McAlester, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census
. It is the county seat
of Pittsburg County
. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation
of Oklahoma
, followed by Durant
.
The town gets its name from J.J. McAlester, who later became Lt. Governor of Oklahoma and was immortalized as a character in the novel True Grit
, which was then made into feature films in 1969 and 2010.
McAlester is the home of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary
, site of an "inside the walls" prison rodeo from which ESPN's SportsCenter
once broadcast. Sometimes Oklahomans refer to the state prison simply as "Big Mac" or "McAlester," and the town is referenced in that manner in the opening pages of The Grapes of Wrath
when Tom Joad is released from there. The prison was also the site of a 1973 riot that lasted for days and is generally regarded as one of the worst in American history.
McAlester is also the home of many of the employees of the nearby McAlester Army Ammunition Plant
. This facility makes essentially all of the bombs used by the United States military. In 1998 McAlester became the home of the Defense Ammunition Center
(DAC) which moved from Savanna, Illinois and relocated as a tenant on McAlester Army Ammunition Plant.
McAlester is known in political circles for having been the home base of several noted American politicians - U.S. Speaker of the House Carl Albert
, who was once a heartbeat from the presidency, and longtime Oklahoma State Senator Gene Stipe
, whose career ended in a series of legal problems. Former Oklahoma Governor George Nigh
and Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven W. Taylor
also hail from McAlester. McAlester is still known in Oklahoma as the "Capital of Little Dixie," for its old-time Democratic politics.
with the north-south Texas Road
formed a natural point of settlement in Tobucksy County of the Choctaw Nation
. James Perry who emigrated from Mississippi to the Indian Territory first established a settlement at the intersection of the two roads in 1838. The town there was named after Perry by being called Perryville. At one time Perryville was the capitol of the Choctaw Nation and County Seat of Tobucksy County. During the War Between the States the Choctaw allied with the Confederate States of America (CSA) as the war reached Indian Territory http://www.wbtsinindianterritory.com.istemp.com/ a depot providing supplies to Confederate Forces in Indian Territory was set up at Perryville. On August 26, 1863 a force of 4,500 Union soldiers crossed the Canadian River and destroyed the Confederate munitions depot at Perryville. This became known as the Battle of Perryville Indian Territory. Major General James G. Blunt (Union) finding the Confederate supplies and realizing that Perryville was a major supply depot for Confederate forces ordered the town burned. The town was rebuilt, but never reached its prewar glory or population.
After the end of the war and the surrender of General Stand Waite, Captain James Jackson McAlester obtained a job with the trading company of Reynolds and Hannaford. McAlester, an employee of licensed traders
Reynolds and Hannaford convinced the firm to locate a general store at Tupelo in the Choctaw Nation. McAlester had learned of coal deposits in Indian Territory during the War Between the States while serving as a Captain with the 22nd Arkansas Volunteer Infantry (Confederate). At Fort Smith Arkansas before going to work with Reynolds and Hannaford McAlester had received maps of the coal deposits from engineer Oliver Weldon, who had served with McAlester during the war. Weldon had worked for the U.S. Geological Survey mapping Indian Territory before the war and knew of the rich coal deposits. Hearing of the railroad plans to extend through Indian Territory and knowing that rich deposits of coal were in an area north of the town of Perryville, McAlester convinced Reynolds and Hannaford that Bucklucksy would be a more suitable and profitable location for the trading post. McAlester constructed a trading post/general store at that location in late 1869 . The general store was an immediate success, but J. J. McAlester
recognized an even greater opportunity in the abundance of coal
deposits in the area, and he began obtaining rights to the coal deposits from the Choctaws anticipating the impending construction of a rail line through Indian Territory
.
