Sardis, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Sardis was a community
in northern Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
, six miles northwest of Clayton, Oklahoma
.
A United States Post Office was established at Sardis, Indian Territory on February 20, 1905. It took its name from the nearby Sardis Indian Mission Church, which appears to have named itself after the Biblical city of Sardis
.
During the early 1980s
Jack’s Fork Creek was impounded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who built Sardis Lake
. The lake
, a flood control
project, also held tourism
potential and Oklahoma State Highway 43 was straightened and paved with blacktop all the way from the interchange
at Daisy, Oklahoma
on the Indian Nation Turnpike
to the lake, where it crosses the dam
and connects to Oklahoma State Highway 2. This allowed for easier road connections to other parts of the state highway network. At this writing tourism has not been promoted heavily or its economic benefits realized at the lake.
In order to make way for the lake the community of Sardis was emptied. Its cemetery
, now located on an island
in the lake connected to the shore by a short causeway
, is at the approximate location as it was originally, but the tombstones now sit on landfill
and are many feet higher than originally. The graves
they denote are below the bottom of the lake. The earliest gravestones are dated 1875, a testament to the community’s early founding.
Sardis was located in the picturesque Jack’s Fork Creek valley, just above its junction with the Kiamichi River
valley, framed by the steep slopes of Flagpole Mountain (1,562 ft.) on the south and the Potato Hills—a geographic curiosity due to their highly irregular shapes—on the north.
More information on Sardis and the Jack's Fork Creek valley may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society
.
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
in northern Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
-Administrative History:* Ca. 1000-1500: Caddoan Mississippian civilization at Spiro Mounds* 1492-1718: Spain* 1718-1763: France* 1763-1800: Spain* 1800-1803: France* 1803–present: United States...
, six miles northwest of Clayton, Oklahoma
Clayton, Oklahoma
Clayton is a town in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 719 at the 2000 census.- History :Clayton was formerly known as Dexter. A United States Post Office was established at Dexter, Indian Territory on March 31, 1894...
.
A United States Post Office was established at Sardis, Indian Territory on February 20, 1905. It took its name from the nearby Sardis Indian Mission Church, which appears to have named itself after the Biblical city of Sardis
Sardis
Sardis or Sardes was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey's Manisa Province...
.
During the early 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
Jack’s Fork Creek was impounded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who built Sardis Lake
Sardis Lake (Oklahoma)
Sardis Lake is a reservoir in Pushmataha County and Latimer County in Oklahoma, USA. The dam impounding the lake is located approximately north of Clayton. The lake covers with of shoreline. The lake is an impoundment of Jackfork Creek, a tributary of the Kiamichi River.The lake's normal pool...
. The lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
, a flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
project, also held tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
potential and Oklahoma State Highway 43 was straightened and paved with blacktop all the way from the interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
at Daisy, Oklahoma
Daisy, Oklahoma
Daisy is a small unincorporated community in Atoka County, Oklahoma, United States, along State Highway 43. Located in the northeastern part of the county, Daisy was once a thriving community with a general store, school and other institutions. The post office was opened April 5, 1906...
on the Indian Nation Turnpike
Indian Nation Turnpike
The Indian Nation Turnpike is a toll road in southeastern Oklahoma. It is the longest tollway in the state.-Route description:The Indian Nation turnpike is built to parkway-like design standards, omitting a center barrier and left-hand shoulders for a slightly mounded grassy median that is flush...
to the lake, where it crosses the dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
and connects to Oklahoma State Highway 2. This allowed for easier road connections to other parts of the state highway network. At this writing tourism has not been promoted heavily or its economic benefits realized at the lake.
In order to make way for the lake the community of Sardis was emptied. Its cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
, now located on an island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the lake connected to the shore by a short causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
, is at the approximate location as it was originally, but the tombstones now sit on landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
and are many feet higher than originally. The graves
Graves
Graves is an important subregion of the Bordeaux wine region. Graves is situated on the left bank of the Garonne river, in the upstream part of the region, southeast of the city Bordeaux and stretch over...
they denote are below the bottom of the lake. The earliest gravestones are dated 1875, a testament to the community’s early founding.
Sardis was located in the picturesque Jack’s Fork Creek valley, just above its junction with the Kiamichi River
Kiamichi River
The Kiamichi River is a river in southeastern Oklahoma. A tributary of the Red River, its headwaters rise on Pine Mountain in the Ouachita Mountains near the Arkansas border...
valley, framed by the steep slopes of Flagpole Mountain (1,562 ft.) on the south and the Potato Hills—a geographic curiosity due to their highly irregular shapes—on the north.
More information on Sardis and the Jack's Fork Creek valley may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society
Pushmataha County Historical Society
The Pushmataha County Historical Society is a historical society devoted to collecting and preserving the history of Pushmataha County, Oklahoma...
.