Pink, Oklahoma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pink, Oklahoma
Town
Location of Pink, Oklahoma
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Pottawatomie
Area
• Total	36.12 sq mi (93.54 km2)
• Land	36.12 sq mi (93.54 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,079 ft (329 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,091
• Density	57.90/sq mi (22.35/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	74873
Area code(s)	405/572
FIPS code	40-59150
GNIS feature ID	2413137

Pink is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. It's part of the Oklahoma City area. Pink is the only town in the U.S. with this name. It sits within the lands of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. In 2020, about 2,091 people lived here. This was a small increase from 2010.

The town's name, Pink, might have been chosen because it went well with the nearby town of Brown. Brown is now part of Pink. This was a trend in the county to have "twin names." Another idea is that Pink was named after a local person.

A strong tornado hit the town on April 19, 2023.

Pink's Past

Ancient Times

People have lived in the Pink area for thousands of years. This is known from old tools and sites found near the Little River. Even during a long drought 8,500 years ago, people stayed here. The Thunderbird Dam Site was used by hunters from about 500 BC to 1000 AD. It was a good spot for camping near water and animals.

Early 1800s to 1891

The land that is now Oklahoma became part of the United States in 1803. This was after the Louisiana Purchase. Later, in 1830, a law called the Indian Removal Act was passed. This law allowed the President to make deals with Native American tribes. Many tribes were forced to move to Indian Territory.

Citizen Potawatomi People

The Potawatomi people were first forced to move west by other tribes. This happened before 1640, near Lake Michigan. Later, they were forced to move again during the Indian Removal. The Indiana Potawatomi moved to Kansas. They became known as the Mission Potawatomi. They chose to become U.S. citizens. This group became the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

In 1867, the Citizen Potawatomi sold their Kansas lands. They bought new land in Indian Territory. This land would later become Pottawatomie County, where Pink is located. When they arrived, they found the Shawnee people already living there. The Shawnee had been living along the Canadian River since 1845. They were known as the Absentee Shawnee.

In 1872, the U.S. government gave the Absentee Shawnee legal rights to the land they lived on. This land was within the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. About 20 years later, the Dawes Act of 1887 changed things again. It forced the Citizen Potawatomi, Absentee Shawnee, Sac & Fox, and Iowa tribes to accept individual land plots. After these plots were given out, the remaining land was opened to new settlers. This happened during the Land Run of 1891. The land that became Pink was part of this.

Absentee Shawnee People

One group of Absentee Shawnee was led by Big Jim. He was the grandson of Tecumseh. This group did not want to live like white settlers. They feared losing their traditions. They had been living north of the North Canadian River. But in 1886, soldiers made them move south. The soldiers burned their homes so they couldn't return. They had to spend the winter without shelter.

Within three years, they built new log houses and planted small farms. This was near another Shawnee group called the White Turkeys. By 1889, it was clear their new land would also be divided and sold. Big Jim's Band moved to what they thought was the worst land. They hoped white settlers wouldn't want the sandy hills near Hog Creek and Little River. But it didn't work. In 1890, Big Jim and his followers were forced to accept 80-acre plots. These plots were mostly sandy hills and flood-prone land.

This community was called Big Jim Settlement. It later became Little Axe in Cleveland County. The original center of the settlement was flooded in 1965. This happened when Lake Thunderbird was built. Ironically, Big Jim's "worthless" land became a popular state park. Some of Big Jim's original land plots are still part of Pink today.

1891 Land Run

Harper's Weekly, October 3, 1891, showing the rush for land in Oklahoma.

On September 22, 1891, at noon, a big event happened. President Benjamin Harrison announced the second Oklahoma land run. This opened up over 6,000 homesteads. Each homestead was 160 acres. This land became Lincoln and Pottawatomie counties. The U.S. Government paid the Citizen Potawatomi and Absentee Shawnee for this land. It was sixty-nine cents for each acre.

People who claimed land had to pay $1.50 per acre. They also had to live on the land for at least five years. Many settlers from Texas and other southern states came. They chose land good for growing cotton. These settlers brought their Democratic political views with them.

Challenges for Settlers

Early settlers in Pottawatomie County faced many problems. Unlike other parts of Oklahoma, this area already had Native American tribes. These tribes had farms and livestock. Also, there were no trains or telegraph lines in the county yet. This made travel and communication hard.

