Foraker, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Foraker is a town in Osage County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. It was named for Ohio Senator James B. Foraker. The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve
is southeast of town. The official population peaked at 415 in 1910 and has declined steadily since 1930. According to the 2010 census, the population was only 19.
, a post office was established at Foraker on February 13, 1903. The town began as a 160-acre tract platted by the U.S. Department of the Interior along the Midland Valley Railroad
in 1905. By 1909, the town had a population of 500 as the area underwent a ranching and farming boom. Foraker had the amenities associated with older communities: sidewalks, a public park, and plans for an electric and water system and a substantial school building.
The agriculture boom subsided but the town was briefly revitalized by discovery of the Burbank, Oklahoma
Burbank]] Oil Field in 1920, which Foraker an oil industry equipment supply center. In 1922 the Osage Railway was opened from Foraker to Shidler, Oklahoma
, ten miles away making Foraker an oil shipping point. The population rose to about 2,000 in the early 1920s. The Osage County oil boom declined during the Great Depression, and with it Foraker's fortunes. The population dropped. The Osage Valley railroad was abandoned in 1953 and the Midland Valley Railroad was abandoned in 1968. The town business district fell vacant. Foraker is now in a region dominated by large cattle ranches. A lonely and picturesque old cemetery in the prairie about a mile east of what remains of the town is the chief landmark.
The nearest post office is at Shidler.
of 2000, there were 23 people, 10 households, and 6 families residing in the town. The population density
was 104.6 people per square mile (40.4/km²). There were 13 housing units at an average density of 59.1 per square mile (22.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 73.91% White, 4.35% Native American, and 21.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.35% of the population.
There were 10 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples
living together, and 40.0% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 13.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $63,333. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,079. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.
Osage County, Oklahoma
Osage County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Coterminous with the Osage Indian Reservation, it is the home of the federally recognized Osage Nation. As of the 2010 census, the population was 47,472 a 6.8 percent increase from 2000, when the population was 44,437...
, 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...
. It was named for Ohio Senator James B. Foraker. The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve
The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, located in Osage County, Oklahoma near Foraker, Oklahoma, is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. It is protected as the largest tract of remaining tallgrass prairie in the world...
is southeast of town. The official population peaked at 415 in 1910 and has declined steadily since 1930. According to the 2010 census, the population was only 19.
History
Located in an area of rolling plains and tallgrass prairieTallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...
, a post office was established at Foraker on February 13, 1903. The town began as a 160-acre tract platted by the U.S. Department of the Interior along the Midland Valley Railroad
Midland Valley Railroad
The Midland Valley Railroad was incorporated in 1903 for the purpose of building a line from Hoye, Arkansas, through Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma to Wichita, Kansas. The railroad took its name from Midland, Arkansas, a coal mining town in western Arkansas which was served by the railroad...
in 1905. By 1909, the town had a population of 500 as the area underwent a ranching and farming boom. Foraker had the amenities associated with older communities: sidewalks, a public park, and plans for an electric and water system and a substantial school building.
The agriculture boom subsided but the town was briefly revitalized by discovery of the Burbank, Oklahoma
Burbank, Oklahoma
Burbank is a town in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 141 at the 2010 census, a 9 ercent decrease from 155 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Burbank is located at ....
Burbank]] Oil Field in 1920, which Foraker an oil industry equipment supply center. In 1922 the Osage Railway was opened from Foraker to Shidler, Oklahoma
Shidler, Oklahoma
Shidler is a city in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 441 at the 2010 census, a 15.2 percent decrease from 520 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shidler is located at ....
, ten miles away making Foraker an oil shipping point. The population rose to about 2,000 in the early 1920s. The Osage County oil boom declined during the Great Depression, and with it Foraker's fortunes. The population dropped. The Osage Valley railroad was abandoned in 1953 and the Midland Valley Railroad was abandoned in 1968. The town business district fell vacant. Foraker is now in a region dominated by large cattle ranches. A lonely and picturesque old cemetery in the prairie about a mile east of what remains of the town is the chief landmark.
The nearest post office is at Shidler.
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 23 people, 10 households, and 6 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 104.6 people per square mile (40.4/km²). There were 13 housing units at an average density of 59.1 per square mile (22.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 73.91% White, 4.35% Native American, and 21.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.35% of the population.
There were 10 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% 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, and 40.0% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 13.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $63,333. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $18,750 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 $20,079. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.