By virtue of having been the first to extend its line to the northern border of Indian Territory, the Union Pacific Railway Southern Branch earned right of way and a liberal bonus of land to extend the line to Texas
. A number of New York
businessmen, including Levi P. Morton
, Levi Parsons, August Belmont
, J. Pierpont Morgan, George Denison
and John D. Rockefeller
were interested in extending rail line through Indian Territory, and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
, familiarly called the Katy Railroad, began its corporate existence in 1865 toward that end. Morton and Parsons selected a site near the Kansas
border with Indian Territory at which a town operated by the railroad could be located, with the settlement incorporated under the name of Parsons, Kansas
, in 1871.
That same year, J.J. McAlester, after buying out Reynolds’ share of the trading post, journeyed with a sample of coal to the railroad town in hopes of persuading officials to locate the line near his store at Bucklucksy. The location of the trading post on the Texas Road weighed in its favor, given that the Katy Railroad line construction roughly followed the Shawnee Trail
– Texas Road route southward to the Red River
. The line reached Bucklucksy in 1872, and Katy Railroad officials named the railway stop McAlester . With the coming of the railroad, businesses in nearby Perryville began relocating to be near the McAlester Rail Depot, marking the end of Perryville and the beginning of McAlester. On August 22, 1872, J.J. McAlester married Rebecca Burney (born 1841 in Mississippi - died May 4, 1919, in Oklahoma). Rebecca was a member of the Chickasaw Nation and this made it possible for McAlester to gain citizenship and the right to own property in both the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations. This allowed McAlester to legally obtain his own mineral rights to the coal deposits. McAlester being a savvy businessman quickly obtained land near the intersection of the north-south and east-west rail line intersection. McAlester opened a second general store on this corner and was able to continue doing business sailing coal to the railroads.
Fritz Sittle (Sittel), a Choctaw citizen by marriage and one of the first settlers in the area, urged visiting newspaperman Edwin D. Chadick in 1885 to pursue the possibility of establishing an east-west rail line to run through the coal mining district at Krebs
that would connect with the north-south line at McAlester. Chadick eventually found financing and established the Choctaw Coal and Railway in 1888, but was unable to come to terms with J.J. McAlester over the issue of right of way.
Chadick and his investors purchased land to the south of McAlester's General Store, and where the two rail lines crossed formed a natural trading crossroads, and quickly became a bustling community designated as South McAlester. The original town location became known familiarly as North McAlester or North Town although early U.S. Census records simply identified it as McAlester.
The two towns operated as somewhat separate communities until 1907, when the United States Congress passed an Act joining the two communities as a single municipality, the action being required since the towns were under Federal jurisdiction in Indian Territory. The separate entities of McAlester and South McAlester were combined under the single name McAlester with office-holders of South McAlester as officials of the single town. Designation as a single community by the United States Post Office came on July 1, 1907, nearly five months before Oklahoma Statehood, which caused a redrawing of county lines and designations and the majority of Tobucksy County fell within the new lines of Pittsburg County. J.J. McAlester was instrumental in starting the coal mining industry, telephone company, electrical company and other businesses in the town of McAlester.
McAlester was the site of the 2004 trial of Terry Nichols
on Oklahoma state charges related to the Oklahoma City bombing
(1995). On December 25, 2000 an ice storm hit the area leaving residence without electrical service and water for more than two weeks; in January 2007, a second devastating ice storm
crippled the city, leaving residents without power
and water for more than a week.
is a large source of employment and local revenue in McAlester.
, there were 17,783 people, 6,584 households, and 4,187 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,133.1 people per square mile (437.6/km²). There were 7,374 housing units at an average density of 469.9 per square mile (181.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.72% White, 8.68% African American, 10.48% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.29% from other races
, and 4.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.04% of the population.
There were 6,584 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 46.6% were married couples
living together, 13.7% had a female householder
with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older
. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 107.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,631, and the median income for a family was $36,480. Males had a median income of $29,502 versus $19,455 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,694. About 16.1% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.
facilities, the Oklahoma State Penitentiary
and the Jackie Brannon Correctional Center, are in McAlester.
operates public schools.
