Thackerville, Oklahoma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thackerville, Oklahoma
Town
Location of Thackerville, Oklahoma
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Love
Area
• Total	2.25 sq mi (5.83 km2)
• Land	2.24 sq mi (5.80 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation	866 ft (264 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	400
• Density	178.57/sq mi (68.94/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	73459
Area code(s)	580
FIPS code	40-73200
GNIS feature ID	2413381

Thackerville is a small town located in Love County, Oklahoma, in the United States. It's very close to the Texas state line. In 2020, about 400 people lived there.

Where is Thackerville Located?

Thackerville is found in south central Love County. It's near where U.S. Highway 77 and State Highway 153 meet. The town is five miles north of the Texas border. It is also ten miles south of Marietta.

Interstate 35 goes right through Thackerville. This highway is a main road between Oklahoma City and Dallas/Fort Worth. The town covers about 2.1 square miles (5.4 square kilometers) of land.

The Story of Thackerville

How Thackerville Began

Thackerville started in the mid-1800s. It was named after Zacariah Thacker. He was a pioneer from Arkansas. Zacariah Thacker was traveling to the Amarillo, Texas area. One night, he camped at Wolf Hollow Creek in Indian Territory. He liked the spot so much that he stayed there until he died a few years later.

Thacker became friends with the local Native American people. Together, they grew a lot of corn. Soon, more and more people started to settle in the area.

Moving the Town

After Zacariah Thacker died in 1887, the community moved. Its first location was near Wolf Creek, where it flows into the Red River. The town moved to its current spot to be closer to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. A train station was built there. The first grocery store, owned by Oce McCage, opened across from the station.

Soon, a school, churches, and a post office were also built. Thackerville had a dirt main street. Wooden sidewalks connected the porches of the stores.

Becoming an Official Town

On October 15, 1898, the people of Thackerville asked to become an official town. This request was filed in court in Ardmore. About 175 people lived in the community at that time. On July 5, 1899, Judge Hosea Townsend officially made Thackerville an incorporated town in Indian Territory.

When it was founded, Thackerville was part of Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation.

Changes Over Time

In 1926, U.S. Highway 77 was built through Thackerville. It connected the town to the Red River. The town then grew along both sides of this new highway. It became the new "main" street.

Thackerville's population changed a lot during the 1900s. It was lowest in 1950 with 178 people. It reached its highest point in 1980 with 431 people.

Today, Thackerville is home to the WinStar World Casino. The Chickasaw Nation operates this large casino.

How Many People Live Here?

Thackerville is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area. This means it's connected to the larger Ardmore area.

Here's how the population of Thackerville has changed over the years:

In 2000, there were 404 people living in Thackerville. There were 149 households and 108 families. About 35% of households had children under 18. Most households (57.7%) were married couples. The average household had 2.71 people. The average family had 3.18 people.

The median age in 2000 was 37 years old. About 29% of the people were under 18. About 11% were 65 or older.

Education in Thackerville

Thackerville Public Schools serves the town. This school district teaches students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade. It also serves other areas in south central Love County that are not part of a town.

See also

In Spanish: Thackerville (Oklahoma) para niños