The county also had problems with crime. It was near the border of Indian Territory. This made it a hiding place for outlaws. Horse stealing was a big issue for farmers. It was hard to keep enough animals for farming. Outlaws used secret trails to move stolen horses. They had "stations" every 25 miles or so. This helped them sell stolen horses far away. To fight this, groups like the Anti-Horse Thief Association were formed. They helped farmers deal with the financial loss of stolen horses.

First Residents

Many Absentee Shawnee people received land plots in Pink in 1891. Some of these plots were settled. For example, Nellie McCoy's land had a stone foundation. This shows a dwelling was there, likely used by her family. Over time, many of these early homes were abandoned.

The town of Pink started sometime after the land run. The first post office opened in January 1894. Joseph Fahnestock was supposed to be the postmaster, but he declined. Thomas M. McKittrick took the job the next month. After his wife died, the post office moved. It was moved to Michael Sheyers' place. The post office closed in 1897, reopened in 1901, and then closed for good in 1906. Now, the Tecumseh post office serves Pink.

A cemetery was once located in Pink. But the gravestones were removed for land development. The graves were probably not moved. Many early Pink residents were buried in Black Cemetery or Brown Cemetery. More births were recorded after the 1891 Land Run.

Brown was a town about three miles east of Pink. It was named after George Brown, its first postmaster. Brown had a cotton gin, stores, a school, and doctors. Brown has now become part of Pink.

Early Maps and Roads

Old maps show how Pink grew. In 1891, only Shawneetown (now Shawnee) was shown north of the Little River. Pink appeared on maps later, around 1898. The Pink School was built before 1910. It was located at the corner of Okay Road and Willow View Road.

Unlike other areas, Pink did not have railroads until after the 1891 Land Run. Even in 1906, no railroad lines came closer than 10 miles to Pink. This meant Pink was less important for trade and travel.

An important east-west road developed early in Pink. Farmers used it to transport cotton. They took it to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in Norman. Later, a railroad opened in Shawnee in 1896. This old road became one of Oklahoma's first numbered highways. It started as Highway 37, then Highway 41, and finally Highway 9. It was paved in 1941. Parts of the old highway route can still be seen today.

Early Businesses

By 1928, Pink's town center was east of Fishmarket Road on Highway 9. Walter Reuben Stapp, a blacksmith, ran a gristmill. Osco A. Miller had a general store. This store was later owned by J.R. McLaughlin, then A.C. Stapp and J.M. Stumpp. The Tecumseh Cotton Oil Company also had a location here in 1936.

Farming was very important to Pink's growth. By 1907, nearly a quarter of Oklahoma's farmland grew cotton. Cotton gins processed the cotton. They separated the fiber from the seeds. Cottonseed oil mills crushed the seeds. The oil was used for food products like Wesson cooking oil and Crisco. The leftover parts were used for paper or animal feed.

In 1935, the main types of farming in Pink were general farming, cotton, livestock, dairy, and poultry.

Farmers' Challenges

In 1917, a group called the Working Class Union (WCU) was active in Oklahoma. Many farmers rented their land and faced tough economic times. They didn't want to fight in World War I. The WCU was a secret group. Some Pink farmers likely agreed with their ideas. A local group met in hidden places. Their protests were stopped, and some members were arrested.

Some young Pink residents might have been part of the Jones Family. This group was involved in the Socialist movement during World War I. They met at the Mardock Mission. This mission was built in 1898 for the Absentee Shawnee. It also attracted white settlers. By 1907, Mardock had a post office, stores, and a cotton gin.

In 1930, over 60% of farms in Pottawatomie County were run by tenant farmers. This meant they rented the land they worked. Their situation had not improved much since the WCU's protests.

Land Use Changes

Early farmers sometimes cut down pecan trees without knowing how valuable the nuts were. By 1935, pecans were the second largest cash crop in the county.

Many soils around Pink can easily erode. Intense farming reduced the land's ability to grow crops. It also increased soil erosion. Like many places in Oklahoma, farming declined in the 1930s. Today, livestock farming and homes are the main uses of the land.

Erosion and poor soil caused many people to move. They went to the southeastern part of the county. They hoped to find better land, more rain, and oil jobs. By 1936, the western part of the county, including Pink, had fewer people.

Some oil fields were developed around Pink in the early 1900s. Production went down over the years. But after 2000, new oil wells were drilled.

Pink's Location

Pink is located at 35°13′56″N 97°6′25″W / 35.23222°N 97.10694°W / 35.23222; -97.10694. The town covers about 26 square miles (67 square kilometers) of land.