The McAlester Public Library is located in McAlester. The current library was built in 1970. As of 2010 the city has plans to build a new library. The Friends of the McAlester Public Library is financing the new branch.
:
Pittsburg County, Oklahoma
Pittsburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 43,953. Its county seat is McAlester.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,569 km²...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Pittsburg County
Pittsburg County, Oklahoma
Pittsburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 43,953. Its county seat is McAlester.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,569 km²...
. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, followed by Durant
Durant, Oklahoma
Durant is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,877 at the 2010 census. Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 42,416 in 2010...
.
The town gets its name from J.J. McAlester, who later became Lt. Governor of Oklahoma and was immortalized as a character in the novel True Grit
True Grit (novel)
True Grit is a 1968 novel by Charles Portis that was first published as a 1968 serial in The Saturday Evening Post. The novel is told from the perspective of a woman named Mattie Ross who recounts the time when she was 14 years old and sought retribution for the murder of her father by a scoundrel...
, which was then made into feature films in 1969 and 2010.
McAlester is the home of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary
Oklahoma State Penitentiary
The Oklahoma State Penitentiary is located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . It is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 1,200 male offenders, the vast majority of which are maximum-security inmates...
, site of an "inside the walls" prison rodeo from which ESPN's SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
once broadcast. Sometimes Oklahomans refer to the state prison simply as "Big Mac" or "McAlester," and the town is referenced in that manner in the opening pages of The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962....
when Tom Joad is released from there. The prison was also the site of a 1973 riot that lasted for days and is generally regarded as one of the worst in American history.
McAlester is also the home of many of the employees of the nearby McAlester Army Ammunition Plant
McAlester Army Ammunition Plant
McAlester Army Ammunition Plant’s mission is to produce and renovate conventional ammunition and ammunition related components. The plant stores war reserve and training ammunition. McAlester performs manufacturing, industrial engineering and production product assurance. The plant also receives,...
. This facility makes essentially all of the bombs used by the United States military. In 1998 McAlester became the home of the Defense Ammunition Center
Defense Ammunition Center (United States)
The Defense Ammunition Center is the Department of Defense’s focal point for ammunition knowledge and logistical support. It is responsible for explosives safety, logistics engineering, transportability, training, depot/garrison doctrine, demilitarization technology, supportability, reliability,...
(DAC) which moved from Savanna, Illinois and relocated as a tenant on McAlester Army Ammunition Plant.
McAlester is known in political circles for having been the home base of several noted American politicians - U.S. Speaker of the House Carl Albert
Carl Albert
Carl Bert Albert was a lawyer and a Democratic American politician from Oklahoma.Albert represented the southeastern portion of Oklahoma as a Democrat for 30 years, starting in 1947. He is best known for his service as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977...
, who was once a heartbeat from the presidency, and longtime Oklahoma State Senator Gene Stipe
Gene Stipe
Eugene E. "Gene" Stipe is a former American politician from Oklahoma. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:...
, whose career ended in a series of legal problems. Former Oklahoma Governor George Nigh
George Nigh
George Patterson Nigh , is a popular civic leader in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd Governor of Oklahoma. He was the first Oklahoma Governor to be re-elected and the first to win all 77 counties in the state...
and Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven W. Taylor
Steven W. Taylor
Steven W. Taylor, , is the Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.-Early life:Steven Taylor was born in Henryetta, Oklahoma. During his high school years at McAlester High School in McAlester, Oklahoma, he served as a student body president and as member of the speech and debate team, and the...
also hail from McAlester. McAlester is still known in Oklahoma as the "Capital of Little Dixie," for its old-time Democratic politics.
