Adel, Oklahoma facts for kids
Adel is a small, unincorporated community in northwestern Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States. It's about 12 miles west of Clayton. An "unincorporated community" means it's a place where people live, but it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. Its exact location can be found using the Public Land Survey System, with coordinates T13-3S-R16E.
Contents
Adel's Past
Early Days
Before Oklahoma officially became a state, Adel was located in Jack's Fork County. This area was part of the Pushmataha District within the Choctaw Nation. The Choctaw Nation was a self-governing Native American territory.
Post Office and Isolation
Adel, then in Indian Territory, received its own United States Post Office on June 3, 1907. However, this post office later closed on November 15, 1954. Adel was quite isolated for many years. The closest communities were Daisy and Goss, both located in Atoka County. Goss even had a larger school, and its schoolhouse still stands today.
What Remains in Adel Today?
Today, there are very few landmarks left in Adel. The only remaining site is a small cemetery. This cemetery contains five graves. Only one of these graves has a marker. It belongs to a county sheriff from the old Choctaw Nation and is dated 1880.
Connecting Adel to the World
The Indian Nation Turnpike
Adel's isolation began to lessen with the opening of the Indian Nation Turnpike in 1970. A turnpike is a major highway where drivers usually pay a toll to use it. This new road included an interchange for Daisy, which helped connect the area to other parts of Oklahoma.
Sardis Lake and Highway 43
After Sardis Lake was completed near Clayton, the state built a paved highway. This road, Oklahoma State Highway 43, connects the Daisy interchange on the Turnpike to Sardis Lake. It even passes over the lake's dam before meeting Oklahoma State Highway 2.
Tourism Potential
Even with these new connections, tourism at Sardis Lake has not been heavily promoted. This means the lake doesn't bring a lot of visitors through Adel or the surrounding areas yet. However, this could change in the future.
More Information
You can find more information about Adel at the Pushmataha County Historical Society.
