Oologah
| Oologah | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Location in Oklahoma
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| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | 1889 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | Oklahoma | ||
| County : | Rogers County | ||
| Coordinates : | 36 ° 27 ′ N , 95 ° 43 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) | ||
| Residents : | 883 (status: 2000) | ||
| Population density : | 401.4 inhabitants per km 2 | ||
| Area : | 2.2 km 2 (approx. 1 mi 2 ) of which 2.2 km 2 (approx. 1 mi 2 ) are land |
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| Height : | 199 m | ||
| Postal code : | 74053 | ||
| Area code : | +1 918 | ||
| FIPS : | 40-55750 | ||
| GNIS ID : | 1096284 | ||
Oologah is a small town ( Town ) in Rogers County in the US state of Oklahoma . According to the 2000 census , it had a population of 883 in an area of 2.2 km². The population density is 401.4 inhabitants per km².
The place is located in northeast Oklahoma, the next larger city is Tulsa about 40 km southwest. Immediately to the east is Oologah Lake , a reservoir. The main transportation links are US Route 169 and Oklahoma State Highway 88 to Claremore , the county seat. The railway line through Oologah is important for the transport of goods.
history
Oologah originated in the Cherokee area , which was forcibly relocated here from 1828. According to the historian George Shirk, the place name goes back to a Cherokee chief "Dark Cloud" . Other sources suggest that Oologah simply means "cloudy sky" or "clouds" .
The real history of the city begins in 1889 with the construction of a railway line through the Kansas and Arkansas Valley Railway (later part of the Missouri Pacific Railroad ). In 1910 Oologah had 324 inhabitants, the most important branch of the economy besides agriculture was the mining of coal. Due to the Great Depression and the decline in coal production, the population fell to 236 by 1940. A lasting improvement only began after the construction of the dam on the Verdigris River and the creation of the Oologah Lake. A tourist area was created just to the east, and the population rose to 458 at the 1980 census and peaked at 883 in 2000.
Oologah is located in the area of Tornado Alley , in 1991 a tornado devastated the northern parts of the city, among other things the school was damaged.
Cultural monuments
There are four properties in and around Oologah that are on the National Register of Historic Places :
- IWW Beck Building , since 1999
- Oologah Bank , since 1982
- Oologah Pump , since 1992
- Will Rogers was born in 1970
Personalities
The humorist Will Rogers , who is still one of the most popular Oklahoma citizens today, was born in 1879 on the Dog Iron Ranch near Oologahs. His birthplace was relocated before the Oologah Lake flooded, and in 1970 the ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places . On the 60th anniversary of Rogers' death in 1995, a bronze statue was unveiled in Oologa showing him during an everyday stay in the city.