| Pryor Creek, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location in the state of Oklahoma | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Mayes |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jimmy Tramel |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.5 sq mi (16.9 km2) |
| • Land | 6.5 sq mi (16.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2) 0.31%% |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 9,539 |
| • Density | 1,424.6/sq mi (551.2/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| FIPS code | 40-61000[1] |
Pryor Creek, usually known as simply Pryor, is a city in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 8,659 at the 2000 census, compared to 9,539 in the 2010 census.[2]
Originally named Coo-Y-Yah, Cherokee for Huckleberry, it was renamed Pryor Creek, the name of the local railroad station (named for the creek). Due to confusion in distinguishing handwritten mailing addresses to Pryor Creek and Pond Creek, the U.S. Postal Service name for the city was shortened to Pryor, though the official name of the city remains Pryor Creek.
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The history of Pryor Creek, Oklahoma has roots that go back over 185 years. The Union Mission was established in 1820, southeast of what is the Chouteau-Mazie area. Here was where the first school and printing press were established in what is now the State Of Oklahoma.
Just prior to the establishment of Union Mission, Captain Nathaniel Pryor settled near here and established a trading post on Grand River. Captain Pryor was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a veteran of the War of 1812, and agent to the Osage Indians.
Over a period of years, pioneers and explorers carved a trail through this section of the country that became known as the Texas or Old Military Road. It passed north and south near what is now known as U.S. Highway 69.
In 1870, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad started construction in the Cherokee Nation along the Kansas border, laying tracks to Texas. By June 1871, the railroad reached the point where the present town now lies. Now known as the Union Pacific, the railroad continues to be a valuable asset to the commerce of the community and county.
A post office was eventually established naming the town Coo-y-yah, Indian Territory. Coo-y-yah is the Cherokee name for "huckleberry". On April 23, 1887, Coo-y-yah was changed to Pryor Creek, but the "Creek" was dropped by the post office on January 26, 1909. The official name of the city government is still Pryor Creek despite a proposition put before voters in 1963 to change the name. The first mayor, James Lee Mills, a Cherokee, served from 1894-1896. Mayor Mills was a businessman, newspaper publisher, and lawman. In 1951, voters approved our present City Charter of a Mayor-Council form of government. In this form of government, voters elect a Mayor, Clerk, Treasurer, Police Chief and eight Council Members. The charter also established a Cemetery, Park, and Library Board as well as a Municipal Utility Board (MUB), which oversees operations of the city-owned gas, water, electric and sewer systems.
In 1991, Ward 4 Council-Member Lucy Schultz was elected as the city's 31st Mayor thus becoming the first and only woman mayor of the town.
The Whitaker Orphan's Home was established in 1897 by W.T. and Stacy Whitaker to provide for the orphan white children of the Indian Territory. In 1908, the home became a state institution for orphans and other children in need. In 1982 the state closed down the home and turned the facility over to the Oklahoma Military Department. Under the umbrella of the Whitaker Education and Training Center, the base is home of the Thunderbird Youth Academy. Thunderbird Youth Academy conducts quasi-military program, which targets at-risk 16 to 18 year-old high school dropouts. The program teaches how to strengthen their academic performance, self-esteem, and life skills thus preparing the cadet for the work force and managing a healthy family environment.
Pryor Public Schools offer programs for four year-olds through 12th Grade. The school system includes four elementary schools, one junior high school, one senior high school, a modern performing arts auditorium and the Burdick Center a modern basketball gymnasium. The school athletic programs have produced State Championships in Girls Basketball, Softball, Golf and Cross-Country.
Pryor is home to a branch campus of Rogers State University as well as a campus of the Northeast Technology Center that offers vocational and technical training classes.
Area recreational facilities include a brand new state of the art municipal recreation center that includes an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, meeting rooms and a chapter of the Boys and Girls Club. Pryor also has five city parks, Whitaker, Centennial, Roosevelt, Bobby Buck, Earl Ward, as well as a softball & baseball complex. Earl Ward Park is home of the city-owned 18-hole golf course and is located just east of the industrial park on Highway 69A. Pryor is also just a few miles away from Hudson Lake, Grand Lake and Ft. Gibson Lake
On April 27, 1942, the city's downtown business district was destroyed by a devastating tornado which struck at 4:45 p.m. Final figures showed property damage in excess of $2,000,000, and a casualty rate of 454, with 52 deaths.
