Colcord, Oklahoma
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Colcord is a town located in southern Delaware County, Oklahoma. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 819.
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History
The area was first settled by the Cherokee Indians in the 1830s. The 1840s brought more Cherokees moving to the Cherokee Nation West over the Trail of Tears. It was a difficult time of settling for these people through the 1850s. Then came the Civil War and more discord in the area, leaving the Cherokee Nation a battlefield and a wasteland. Reconstruction after the Civil War was a slow, painful process. The late 1880s and 1890s saw many white citizens moving into the Cherokee Nation.
Colcord began in the 1920s as a small community along the road between Gentry, Arkansas and Kansas, Oklahoma, now OK Highway 116. The settlement centered on the juncture there of a small road connecting the then-healthy town of Row, Oklahoma. Due to better transportation, better highways, and a disastrous fire that wiped out many Row businesses, most of the Row community moved to Colcord. The Row post office was eventually moved to Colcord and the new town was approved to build a high school. A feud between the two towns ensued, and in the first eleven years of Colcord's existence, the school was involved in eleven law suits.
The first name for the growing community was "Little Tulsa." Mr. Charles Burbage, who set aside the original 65 acres for blocks and lots and streets, however, decided to name the town after Charles Francis Colcord. Mr. Colcord was a successful and prominent cattle rancher, oil businessman, and early Oklahoma Territory lawman from Oklahoma City, who owned a large ranch west of town.
Businesses and Events
Town businesses at the beginning of 2002 include a grocery store, two restaurants, a convenience and gas store, a new Senior Citizen meeting building, beauty shop, video store, several Churches and the Talbot Library and Museum.
The community hosts an Old Settlers Day the second Saturday in June each year to honor its heritage and the many people that settled in the area and established the town.
Geography
Colcord is located at 36°15'55" North, 94°41'32" West (36.265179, -94.692240)Template:GR.
The area surrounding Colcord is mostly farming and cattle, poultry and dairy operations.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.5 km² (2.5 mi²). 6.5 km² (2.5 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 819 people, 285 households, and 198 families residing in the town. The population density is 126.0/km² (326.7/mi²). There are 322 housing units at an average density of 49.5/km² (128.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 65.08% White, 0.12% African American, 25.03% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 9.65% from two or more races. 1.95% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 285 households out of which 42.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% are married couples living together, 17.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% are non-families. 26.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.87 and the average family size is 3.50.
In the town the population is spread out with 35.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $21,181, and the median income for a family is $23,750. Males have a median income of $23,333 versus $17,045 for females. The per capita income for the town is $10,440. 30.1% of the population and 30.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 29.8% of those under the age of 18 and 33.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.