Pensacola is a town in Mayes 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 101 at the 2020 census, down from 125 in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

History

The history of Pensacola began ''circa'' 1840, with the establishment of a way station on the old

Texas Road The Texas Road, also known as the Shawnee Trail, or Shawnee-Arbuckle Trail, was a major trade and emigrant route to Texas across Indian Territory (later Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri). Established during the Mexican War by emigrants rushing to ...

at the Cabin Creek Crossing of the Grand River (present-day

Neosho River The Neosho River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. Its tributaries also drain portions of Missouri and Arkansas. The river is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National ...

). Here, Joseph Lynch Martin (a.k.a. "Greenbrier Joe") established a

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...

called Pensacola. The Union Army commandeered Pensacola as a supply station between

Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The cit ...

, and

Fort Gibson Fort Gibson is a historic military site next to the modern city of Fort Gibson, in Muskogee County Oklahoma. It guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 to 1888. When it was constructed, the fort was farther west than any ot ...

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

, during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. Two battles between Union and

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

forces occurred here, resulting in the destruction of Pensacola. Greenbrier Joe's son, Richard Martin, reestablished Pensacola in 1896, with a small store and a post office at his home, south of the original location. In 1909, James Sims Wilson, a settler from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, established a ranch north of Pensacola and east of Grand River. The Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf Railroad came to this area in 1912. Its right of way crossed the Wilson ranch, and Wilson began planning a townsite that would be served by the Pensacola post office. He filed the Pensacola townsite plat in the office of the county clerk on April 2, 1912. Despite failure of the town bank in 1921 and the onset of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, the announcement of a new dam project to the east led to hope for growth to return. A

chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

formed, and the town incorporated in 1938. Pensacola never became more than a small country town supported by farming and cattle ranching. It was surrounded on three sides by the Wilson ranch. Moreover, until the Pensacola Dam and good roads were completed in 1943, commerce was limited. The population declined from 109 in 1940 to 48 in 1950.

Geography

Pensacola is in northeastern Mayes County along

Oklahoma State Highway 28 State Highway 28 (abbreviated SH-28) is a state highway in Oklahoma. It runs in an irregular west-to-east pattern through Nowata, Rogers, Mayes and Delaware counties. There is one letter-suffixed spur highway branching from SH-28, SH-28A. ...

, which leads east to Langley along the Grand Lake o' the Cherokees, and west to Adair. According to the

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

, the town of Pensacola has a total area of , all land. Big Cabin Creek flows past the northwest edge of the town, entering the

to the southwest.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census the population of Pensacola was 125. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 78.4% White, 15.2% Native American, 0.8% from some other race and 5.6% from two or more races. 1.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.2010 general profile of population and housing characteristics of Pensacola, Oklahoma from the US Census 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 71 people, 26 households, and 19 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 31 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 76.06%

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 ...

, 12.68% Native American, and 11.27% from two or more races. There were 26 households, out of which 46.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% 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, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.21. In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.4% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 136.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 140.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $19,583 versus $23,750 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 $14,102. There were 14.3% of families and 31.7% of the population living 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 75.0% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Education

It is in the Adair Public Schools school district.
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References

{{authority control Towns in Mayes County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma