Calvin is a town in Hughes County,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, United States. The population was 294 at the 2010 census.

History

The present community of Calvin was established in 1895, when the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway (C O & G) laid a line through the Choctaw Nation between McAlester (then in Indian Territory) and Oklahoma City (then in Oklahoma Territory). The community was initially called "Riverview", for its location on the south bank of the Canadian River. The Riverview post office was established on March 21, 1895, with John Wilbur as postmaster. The town (and post office) name was changed to Calvin in June 1895, to honor the Choctaw landowner, Calvin Perry. The Choctaw Nation Town Site Commission surveyed Calvin's site and divided it into 350 lots, which were put up for sale.Fran Cook and Spencer P. Petete. "Calvin." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Accessed July 1, 2019. About 1904, a fire destroyed several business buildings and the Masonic Lodge on Canadian Street (the main street in downtown Calvin. These losses were soon replaced with new all-brick buildings. In 1905, the population was reportedly about 300. From then until the Great Depression, Calvin served as a busy trade center for the area's produce. In 1906 J. W. Hundley established a store and in 1907 erected a building, the largest mercantile establishment in Hughes County. A ferry operating across the Canadian River gave access to Calvin's cotton market and railroad connections. The Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad (M, O &G) constructed a line through the area, reaching Calvin in 1909. By that time the growing town offered the surrounding agricultural community a choice of four cotton gins, eight general stores, two hotels, and numerous other businesses typical of the era.

Geography

Calvin is located in south-central Hughes County on the south side of the

Canadian River The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .U.S. Route 75 U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway that runs in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is located at the Canadian border near Noyes, Minnesota, at a now-closed border crossing. From this point, the highway ...

passes just east of the town limits, leading north to Wetumka and south to Coalgate. U.S. Route 270 comes in with US 75 from the north but turns east at Calvin and leads to McAlester.

Oklahoma State Highway 1 State Highway 1, sometimes abbreviated as SH-1, is a highway maintained by the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It travels through the southeastern part of the state, nicknamed Little Dixie. SH-1 is signed east and west. Route description Madill to ...

runs through the center of Calvin, leading east with US 270 to McAlester and west to

Ada Ada may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle'', a novel by Vladimir Nabokov Film and television * Ada, a character in 1991 movie '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor'' * '' Ada... A Way of Life'', a 2008 Bollywo ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town of Calvin has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 279 people, 120 households, and 75 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 144 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 82.44%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 10.75%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, and 6.81% of the population. There were 120 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.96. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $20,357, and the median income for a family was $23,409. Males had a median income of $17,083 versus $16,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $10,651. About 21.6% of families and 27.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 42.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 18.0% of those 65 or over.

Education

It is in the

Calvin Public Schools Calvin may refer to: Names * Calvin (given name) ** Particularly Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States * Calvin (surname) ** Particularly John Calvin, theologian Places In the United States * Calvin, Arkansas, a hamlet * Calvin T ...

school district.
Text list
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Notes

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Calvin
{{authority control Towns in Hughes County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Populated places established in 1895 1895 establishments in Indian Territory