Hitchcock, Oklahoma

Hitchcock, Oklahoma
Town
Location of Hitchcock, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 35°58′3″N 98°20′57″W / 35.96750°N 98.34917°W / 35.96750; -98.34917Coordinates: 35°58′3″N 98°20′57″W / 35.96750°N 98.34917°W / 35.96750; -98.34917
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Blaine
Area
• Total	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
• Land	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,286 ft (392 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	121
• Density	808/sq mi (311.9/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	73744
Area code(s)	580
FIPS code	40-34850[1]
GNIS feature ID	1093799[2]

Hitchcock is a town in Blaine County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 121 at the 2010 census.^[3]

Geography

Hitchcock is located at 35°58′3″N 98°20′57″W / 35.96750°N 98.34917°W / 35.96750; -98.34917 (35.967527, -98.349279)^[4] along Oklahoma State Highway 8. It is 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Watonga, the county seat, and 11 miles (18 km) south of Okeene.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Hitchcock has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 141 people, 51 households, and 39 families residing in the town. The population density was 929.8 people per square mile (362.9/km²). There were 63 housing units at an average density of 415.4 per square mile (162.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.78% White, 6.38% Native American, 0.71% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.

There were 51 households out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the town the population was spread out with 33.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 107.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $19,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,015. There were 25.7% of families and 31.3% of the population living below the poverty line, including 35.5% of under eighteens and 7.7% of those over 64.

History

Located in northeastern Blaine County, Hitchcock is situated on State Highway 8, ten miles northeast of Watonga, the county seat. At the suggestion of Dennis T. Flynn, Oklahoma Territory delegate to Congress, the town was named for Ethan Allen Hitchcock, secretary of the interior from 1899 to 1907. Hitchcock was established along the Enid and Anadarko Railway line (conveyed to the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway in 1903) by the Hitchcock Townsite Company. The land was platted into lots and blocks, and it was reported that on the first day of land sales, August 23, 1901, $2,600 worth of lots were sold by that evening. Businesses almost immediately came into being. There were hardware stores, grocery stores, a bank, a hotel, restaurants, saloons, factories, several mills, barber shop, movie theater, skating rink, lumber yard, blacksmith shop, and mortuary. The post office was established on October 9, 1901. Early newspapers such as the Vanguard and the Hitchcock Clarion informed the citizens.

Early-day Hitchcock was the busiest trade center in the county. It was reported in 1905 that the town shipped twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat, which took the title of "largest wagon wheat market in the world," a designation previously claimed by the town of Kingfisher. On February 22, 1906, a devastating fire swept through the town, destroying twenty-one business houses. Hitchcock businesses never completely recovered from that disaster, but by 1932 the town had two creameries, a cotton gin, a blacksmith/machine shop, and several mills.

The Hitchcock Elementary School was started in 1893 in a rural area, eight years before the town began. Hitchcock was one of the first consolidated schools in the state. The high school closed in 1959, and the students were transferred to Okeene, Watonga, and Lomega. The elementary school closed in 1993 after one hundred years of service. In 1981 the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which had been so vital in the town's development, ended local service.

At the turn of the twenty-first century Hitchcock, a "bedroom" community, had a post office, two churches, and the Sooner Cooperative, which bought wheat and sold fertilizer and fuels. The population stood at 141, compared to 198 at 1907 statehood.

Written by Berniece Shirley

© Oklahoma Historical Society

References

Municipalities and communities of Blaine County, Oklahoma, United States County seat: Watonga Cities Geary‡ Watonga Towns Canton Greenfield Hitchcock Hydro‡ Longdale Okeene Unincorporated communities Eagle City Homestead Southard Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties