Dela, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Dela is a community
in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
six miles southeast of Antlers, Oklahoma
.
A United States Post Office operated here from May 12, 1920 to October 31, 1954. It was named for Dela M. Whitaker, local schoolteacher.
Dela was originally known as White Church, or Itissa Busha in the Choctaw language
, after a Methodist congregation built there by a white settler
for use by Choctaw Indians. The date of its construction is unknown but predated the settlement of nearby Antlers, Oklahoma
in 1886; the earliest grave
in its cemetery
is dated 1883. When built it was located in Cedar County, Choctaw Nation
.
Colonel Victor M. Locke established a prosperous store
, grist mill and cotton gin
at White Church on White Creek in the early 1870s
, causing the Choctaw National Council to name the settlement “Lockestown,” at least for use in identifying it as an official Choctaw electoral precinct. Locke moved from White Church to Beaver, as Antlers was then known, in 1875.
White Church was whitewashed with lime, giving it its name. Its logs had been hauled from Fort Towson
for construction. By the late 1930s
historical accounts say the Choctaws who formerly lived nearby and worshipped at the church were deceased and the church was defunct. The church property had been purchased by a white farmer, who razed the structure. Its cemetery survives as Dela Cemetery.
More information on Dela, White Church, and the Locke family may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society
.
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
-Administrative History:* Ca. 1000-1500: Caddoan Mississippian civilization at Spiro Mounds* 1492-1718: Spain* 1718-1763: France* 1763-1800: Spain* 1800-1803: France* 1803–present: United States...
six miles southeast of Antlers, Oklahoma
Antlers, Oklahoma
Antlers is a city in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. The population was 2,552 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pushmataha County.-Geography:Antlers is located at...
.
A United States Post Office operated here from May 12, 1920 to October 31, 1954. It was named for Dela M. Whitaker, local schoolteacher.
Dela was originally known as White Church, or Itissa Busha in the Choctaw language
Choctaw language
The Choctaw language, traditionally spoken by the Native American Choctaw people of the southeastern United States, is a member of the Muskogean family...
, after a Methodist congregation built there by a white settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
for use by Choctaw Indians. The date of its construction is unknown but predated the settlement of nearby Antlers, Oklahoma
Antlers, Oklahoma
Antlers is a city in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. The population was 2,552 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pushmataha County.-Geography:Antlers is located at...
in 1886; the earliest grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
in its cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
is dated 1883. When built it was located in Cedar County, Choctaw Nation
Cedar County, Choctaw Nation
Cedar County was a political subdivision of the Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. The county formed part of the nation’s Apukshunnubbee District, or Second District, one of three administrative super-regions....
.
Colonel Victor M. Locke established a prosperous store
Store
Store may refer to:*a retail store*a place where things are stored, e.g. a ship's paint store*expendables released from an aircraft, such as ordnance or countermeasures*Štore, a town and a municipality in eastern Slovenia...
, grist mill and cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
at White Church on White Creek in the early 1870s
1870s
The 1870s continued the trends of the previous decade, as new empires, imperialism and militarism rose in Europe and Asia. America was recovering from the Civil War. Germany declared independence in 1871 and began its Second Reich. Labor unions and strikes occurred worldwide in the later part of...
, causing the Choctaw National Council to name the settlement “Lockestown,” at least for use in identifying it as an official Choctaw electoral precinct. Locke moved from White Church to Beaver, as Antlers was then known, in 1875.
White Church was whitewashed with lime, giving it its name. Its logs had been hauled from Fort Towson
Fort Towson
Fort Towson was a frontier outpost for Frontier Army Quartermasters along the Permanent Indian Frontier located about two miles northeast of the present community of Fort Towson, Oklahoma....
for construction. By the late 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
historical accounts say the Choctaws who formerly lived nearby and worshipped at the church were deceased and the church was defunct. The church property had been purchased by a white farmer, who razed the structure. Its cemetery survives as Dela Cemetery.
More information on Dela, White Church, and the Locke family may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society
Pushmataha County Historical Society
The Pushmataha County Historical Society is a historical society devoted to collecting and preserving the history of Pushmataha County, Oklahoma...
.