History
The crossing of the east-west California RoadCalifornia Road
The California Road followed the route laid out by Captain Randolph B. Marcy escorting gold seekers during the spring of 1849. Starting from Ft. Smith, Arkansas, it crossed over into Indian Territory and generally followed the Canadian River to the Texas Panhandle...
with the north-south Texas Road
Texas Road
The Texas Road, also known as the Shawnee Trail, was a major trade and emigrant route across Texas, Indian Territory Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. It was the first Texas North South Cattle Drive...
formed a natural point of settlement in Tobucksy County of the Choctaw Nation
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a semi-autonomous Native American homeland comprising twelve tribal districts. The Choctaw Nation maintains a special relationship with both the United States and Oklahoma governments...
. James Perry who emigrated from Mississippi to the Indian Territory first established a settlement at the intersection of the two roads in 1838. The town there was named after Perry by being called Perryville. At one time Perryville was the capitol of the Choctaw Nation and County Seat of Tobucksy County. During the War Between the States the Choctaw allied with the Confederate States of America (CSA) as the war reached Indian Territory http://www.wbtsinindianterritory.com.istemp.com/ a depot providing supplies to Confederate Forces in Indian Territory was set up at Perryville. On August 26, 1863 a force of 4,500 Union soldiers crossed the Canadian River and destroyed the Confederate munitions depot at Perryville. This became known as the Battle of Perryville Indian Territory. Major General James G. Blunt (Union) finding the Confederate supplies and realizing that Perryville was a major supply depot for Confederate forces ordered the town burned. The town was rebuilt, but never reached its prewar glory or population.
After the end of the war and the surrender of General Stand Waite, Captain James Jackson McAlester obtained a job with the trading company of Reynolds and Hannaford. McAlester, an employee of licensed traders
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
Reynolds and Hannaford convinced the firm to locate a general store at Tupelo in the Choctaw Nation. McAlester had learned of coal deposits in Indian Territory during the War Between the States while serving as a Captain with the 22nd Arkansas Volunteer Infantry (Confederate). At Fort Smith Arkansas before going to work with Reynolds and Hannaford McAlester had received maps of the coal deposits from engineer Oliver Weldon, who had served with McAlester during the war. Weldon had worked for the U.S. Geological Survey mapping Indian Territory before the war and knew of the rich coal deposits. Hearing of the railroad plans to extend through Indian Territory and knowing that rich deposits of coal were in an area north of the town of Perryville, McAlester convinced Reynolds and Hannaford that Bucklucksy would be a more suitable and profitable location for the trading post. McAlester constructed a trading post/general store at that location in late 1869 . The general store was an immediate success, but J. J. McAlester
J. J. McAlester
James Jackson McAlester was an American Confederate Army soldier and merchant. McAlester is the founder of McAlester, Oklahoma as well as a primary developer of the coal mining industry in eastern Oklahoma...
recognized an even greater opportunity in the abundance of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
deposits in the area, and he began obtaining rights to the coal deposits from the Choctaws anticipating the impending construction of a rail line through Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
.
By virtue of having been the first to extend its line to the northern border of Indian Territory, the Union Pacific Railway Southern Branch earned right of way and a liberal bonus of land to extend the line to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. A number of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
businessmen, including Levi P. Morton
Levi P. Morton
Levi Parsons Morton was a Representative from New York and the 22nd Vice President of the United States . He also later served as the 31st Governor of New York.-Biography:...
, Levi Parsons, August Belmont
August Belmont
August Belmont, Sr. was an American politician.-Early life:August Belmont was born in Alzey, Hesse, on December 8, 1813--some sources say 1816--to Simon and Frederika Elsass Schönberg, a Jewish family. After his mother's death, when he was seven, he lived with his uncle and grandmother in Frankfurt...
, J. Pierpont Morgan, George Denison
George Denison
George Denison was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Denison was born in Kingston, Pennsylvania. He attended the Wilkes-Barre Academy...
and John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
were interested in extending rail line through Indian Territory, and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
, familiarly called the Katy Railroad, began its corporate existence in 1865 toward that end. Morton and Parsons selected a site near the Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
border with Indian Territory at which a town operated by the railroad could be located, with the settlement incorporated under the name of Parsons, Kansas
Parsons, Kansas
Parsons is a city in the northern part of Labette County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,500...
