Poteau, Oklahoma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Poteau, Oklahoma
City
The LeFlore County Courthouse is one of five sites in Poteau listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Location of Poteau, Oklahoma
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Le Flore
Area
• Total	28.73 sq mi (74.40 km2)
• Land	26.61 sq mi (68.91 km2)
• Water	2.12 sq mi (5.49 km2)
Elevation	446 ft (136 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,807
• Density	331.00/sq mi (127.80/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	74953
Area code(s)	539/918
FIPS code	40-60350
GNIS feature ID	2411476

Poteau (/ˈpoʊtoʊ/ POH-toh) is a city in, and county seat of, LeFlore County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 8,520 as of the 2010 census.

History

In 1719, Bernard de la Harpe led a group of French explorers through this area and gave the river its present name. The present day city was founded in 1885, its name derived from the nearby Poteau River. During the late 1700s, there was a large French outpost at Belle Point (Ft. Smith). From there, they would travel up the Poteau River to a secondary post at the base of Cavanal Mountain. Because of this, the river was named the "Post River", or Poteau River, and the outpost was simply called the post, or "Poteau". A group of French explorers gave the river its present name during the early 18th Century. Poteau is a French word meaning post.

The Poteau Chamber of Commerce has written that the community was founded in 1885 as a few houses and Bud Tate's general store. At the time of its founding, Poteau was in Sugar Loaf County, a part of the Moshulatubbee District of the Choctaw Nation. It was incorporated as a town in the Indian Territory by the federal government on October 8, 1898. The first stone public building, a school, was built in the same year.

The Fort Smith and Southern Railway built a rail line through the Poteau area in 1886–1887, en route to Paris, Texas, including a station within the city. The Poteau post office opened in 1887 and the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad (acquired by the Kansas City Southern Railway in 1900) began serving the town in 1896.

In 1900, the Federal Court of Indian Territory was moved from Cameron, Oklahoma to Poteau. The Poteau News was first published in 1905. Other modern improvements during the run-up to statehood included: The Bank of Poteau in 1901 (which became a national bank in 1904), and the First Bank of Poteau in 1904. A telephone company franchise was granted in 1904, and an electric utility and waterworks system was begun in 1906.

After statehood, Governor Charles N. Haskell declared Poteau as a, "... city of the first class."

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.7 square miles (82 km²), of which 28.6 square miles (74 km²) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²), or 9.54%, is water. It is about 12 miles (19 km) west of the Oklahoma-Arkansas border.

The city is located in the valley below Cavanal Hill, dubbed the "World's Highest Hill" with a signed elevation of 1,999 feet (609 m). The location was a subject of extensive coal mining in the first half of the 20th Century, and a railway, eventually called the Poteau and Cavanal Mountain Railroad, served the mines. The summit elevation of the hill is 2,385 feet (727 m) above sea level, while the hill rises 1,960 feet (600 m) above the Poteau River on the east side of Poteau.

Climate

Poteau is tied with several other towns for the highest recorded temperature in the state of Oklahoma.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 8,807 people, 3,199 households, and 2,224 families residing in the city.

Parks and recreation

Twyman Park offers picnic tables and shelters, a playground, tennis courts, a small pond, and a pool. Other City facilities include the Poteau Area Recreational Complex for sports events, as well as Bill J. Barber Park and Dunbar Park.

Lake Wister and the Lake Wister State Park are located in Poteau.

Education

The Poteau Public School System includes Poteau Primary School, Poteau Upper Elementary School, Pansy Kidd Middle School and Poteau Senior High School. Pansy Kidd Middle School is named in honor of Pansy Ingle Kidd (1890–1978), who taught in Poteau for over 40 years and was nicknamed the "Dean of Poteau's Teachers."

In 1955, Dr. John Montgomery, a black veterinarian, petitioned the Poteau Public School Board to eliminate the racial segregation of its schools. The board approved his petition, resulting in the integration of the school system and marking Poteau as the first city in Oklahoma to allow African Americans to learn alongside white students in its primary and secondary schools.

Carl Albert State College, formerly known as Poteau Junior College, is one of the 13 state colleges found in Oklahoma.

Kiamichi Technology Center, the largest division of the Oklahoma CareerTech System has a branch location in Poteau.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Poteau is served by US Routes 59, 270, and 271, as well as State Highways 83 and 112.

Robert S. Kerr Airport (KRKR; FAA ID: RKR), about 2 miles south of town, has a 4007’ x 75’ paved runway.

Police

The LeFlore County Sheriff's office is in Poteau, and contains six highway patrol officers and an inspector.

Notable people

• Rilla Askew, writer
• Roberta Bell, artist
• Jackson Burns, actor, writer, producer and stunt coordinator
• Kenneth Corn, former Oklahoma state senator and Oklahoma state representative
• Ron Fortner, radio and television anchor
• Argus Hamilton, comedian and national columnist
• Billy Hoffman, country music singer; raised in Poteau
• Robert S. Kerr, U.S. senator who owned a home and cattle ranch in the Poteau area
• Mick Thompson, current Oklahoma State Banking Commissioner and former Oklahoma State Representative

See also

In Spanish: Poteau (Oklahoma) para niños