Boswell, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Boswell is a town in Choctaw County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. The population was 703 at the 2000 census
.
, Boswell has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), of which, 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it is land and 1.43% is water.
, three miles north of present-day Boswell in the 1840s. It soon became a government center as well as seat of civilization. Mayhew became the administrative and judicial capital of the Pushmataha District
, one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation.
A United States Post Office was established at Mayhew, Indian Territory on February 5, 1845 and operated until September 30, 1902. It then moved two miles south to Boswell, which was then a new townsite along the new railroad, and changed its name to Boswell.
Boswell was named for S.C. Boswell, a local merchant.
of 2000, there were 703 people, 298 households, and 188 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,024.4 people per square mile (393.4/km²). There were 377 housing units at an average density of 549.4 per square mile (211.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.14% White, 8.25% African American, 17.64% Native American, 0.28% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races
, and 5.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.
There were 298 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples
living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $14,063, and the median income for a family was $21,354. Males had a median income of $21,125 versus $16,563 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $9,696. About 37.3% of families and 37.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.3% of those under age 18 and 29.5% of those age 65 or over.
The Mobile Service Station scenes in the cult classic Two-Lane Blacktop
(1971) were filmed in Boswell. Two-Lane Blacktop, starring singer-songwriter James Taylor
, Warren Oates
, Laurie Bird
, and Dennis Wilson
, is notable as a time capsule
film of U.S. Route 66
during the pre-Interstate Highway era, and for its stark footage and minimal dialogue. As such it has become popular with fans of Route 66. Two-Lane Blacktop has been compared to similar road movies with an existentialist message from the era, such as Vanishing Point
, Easy Rider
, and Electra Glide in Blue
Choctaw County, Oklahoma
Choctaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 15,342. Its county seat is Hugo.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 703 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, Boswell has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), of which, 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it is land and 1.43% is water.
Climate
History
The Boswell area was one of the Choctaw Nation's first and most important settlements. A Presbyterian missionary station was founded at Mayhew, Indian TerritoryMayhew, Indian Territory
Mayhew, Indian Territory, located two miles north of present-day Boswell, Oklahoma, was the seat of government of the Pushmataha District of the Choctaw Nation, in the Indian Territory...
, three miles north of present-day Boswell in the 1840s. It soon became a government center as well as seat of civilization. Mayhew became the administrative and judicial capital of the Pushmataha District
Pushmataha District
Pushmataha District was one of three administrative super-regions comprising the former Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. Also called the Third District, it encompassed the southwestern one-third of the nation....
, one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation.
A United States Post Office was established at Mayhew, Indian Territory on February 5, 1845 and operated until September 30, 1902. It then moved two miles south to Boswell, which was then a new townsite along the new railroad, and changed its name to Boswell.
Boswell was named for S.C. Boswell, a local merchant.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 703 people, 298 households, and 188 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,024.4 people per square mile (393.4/km²). There were 377 housing units at an average density of 549.4 per square mile (211.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.14% White, 8.25% African American, 17.64% Native American, 0.28% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 5.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.
There were 298 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $14,063, and the median income for a family was $21,354. Males had a median income of $21,125 versus $16,563 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $9,696. About 37.3% of families and 37.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.3% of those under age 18 and 29.5% of those age 65 or over.
Two-Lane Blacktop
Two-Lane Blacktop
Two-Lane Blacktop is a 1971 road movie directed by Monte Hellman, starring singer-songwriter James Taylor, Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates, and Laurie Bird. Esquire magazine declared the film its movie of the year for 1971, and even published the entire screenplay in its April, 1971...
(1971) were filmed in Boswell. Two-Lane Blacktop, starring singer-songwriter James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
, Warren Oates
Warren Oates
Warren Mercer Oates was an American actor best known for his performances in several films directed by Sam Peckinpah including The Wild Bunch and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia...
, Laurie Bird
Laurie Bird
Laurie Bird was an American actress and photographer.-Biography:Bird's mother died when she was three. Her father, an electrical engineer, was ex-United States Navy and worked long hours...
, and Dennis Wilson
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson was an American rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drummer of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983...
, is notable as a time capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
film of U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
during the pre-Interstate Highway era, and for its stark footage and minimal dialogue. As such it has become popular with fans of Route 66. Two-Lane Blacktop has been compared to similar road movies with an existentialist message from the era, such as Vanishing Point
Vanishing Point
Vanishing Point is a 1971 American action-road movie directed by Richard C. Sarafian; starring Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, and Dean Jagger....
, Easy Rider
Easy Rider
Easy Rider is a 1969 American road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It tells the story of two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South with the aim of achieving freedom...
, and Electra Glide in Blue
Electra Glide in Blue
Electra Glide in Blue is a 1973 film starring Robert Blake as a motorcycle cop in Arizona and Billy Green Bush as his partner. The name stems from the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide motorcycle issued to traffic cops....