, in 1871.
That same year, J.J. McAlester, after buying out Reynolds’ share of the trading post, journeyed with a sample of coal to the railroad town in hopes of persuading officials to locate the line near his store at Bucklucksy. The location of the trading post on the Texas Road weighed in its favor, given that the Katy Railroad line construction roughly followed the Shawnee Trail
Shawnee Trail
Shawnee Trail may refer to:* Shawnee Trail , a portion of the larger Great Indian Warpath or Seneca Trail* Texas Road, a pioneer cattle trail, once known as Shawnee Trail...
– Texas Road route southward to the Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
. The line reached Bucklucksy in 1872, and Katy Railroad officials named the railway stop McAlester . With the coming of the railroad, businesses in nearby Perryville began relocating to be near the McAlester Rail Depot, marking the end of Perryville and the beginning of McAlester. On August 22, 1872, J.J. McAlester married Rebecca Burney (born 1841 in Mississippi - died May 4, 1919, in Oklahoma). Rebecca was a member of the Chickasaw Nation and this made it possible for McAlester to gain citizenship and the right to own property in both the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations. This allowed McAlester to legally obtain his own mineral rights to the coal deposits. McAlester being a savvy businessman quickly obtained land near the intersection of the north-south and east-west rail line intersection. McAlester opened a second general store on this corner and was able to continue doing business sailing coal to the railroads.
Fritz Sittle (Sittel), a Choctaw citizen by marriage and one of the first settlers in the area, urged visiting newspaperman Edwin D. Chadick in 1885 to pursue the possibility of establishing an east-west rail line to run through the coal mining district at Krebs
Krebs
Krebs is the German language word for "crab" and "cancer" . It is also a common German surname:- People :* Arthur Constantin Krebs , French officer and pioneer in automotive engineering...
that would connect with the north-south line at McAlester. Chadick eventually found financing and established the Choctaw Coal and Railway in 1888, but was unable to come to terms with J.J. McAlester over the issue of right of way.
Chadick and his investors purchased land to the south of McAlester's General Store, and where the two rail lines crossed formed a natural trading crossroads, and quickly became a bustling community designated as South McAlester. The original town location became known familiarly as North McAlester or North Town although early U.S. Census records simply identified it as McAlester.
The two towns operated as somewhat separate communities until 1907, when the United States Congress passed an Act joining the two communities as a single municipality, the action being required since the towns were under Federal jurisdiction in Indian Territory. The separate entities of McAlester and South McAlester were combined under the single name McAlester with office-holders of South McAlester as officials of the single town. Designation as a single community by the United States Post Office came on July 1, 1907, nearly five months before Oklahoma Statehood, which caused a redrawing of county lines and designations and the majority of Tobucksy County fell within the new lines of Pittsburg County. J.J. McAlester was instrumental in starting the coal mining industry, telephone company, electrical company and other businesses in the town of McAlester.
McAlester was the site of the 2004 trial of Terry Nichols
Terry Nichols
Terry Lynn Nichols is a convicted bomber's accomplice. Prior to his incarceration, he held a variety of short-term jobs, working as a farmer, grain elevator manager, real estate salesman, ranch hand, and house husband. He met his future co-conspirator, Timothy McVeigh, during a brief stint in the...
on Oklahoma state charges related to the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
(1995). On December 25, 2000 an ice storm hit the area leaving residence without electrical service and water for more than two weeks; in January 2007, a second devastating ice storm
Ice storm
An ice storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain, also known as a glaze event or in some parts of the United States as a silver thaw. The U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least of ice on exposed surfaces...
crippled the city, leaving residents without power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
and water for more than a week.
