Garvin, Oklahoma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Garvin, Oklahoma
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Location of Garvin, Oklahoma
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | McCurtain |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.90 sq mi (4.93 km2) |
| • Land | 1.90 sq mi (4.92 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 502 ft (153 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 177 |
| • Density | 93.11/sq mi (35.95/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
74736
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| Area code(s) | 580 |
| FIPS code | 40-2870 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2412671 |
Garvin is a small town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2020, the town had a population of 177 people. This was a change from 256 people in 2010 and 143 people in 2000.
Contents
History of Garvin
Garvin started as a place where people could trade goods. This trading post was in the Choctaw Nation, which was the land of the Choctaw Native American tribe. It was about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southeast of where the town is today.
A post office, which is where mail is handled, opened there on February 19, 1894. It was also named Garvin. The first person in charge of the post office was James W. Kirk. He owned the trading post and named the post office after his father-in-law, Isaac L. Garvin. Isaac L. Garvin had been a leader of the Choctaw Nation from 1878 to 1880.
At that time, Garvin was part of Bok Tuklo County within the Choctaw Nation.
Moving the Town
In 1902, a group called the Choctaw Land Commission chose a new spot for Garvin. This new spot was along a railroad line being built through what would become McCurtain County. The new location was about 126 acres (0.51 km2) big. It was halfway between two other towns, Valliant and Purnell (which later became Idabel).
The new Garvin quickly began to grow. The first newspaper in that area, called the Garvin Graphic, started publishing in 1903. A school opened in September 1904 with 50 students. A cotton gin, a machine that separates cotton fibers, also started working that year. By 1905, Garvin even had a telephone system!
In 1906, Garvin had about 800 people. There were 15 stores and many professionals like doctors and lawyers.
Garvin and Oklahoma Statehood
When Oklahoma became a state, the Choctaw Nation changed from being a political group to being part of the new state. Garvin became part of McCurtain County. Even though Garvin had more people at the time, Idabel was chosen as the county seat. A county seat is the main town where the county government is located.
Garvin's economy was mostly based on wood products because of the many forests nearby. The town had businesses that processed wood. There was a large sawmill, which cuts logs into lumber. There was also a plant that made thin sheets of wood called veneer. Other plants made parts for barrels. Logs could be sent to other places using a special track that went south towards the Red River.
Garvin's population reached its highest point of 957 people in 1910. But then it dropped to only 293 people by 1920. Garvin never grew as much again. Meanwhile, Idabel, its nearby rival, grew to 1,493 people in 1910 and kept growing, reaching 3,067 residents by 1920.
Geography
Garvin is a small town. It covers a total area of about 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), and all of it is land. The town is also about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of a river called Little River.
Population Information
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 957 | — | |
| 1920 | 293 | −69.4% | |
| 1930 | 263 | −10.2% | |
| 1940 | 170 | −35.4% | |
| 1950 | 155 | −8.8% | |
| 1960 | 109 | −29.7% | |
| 1970 | 117 | 7.3% | |
| 1980 | 162 | 38.5% | |
| 1990 | 128 | −21.0% | |
| 2000 | 143 | 11.7% | |
| 2010 | 256 | 79.0% | |
| 2020 | 177 | −30.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2000, there were 143 people living in Garvin. These people lived in 53 households, and 39 of those were families. The town had about 471 people per square mile.
About 33.6% of the people were under 18 years old. About 11.2% were 65 years old or older. The average age of people in Garvin was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were about 93 males.
The average income for a household in the town was $29,375. For families, the average income was $30,833. About 10% of the people in Garvin lived below the poverty line. This included 16.3% of those under 18 and 27.3% of those over 64.
Notable People
- Blanche Barrow, born Bennie Caldwell, was married to Buck Barrow. Buck was the brother of Clyde, who was part of the famous Bonnie and Clyde duo.
- Jack Ridley was an amazing aeronautical engineer and a test pilot for the U.S. Air Force. He was also in charge of the Air Force's Flight Test Engineering Laboratory.
See also
In Spanish: Garvin (Oklahoma) para niños
