs by erecting a Ten Commandments monument on the front lawn of the county's courthouse. The decision by the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals comes in a challenge filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Oklahoma on behalf of a local resident.

After the court decision, the marble statue was moved about 600 feet east to private property. Therefore, the statue was still displayed on the main street, available to anyone who desired to view and read the information.

{{Main|National Register of Historic Places listings in Haskell County, Oklahoma}}

The following sites in Haskell County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Cotton Storage House, Kinta
• Haskell County Courthouse, Stigler
• Kinta High School, Kinta
• McCurtain, Edmund, House, Kinta
• McCurtain, Green, House, Kinta
• Mule Creek Site, Stigler
• Otter Creek Archeological Site, Keota
• Scott Store, Kinta
• Stigler School Gymnasium--Auditorium, Stigler
• Tamaha Jail and Ferry Landing, Stigler

{{reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=HA047 Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Haskell County]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20121024013411/http://www.library.okstate.edu/okmaps/ Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory]

{{Geographic location

|Centre = Haskell County

|North = Muskogee County

|Northeast = Sequoyah County

|East = Le Flore County

|Southeast =

|South = Latimer County

|Southwest =

|West = Pittsburg County

|Northwest = McIntosh County

}}

{{Haskell County, Oklahoma}}

{{Oklahoma}}

{{coord|35.23|-95.11|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-OK_source:UScensus1990}}

{{authority control}}

Category:1907 establishments in Oklahoma

Category:Populated places established in 1907