Neighboring Communities
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Canadian, Oklahoma Canadian is a town in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 239 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Canadian is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 239 people,... Crowder, Oklahoma Crowder is a town in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 436 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crowder is located at... |
Haileyville, Oklahoma Haileyville is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 891 at the 2000 census.Located in Pittsburg County, Haileyville lies at the junction of U.S. Highway 270/State Highway 1 and State Highway 63, fourteen miles east of McAlester and a little more than one mile west... Hartshorne, Oklahoma Hartshorne is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,102 at the 2000 census. Baseball player Warren Spahn is buried here. Currently, serving as Mayor is Mark Day.-Geography:... Haywood, Oklahoma Haywood is a small community in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. The post office was established September 20, 1904. The community, located in a coal mining region, was named for William D. "Big Bill" Haywood a prominent socialist and labor leader of the era.... |
Indianola, Oklahoma Indianola is a town in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 191 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Indianola is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land... Kiowa, Oklahoma Kiowa is a town in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 693 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kiowa is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.... Krebs, Oklahoma Krebs is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,051 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Krebs is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and 0.29% is water.-Climate:-Attractions:Krebs is famous... |
Longtown, Oklahoma Longtown is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,397 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Longtown is located at... Pittsburg, Oklahoma Pittsburg is a town in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 280 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pittsburg is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 280... Quinton, Oklahoma Quinton is a town in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,071 at the 2000 census. The town was named for Elizabeth Quinton who lived to be 116 years old. Her family still resides in and around the town of Quinton.-Geography:... |
Savanna, Oklahoma Savanna is a town in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 730 at the 2000 census. Home of the Bulldogs whose Football team reached the playoffs with a record of 7-4 for the first time in 20 years.-Geography:... |
Transportation
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Economy
The Oklahoma State PenitentiaryOklahoma State Penitentiary
The Oklahoma State Penitentiary is located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . It is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 1,200 male offenders, the vast majority of which are maximum-security inmates...
is a large source of employment and local revenue in McAlester.
Demographics
As of the 2000 censusUnited States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, there were 17,783 people, 6,584 households, and 4,187 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,133.1 people per square mile (437.6/km²). There were 7,374 housing units at an average density of 469.9 per square mile (181.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.72% White, 8.68% African American, 10.48% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.29% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.04% of the population.
There were 6,584 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18
Age of majority
The age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as it is conceptualized in law. It is the chronological moment when minors cease to legally be considered children and assume control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of...
living with them, 46.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.7% had a female householder
Householder
A householder is a person who is the head of a household; see House.Householder is also a family name:*Alston Scott Householder, American mathematicianMathematical topics named after A.S...
with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older
Old age
Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...
. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 107.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,631, and the median income for a family was $36,480. Males had a median income of $29,502 versus $19,455 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,694. About 16.1% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
Two Oklahoma Department of CorrectionsOklahoma Department of Corrections
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections is an agency of the state of Oklahoma. DOC is responsible for the administration of the state prison system. It has its headquarters in Oklahoma City, in the former Mabel Bassett Correctional Center building.The Department of Corrections is governed by the...
facilities, the Oklahoma State Penitentiary
Oklahoma State Penitentiary
The Oklahoma State Penitentiary is located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . It is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 1,200 male offenders, the vast majority of which are maximum-security inmates...
and the Jackie Brannon Correctional Center, are in McAlester.
Education
McAlester Public SchoolsMcAlester Public Schools
The McAlester Public School district is a school district that competes and is classified as a 4A/5A school district in McAlester, Oklahoma. Their mascot is the buffalo.The superintendent is Tom Condict....
operates public schools.
The McAlester Public Library is located in McAlester. The current library was built in 1970. As of 2010 the city has plans to build a new library. The Friends of the McAlester Public Library is financing the new branch.