The Cross Timbers Area

Pink is in the Cross Timbers region. This area has low, rolling hills. It is covered with a mix of pastures, rangeland, and forests. Some of the oldest forests in the U.S. are here. Pink is about 40 minutes from Oklahoma City. It's on State Highway 9, between Tecumseh and Norman.

The Cross Timbers is a special area. It stretches from Kansas to Texas. Millions of trees, 200 to 400 years old, have survived here. These trees grew in places not good for farming. Some parts of the ancient post oak forest look the same as they did 6,000 years ago.

Washington Irving, a famous American author, visited this area in 1832. He wrote about his trip in A Tour on the Prairies. He described the Cross Timbers as a rough country. It had rolling hills and scattered oak trees. He wrote about the dry grass and scorched trees from Indian hunting fires. He said it was like struggling through "forests of cast iron."

The hills and ridges around Pink are covered with oak trees, savannas, and tall grass prairies. Post oak and blackjack oak trees grow on sandy soils. Tallgrass prairie grows on finer soils. Today, fire control has made the forests denser. It also allows eastern red cedar trees to grow more.

Pink's Climate

Pink has a humid subtropical climate. The weather can change often, except in the hot summer. The area can have long, dry periods. These sometimes cause wildfires. But it can also have very heavy rain, leading to floods. Winds usually come from the south or southwest in summer. This helps cool things down. In winter, northerly winds can make it very cold. Ice storms and snowstorms happen sometimes.

The average temperature is about 61°F (16.1°C). In August, the average high is 94°F (34.4°C). In January, the average low is 26°F (-3.3°C). The growing season for plants lasts about 212 days.

Pink gets about 39 inches (99 cm) of rain each year. It gets about one inch (2.54 cm) of snow. Thunderstorms happen about 49 days a year, mostly in spring and summer.

Pink has a very active severe weather season. This is from March to June, especially April and May. It's in Tornado Alley. This means it gets many strong tornadoes. It also gets severe hailstorms.

Old post oak trees in this area tell us about past weather. They show records of weather for the last 350 years. These records help us understand past droughts and wet periods. For example, there was a very wet period from 1813-1850. Then, a long drought in the 1850s was worse than the 1930s Dust Bowl.

A tornado damaged the Pink Baptist Church in 1999. On May 10, 2010, three tornadoes hit. Homes were destroyed, trees were flattened, and there was a lot of hail damage.

Pink's Population

In 2010, Pink had 2,058 people. There were 732 households and 567 families. The population density was about 45 people per square mile. Most residents (84.5%) were White. About 8.6% were Native American. About 4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

In households, 30.7% had children under 18. Most households (61.6%) were married couples. The average household had 2.81 people. The average family had 3.17 people.

The population was spread out by age:

• 27.3% were under 18
• 7.9% were 18 to 24
• 22.8% were 25 to 44
• 30.7% were 45 to 64
• 11.4% were 65 or older

The average age was 38.4 years. For every 100 females, there were about 103.8 males.

In 2012, the average household income was $46,588. The average monthly housing cost was $671. About 15.7% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 21.3% of those under 18.

Education in Pink

Most of Pink is in the Tecumseh Public Schools district. This district offers education from kindergarten to 12th grade. It has an early learning center, two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. Some areas in the north are served by Bethel Public Schools. Parts of southern Pink are in Macomb Public Schools. Western parts are in Little Axe Public Schools.

Higher education is also nearby. The University of Oklahoma in Norman is about 20 minutes away. Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee is also a 20-minute drive.

Pink's Culture

Pink Baptist Church started on June 12, 1949. Twenty-three members formed the church. Brother Clovis Hibbard was the first pastor. The church building was damaged by a tornado in 1999. Services were held in the gym until a new sanctuary was built in 2002.

Pink Holiness Church is about one mile east of Pink Baptist Church.

Camp Sooner is a retreat center. It is owned by Independent Christian Churches of Oklahoma and Texas. It has a dining hall, cabins, a swimming pool, and activities.

Getting Around Pink

There is no public transportation in Pink. Residents need cars because it's a rural area. Passenger train service is available in Norman. The Heartland Flyer goes from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, Texas. There are plans to extend this service. The closest airport is Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.

Highway 9 through Pink is planned to be widened to four lanes. This project is set to start in 2020. It should be finished by 2025.

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See also

In Spanish: Pink (Oklahoma) para niños