Haskell County, Oklahoma

Haskell County
County
Location within the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°14′N 95°07′W
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
Named for	Charles N. Haskell
Seat	Stigler
Area
• Total	625 sq mi (1,619 km2)
• Land	577 sq mi (1,494 km2)
• Water	48 sq mi (125 km2)  7.72%
Population  (2000)
• Total	11,792
• Density	20/sq mi (8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)

Haskell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 11,792. Its county seat is StiglerTemplate:GR. The county is named in honor of Charles N. Haskell, who was the first governor of Oklahoma.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 625 square miles (1,619 km²), of which, 577 square miles (1,494 km²) of it is land and 48 square miles (125 km²) of it (7.72%) is water.

Major highways

• State Highway 2
• State Highway 9
• State Highway 31
• State Highway 71
• State Highway 82

Adjacent counties

• Muskogee County (north)
• Sequoyah County (northeast)
• Le Flore County (east)
• Latimer County (south)
• Pittsburg County (west)
• McIntosh County (northwest)

National protected area

• Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 11,792 people, 4,624 households, and 3,380 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile (8/km²). There were 5,573 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.24% White, 0.61% Black or African American, 14.60% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 5.81% from two or more races. 1.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,624 households out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.60% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.90% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,553, and the median income for a family was $29,872. Males had a median income of $25,493 versus $17,462 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,775. About 16.10% of families and 20.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.10% of those under age 18 and 18.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Keota Kinta

McCurtain Stigler

Tamaha Whitefield

Haskell County Courthouse

Stigler is home to the Haskell County Courthouse, which has become notable for erecting marble statues of the Ten Commandments and the Mayflower Compact on the front lawn (see Separation of church and state in the United States). In the seventh commandment, the word "adultery" is misspelled.

A unanimous federal appeals court ruled that county commissioners in Haskell County, Oklahoma unconstitutionally sought to promote their personal religious beliefs by erecting a Ten Commandments monument on the front lawn of the county's courthouse. The decision by the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals comes in a challenge filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Oklahoma on behalf of a local resident.

NRHP sites

The following sites in Haskell County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Cotton Storage House, Kinta
• Haskell County Courthouse, Stigler
• Kinta High School, Kinta
• McCurtain, Edmund, House, Kinta
• McCurtain, Green, House, Kinta
• Mule Creek Site, Stigler
• Otter Creek Archeological Site, Keota
• Scott Store, Kinta
• Stigler School Gymnasium--Auditorium, Stigler
• Tamaha Jail and Ferry Landing, Stigler