Points of interest
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McAlester News-Capital The McAlester News-Capital is a daily newspaper published in McAlester, Oklahoma, USA, covering Southeastern Oklahoma. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.... Oklahoma State Penitentiary The Oklahoma State Penitentiary is located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . It is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 1,200 male offenders, the vast majority of which are maximum-security inmates... |
Spirit AeroSystems Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. , based in Wichita, Kansas, is the world's largest first-tier aerostructures manufacturer. The company builds several important pieces of Boeing aircraft, including the fuselage of the 737, portions of the 787 fuselage, and the cockpit of nearly all of its airliners... Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in... |
Notable residents
- Carl AlbertCarl AlbertCarl Bert Albert was a lawyer and a Democratic American politician from Oklahoma.Albert represented the southeastern portion of Oklahoma as a Democrat for 30 years, starting in 1947. He is best known for his service as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977...
, Former Speaker of the U.S. House - Wanda Bass, benefactor of the Oklahoma City University Wanda L. Bass School of MusicWanda L. Bass School of MusicThe Wanda L Bass School of Music is a College at Oklahoma City University. It offers several degrees including; a BM, MM, and a BA in several areas of Music...
- Melva BlancettMelva BlancettMelva Lou Blancett was an American actress. Blancett was a founding member of both the local chapters of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in the state of Arizona...
, Actress - John BerrymanJohn BerrymanJohn Allyn Berryman was an American poet and scholar, born in McAlester, Oklahoma. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century and was considered a key figure in the Confessional school of poetry...
, Poet - Riley BrettRiley BrettRiley Brett was an American racecar driver.-Indy 500 results:...
, Race Car Driver - Edwin H. Burba, Jr.Edwin H. Burba, Jr.General Edwin Hess Burba, Jr. is a retired four star general who served as Commander-In-Chief of the United States Army Forces Command from 1989 to 1993...
, U.S. Army four star general - Lynn CartwrightLynn CartwrightLynn Cartwright was an American character actress probably best known for her performance as the older version of Geena Davis' character, Dottie Hinson, in the 1992 film A League of Their Own....
, Character Actress - Wilburn CartwrightWilburn CartwrightWilburn Cartwright was a lawyer, educator, U.S. Representative from Oklahoma, and United States Army officer in World War II...
, Former U.S. Representative from Oklahoma - W.H.H. ClaytonW.H.H. ClaytonWilliam Henry Harrison Clayton best known as W.H.H. Clayton was a prominent lawyer and judge in post-Civil War Arkansas and Indian Territory Oklahoma...
, U.S. District Court Judge - Bennie L. DavisBennie L. DavisGeneral Bennie Luke Davis was commander in chief, Strategic Air Command and director Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff, with headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The command is the nation's major nuclear deterrent force with bombers, tankers, reconnaissance aircraft and...
, U.S. Air Force four star general - Bob DicksonBob DicksonRobert B. Dickson is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.Dickson was born in McAlester, Oklahoma. He was introduced to golf at the age of five by his father, Ben, a club pro/manager at the McAlester Country Club, and later club pro at the Muskogee...
, Professional Golfer - Clonie GowenClonie GowenCycalona Gowen is an American professional poker player, based in Dallas, Texas.-Early life:Gowen was born in Florida, and grew up in Kiowa, Oklahoma. She won Miss Teen McAlester, Oklahoma, at age 15, and as a teenager moved to Corsicana, Texas...
, Professional Poker Player - Steve KingSteve King (football player)For other people named Steve King, see Stephen King .George Stephen King is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He graduated from Quinton high school in Quinton, Oklahoma in 1969. He then played for The University of Tulsa. He also played nine seasons for the...
, NFL football player - Steven T. KuykendallSteven T. KuykendallSteven T. Kuykendall is an American politician and former Republican member of the House of Representatives from from 1999 to 2001 in the 106th Congress. He defeated Democrat Janice Hahn in the 1998 election with 49% of the vote. He was defeated for reelection in 2000 by his predecessor Jane...
, Former U.S. Representative from California - Pepper MartinPepper MartinJohnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin was an American professional baseball player and minor league manager. He was known as the Wild Horse of the Osage because of his daring, aggressive baserunning abilities. Martin played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman and an outfielder for the St...
, Major League Baseball Player - J. J. McAlesterJ. J. McAlesterJames Jackson McAlester was an American Confederate Army soldier and merchant. McAlester is the founder of McAlester, Oklahoma as well as a primary developer of the coal mining industry in eastern Oklahoma...
, pioneer, for whom McAlester was named - Pake McEntirePake McEntireDel Stanley McEntire is an American country music artist. He is the oldest brother of Reba McEntire and Susie Luchsinger and a younger brother of Alice Foran. He's also a country music artist...
, Country Singer - Reba McEntireReba McEntireReba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
, Country Singer - Susie McEntire-Eaton, Sister of Pake & Reba McEntire, Country/Gospel Singer
- Beverlee McKinseyBeverlee McKinseyBeverlee McKinsey was an American actress.Beverlee McKinsey was born as Beverlee Magruder in McAlester, Oklahoma on August 9, 1935. She was the daughter of Warren and Jewell Magruder of McAlester, Oklahoma....
, Soap Opera Actress - George NighGeorge NighGeorge Patterson Nigh , is a popular civic leader in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd Governor of Oklahoma. He was the first Oklahoma Governor to be re-elected and the first to win all 77 counties in the state...
, Former two-term Oklahoma Governor - Brian ShackelfordBrian ShackelfordBrian Wesley Shackelford is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He batted and threwn left-handed.-Career:...
, Major League Baseball Player - Brandon KeithBrandon KeithBrandon Latrel Keith is an American football offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
, NFL football player - Solomon Hyatt Mackey, Final territorial judge at Tobucksy County, I.T. Courthouse in present day North Town, McAlester
- A. T. PowersA. T. PowersAustin Toliver Powers, known as A. T. Powers , was a leading figure from the 1930s to the 1970s in the theologically conservative American Baptist Association, based in Texarkana, Texas...
, Missionary Baptist clergyClergyClergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
man - Boz ScaggsBoz ScaggsWilliam Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
, musician - Gene StipeGene StipeEugene E. "Gene" Stipe is a former American politician from Oklahoma. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:...
, longest-serving member of the Oklahoma Senate, represented McAlester (1957–2003) - Steven W. TaylorSteven W. TaylorSteven W. Taylor, , is the Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.-Early life:Steven Taylor was born in Henryetta, Oklahoma. During his high school years at McAlester High School in McAlester, Oklahoma, he served as a student body president and as member of the speech and debate team, and the...
, Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice - Edward Lloyd ThomasEdward Lloyd ThomasEdward Lloyd Thomas was a Confederate infantry general during the American Civil War from the state of Georgia. He was an uncle to famed American Old West lawman Heck Thomas who helped bring down the Doolin Dalton Gang....
, Confederate General - Wade WattsWade WattsWade Watts was an African American gospel preacher and civil rights activist from Oklahoma. He served as the state president of the Oklahoma chapter of the NAACP for sixteen years, challenging the Ku Klux Klan through Christian love doctrine...
, Baptist Minister and Civil Rights Activist, Uncle of J.C. WattsJ.C. WattsJulius Caesar "J. C." Watts, Jr. is an American politician from Oklahoma who was a college football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners and professionally in the Canadian Football League. Watts served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 as a Republican, representing the 4th... - Walter L. WeaverWalter L. WeaverWalter Lowrie Weaver was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.Born in Montgomery County, Ohio, Weaver attended the public schools and Monroe Academy, and was graduated from Wittenberg College, Springfield, Ohio, in 1870. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1872 and commenced practice in...
, Former U.S. Representative from Ohio - Michael WilsonMichael Wilson (writer)Michael Wilson was an Academy Award winning American screenwriter who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses during the era of McCarthyism....
, Screenwriter - Kindal "Kiki" Roberts, Adult film star, owner of the world's largest gerbil ranch.
- Luther McEuen, Famous Territorial and Federal Marshall
NRHP sites
The following sites in McAlester are listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
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