During World War II, the DuPont Company and the U.S. War Department operated an Ammunition Powder Plant and German Prisoner of War Camp, southeast of the city. The area later became the present-day Mid-America Industrial Park, which is the largest manufacturing park in the state. The industries located in the park provide jobs for hundreds of families that live in and around Mayes County. The park has been selected as the site for a new 1,500,000-square-foot (140,000 m2), $180 million Gatorade plant owned by PepsiCo. Other long established employers include Red Devil, NGC Paper, Georgia-Pacific, Solae, Lone Star Cement, Elkem Metals, Orchid Paper and the Grand River Dam Authority, who also operates a coal-fire power generation facility. Pryor and Mayes County is also home to a large agricultural economy which consists of cash crops, beef cattle industry, horse industry and dairy industry. Until recently, Mayes County was the second largest dairy producing county in the state.
Mid America Industrial Park is located in Pryor Creek.[3]
In May 2007 Google announced its plans to build a large Internet data center at the Mid-America Industrial Park. The $600 million facility is now open and employs around 100 people. Google shut the worksite down in 2008 because of the status of the United States economy and work on its overseas projects and affairs,[4] then restarted the project in October 2010 and opened at the end of September 2011.[5][6]
Pryor Creek is also the home of Catch the Fever Music Festivals, which is host to Bikelahoma, Country Fever and Rocklahoma, just 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Pryor Creek. These attractions draw people from all over the world.
Pryor Creek is located at (36.299667, -95.313798)[7].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.5 square miles (16.9 km²), of which, 6.5 square miles (16.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.31%) is water.
As of the 2010 census Pryor Creek had a population of 9,539. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 72.3% white, 0.7% African American, 16.9% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 1.9% reporting some other race and 7.7% reporting two or more races. 4.9% of the population reported being Hispanic or Latino of any race.[8]
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 8,659 people, 3,567 households, and 2,343 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,332.5 people per square mile (514.3/km²). There were 3,887 housing units at an average density of 598.2 per square mile (230.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.91% White, 0.29% African American, 14.12% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 6.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.78% of the population.
There were 3,567 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,424, and the median income for a family was $37,115. Males had a median income of $33,547 versus $20,737 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,887. About 10.8% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
Pryor Creek is home to the annual 'Country Fever' fest and 'Rocklahoma'.
On April 27, 1942, a tornado swept along Pryor Creek's main street from the western edge of the business district to the eastern edge of the city, destroying nearly every building and causing extensive damage to the residential section. The twister was described by a witness as the "most awful looking thing anyone could imagine".
The storm killed 52 people, according to the U.S. Weather Bureau, but The Associated Press set the total at 60 two days after the storm. More than 400 were injured in the storm that caused damage estimated at US$3 million.
The F4 tornado struck about 5 pm (17:00) local time, an hour and a half after one hit near Talala, and mowed a path about 5 miles (8 km) long, killing three and injuring 12. Talala, which was not hit, is about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Pryor Creek.
Both of Pryor Creek's hospitals were wrecked by the storm, the city's water supply was disrupted, and there was no electrical or telephone service. Residential areas also suffered extensive damage.
Gov. Leon C. Phillips put the area under martial law, but because the Oklahoma National Guard had been activated for service during World War II, he sent state troopers to rescue victims, maintain order and prevent looting.
The troopers were assisted by soldiers stationed at the Oklahoma Ordnance Works south of the city and by employees of duPont Co. that was to operate the gun powder plant at the OOW. Ambulances were on the scene from Tulsa, Muskogee, Vinita, Claremore, Wagoner, and Siloam Springs, Arkansas.
Water was trucked in from Vinita and from the Oklahoma Ordnance Works. Tulsa doctors interrupted their weekly meeting, and a team of 20 went to Pryor to care for victims. Others went to the Tulsa hospitals to treat any victims sent there.
A shuttle train that usually transported workers between Muskogee and the Ordnance Works site was pressed into service to transport injured victims to Vinita for treatment.
The Pryor tornado ranks as the fifth deadliest in Oklahoma history behind tornadoes at Woodward in 1947, Snyder in 1905, Peggs in 1920, and Antlers in 1945. The May 3, 1999, tornado at Midwest City caused more damage but fewer deaths.
Talala residents said they did not see the typical funnel of a tornado in the storm. They described what looked like a series of streaks reaching from the clouds to the ground which leveled everything in their paths.
At Pryor Creek, however, the tornado had a definite funnel.
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