Wright City, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Wright City is a town in McCurtain County
, Oklahoma
, United States
, along the Little River
. The population was 848 at the 2000 census
.
Wright City was once home to a Weyerhaeuser
plant; it closed permanently in mid March 2009 due to the slowed lumber
industry. Weyerhaeuser was Wright City's economic power engine, and its closing affected 165 employees.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land.
Just east of Wright City is a small community referred to as Herndon.
On March 24, 1910, a post office charter was issued for Bismark, a name chosen by the Dierks brothers, company founders, for a Nebraska town where they formerly operated a lumber outlet. The name of the town and post office changed to Wright during World War I because of public association of the Bismark name with that of the former German chancellor. The new name was chosen to honor William Wiley Wright, the county's first war casualty. On May 18, 1920, the name was altered to Wright City.
The "company town" included a sawmill, planer, railroad maintenance shops, housing, and stores, a bank, hotel, and ice factory, and provision for fire and police protection. The lumber conglomerate also provided land for construction of a school and churches. The company, then known as Dierks Forests, Inc., divested itself of residential and other properties unrelated to the primary mission on August 13, 1965. In 1966 the town achieved incorporation and elected its first officials. As Wright City was no longer just a "mill town," citizens took the initiative to create an independent, distinctive municipality. A business district was developed, utilities were upgraded and expanded, and new schools, a community building, and a medical center were built.
In 1969 the Weyerhaeuser Company of Tacoma, Washington, purchased the Dierks's holdings, including the Wright City production complex and continued the operations, which remained the primary economic base of the community until March 2009 when all operations of the mill ceased due to low demand for lumber and the worsening economy. The town population initially was included in a large census tract and not counted separately until 1950 when the residents numbered 1,121. In the 1920s the population was estimated to be less than five hundred. In 1980 the count stood at 1,168 but by 1990 had decreased to 836. At the turn of the twenty-first century the town had 848 residents.
Wright City hosts one of the oldest continuous rodeos in Oklahoma, known as Little Cheyenne, held each July 1 through 4. In 1933 a few local cowboys started it as a rodeo, barbecue
, and dance. Since 1935 the American Legion William Wright Post Number 74 has sponsored the event.
of 2000, there were 848 people, 302 households, and 233 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,017.6 people per square mile (394.5/km²). There were 326 housing units at an average density of 391.2/sq mi (151.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 46.93% White, 7.31% African American, 38.44% Native American, 0.24% from other races
, and 7.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.24% of the population.
There were 302 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples
living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,196, and the median income for a family was $31,917. Males had a median income of $30,694 versus $13,667 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $13,032. About 18.2% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 22.6% of those age 65 or over.
McCurtain County, Oklahoma
McCurtain County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 33,151. Its county seat is Idabel.-Geography:...
, 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...
, along the Little River
Little River (Red River)
The Little River is a tributary of the Red River, about long, in southeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Arkansas in the United States. Via the Red, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.-Course:...
. The population was 848 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...
.
Wright City was once home to a Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser
Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber...
plant; it closed permanently in mid March 2009 due to the slowed lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
industry. Weyerhaeuser was Wright City's economic power engine, and its closing affected 165 employees.
Geography
Wright City is located at 34°3′50"N 95°0′13"W (34.063789, -95.003551).According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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...
, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land.
Just east of Wright City is a small community referred to as Herndon.
Information
Wright City, formerly known as Bismark and Wright, is located ten miles northeast of Valliant and two miles north of Little River on State Highway 98 in western McCurtain County. The Choctaw Lumber Company, a subsidiary of the Dierks Lumber and Coal Company, founded the town around 1909 as the site for a major processing plant that utilized abundant timber harvested from the region's virgin forests.On March 24, 1910, a post office charter was issued for Bismark, a name chosen by the Dierks brothers, company founders, for a Nebraska town where they formerly operated a lumber outlet. The name of the town and post office changed to Wright during World War I because of public association of the Bismark name with that of the former German chancellor. The new name was chosen to honor William Wiley Wright, the county's first war casualty. On May 18, 1920, the name was altered to Wright City.
The "company town" included a sawmill, planer, railroad maintenance shops, housing, and stores, a bank, hotel, and ice factory, and provision for fire and police protection. The lumber conglomerate also provided land for construction of a school and churches. The company, then known as Dierks Forests, Inc., divested itself of residential and other properties unrelated to the primary mission on August 13, 1965. In 1966 the town achieved incorporation and elected its first officials. As Wright City was no longer just a "mill town," citizens took the initiative to create an independent, distinctive municipality. A business district was developed, utilities were upgraded and expanded, and new schools, a community building, and a medical center were built.
In 1969 the Weyerhaeuser Company of Tacoma, Washington, purchased the Dierks's holdings, including the Wright City production complex and continued the operations, which remained the primary economic base of the community until March 2009 when all operations of the mill ceased due to low demand for lumber and the worsening economy. The town population initially was included in a large census tract and not counted separately until 1950 when the residents numbered 1,121. In the 1920s the population was estimated to be less than five hundred. In 1980 the count stood at 1,168 but by 1990 had decreased to 836. At the turn of the twenty-first century the town had 848 residents.
Wright City hosts one of the oldest continuous rodeos in Oklahoma, known as Little Cheyenne, held each July 1 through 4. In 1933 a few local cowboys started it as a rodeo, barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
, and dance. Since 1935 the American Legion William Wright Post Number 74 has sponsored the event.
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 848 people, 302 households, and 233 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 1,017.6 people per square mile (394.5/km²). There were 326 housing units at an average density of 391.2/sq mi (151.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 46.93% White, 7.31% African American, 38.44% Native American, 0.24% 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 7.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.24% of the population.
There were 302 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% 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, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,196, and the median income for a family was $31,917. Males had a median income of $30,694 versus $13,667 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 $13,032. About 18.2% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 22.6% of those age 65 or over.