A Brief Word From The Editor
With over 10 years in the industry, producing local community guides, relocation guides, maps, NATIONAL raceway tracks, high school sports posters, sports event memorable, and college sports schedules we know ADVERTISING!
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Pontotoc County is in the south central part of Oklahoma. It was created at statehood from part of the Chickasaw Nation in Indian Territory. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,492. Its county seat is Ada. It was named for a historic Chickasaw tribal area in Mississippi, where there is also a county named Pontotoc. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Pontotoc is usually translated “cattail prairie” or “land of hanging grapes.” The county was formed at statehood in 1907 from a part of the Chickasaw Nation. The Chickasaw Nation’s headquarters are in Ada.
1. History
began spreading through the area. Some of the new settlers were illegal white intruders and outlaws. The first post office was established at Stonewall in 1878. The town of Ada was founded in 1890. After three railroads built linesthrough Ada, it became the dominant community of the area. Ada was named county seat when Pontotoc County was created.
The present Pontotoc County was part of the land that the U. S. government granted in 1830 to the Choctaw tribe via the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. In 1837, the Chickasaw tribe was granted land within the Choctaw domain. In 1857, the Chickasaw Nation formed its own government on this land. However, few Chickasaw settled there until after the Civil War, 2. Geography mainly because of attacks by various Plains Indian According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county tribes. The first settlers located has a total area of 1,879 in the vicinity of Boggy km² (725 mi²), of which Depot during the 1840s. 1,864 km² (720 mi²) is land Camp Arbuckle was and 15 km² (6 mi²) (0.80%) established to protect is water. The Canadian migrants traveling on the River forms the northern boundary. California Road. After the Civil War, settlements 1.
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Adjacent counties
Seminole County (north) Hughes County (northeast) Coal County (southeast) Johnston County (south)
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Murray County (southwest) Garvin County (west) McClain County (northwest) Pottawatomie County (northwest)
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3. Economy
more races. 4.1% were had someone living alone Cattle ranching was one Hispanic or Latino (of any who was 65 years of age race). or older. The average of the most important economic activities in As of the census of 2000, household size was 2.44 this area up through there were 35,143 people, and the average family size was 2.98. the territorial period. 13,978 households, and Agriculture rose to prominence in the early 20th Century, with cotton being the most important crop. Cattle raising reemerged as the major industry, and the county is sometimes called “Hereford Heaven.”
9,421 families residing in the county. The population density was 19/km² (49/ mi²). There were 15,575 housing units at an average density of 8/km² (22/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.80% White, 2.06% Black or African American, 15.51% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 5.36% from two or more races. 2.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Other important economic activities include limestone quarrying, cement production, light manufacturing, services and government. The city of Ada is the headquarters of the Chickasaw Nation, and the base of the Carl Albert Indian Health There were 13,978 System. households out of which 30.80% had children 4. Demographics under the age of 18 living As of the 2010 United with them, 52.90% were States Census, there were married couples living 37,492 people residing in together, 10.80% had the county. 71.2% were a female householder White, 17.4% Native with no husband present, American, 2.4% Black or and 32.60% were nonAfrican American, 0.7% families. 28.10% of all Asian, 1.1% of some other households were made up race and 7.2% of two or of individuals and 12.30%
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 12.50% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,955, and the median income for a family was $35,400. Males had a median income of $26,785 versus $18,939 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,664. About 11.80% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.10% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.
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Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2012 Party Number of Voters Percentage Democratic 12,556 62.63% Republican 5,449 27.18% Unaffiliated 2,044 10.19% Total 20,049 100%
5. Politics Presidential election results Year
2008 2004 2000
Republican
Democrat
68.36% 9,750 31.64% 4,512 65.13% 9,647 34.87% 5,165 56.86% 7,299 41.97% 5,387
6. Communities • • •
Ada is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,810 at the 2010 census, an increase of 7.1 percent from 15,691 at the 2000 census. The city was named for Ada Reed, the daughter of an early settler, and was incorporated in 1901. Ada is home to East Central University, and is the headquarters of the Chickasaw Nation. Ada is an Oklahoma Main Street City, an Oklahoma Certified City, a Tree City USA member, and a National Weather Service StormReady Community.
Ada Allen Byng
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Fitzhugh Francis
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Roff Stonewall
7. History In the late 1880s, the Daggs family (by way of Texas) became the first white family to settle what is now known as Ada, which was formerly known as Daggs Prairie. In April 1889, Jeff Reed (a native Texan, and relative of the Daggs family) was appointed to carry the mail from Stonewall to Center (which was later combined with Pickett), two small communities in then Indian Territory. With his family and his stock, he sought a place for a home on a prairie midway between the two points, where he constructed a log house and started Reed’s Store. Other settlers soon built
homes nearby. In 1891, a post office was established and named after Reed’s oldest daughter, Ada. Ada incorporated as a city in 1901 and grew rapidly with the arrival of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway line. Within a decade the Santa Fe Railroad and the Oklahoma Central Railway also served the town. In 1909, the women of Ada organized an effort to build a normal school in their city. It resulted in the founding of East Central College (now East Central University). On April 19, 1909, an organized mob hanged four men set to be tried for the murder of a former U.S.
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marshal and member of the local freemason lodge. The town had a population of about 5,000 at the time, and 38 murders a year at the time of the lynching. The Daily Ardmoreite reported that the four lynched men were “one of the bloodiest band of murderers in the state of Oklahoma and an organization of professional assassins, that for a record of blood crimes, probably has no equal in the annals of criminal history in the entire southwest.” The first manufacturing company in Ada, the Portland Cement Company, installed the first cement clinker in Oklahoma in 1910. American Glass Casket Company began manufacturing glass caskets in 1916, but the business failed. Hazel Atlas Glass bought the plant in 1928 and produced glass products until 1991. 8. Geography Ada is located in the rolling hills of southeastern Oklahoma; its geographic coordinates are
34°45′49″N 96°40′6″W (34.763661, -96.668214). Ada is 88 miles (142 km) from Oklahoma City, 122 mi (196 km) from Tulsa, and 133 mi (214 km) from Dallas, Texas. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.8 square miles (40.9 km2), of which 15.7 square miles (40.7 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km2) (0.44%) is water. 9. Demographics As of the 2010 census, Ada’s 16,810 residents consisted of 6,697 households and 3,803 families. The population density was 999.3 people per square mile (385.9/ km²). The 7,862 housing units were dispersed at an average density of 475.9 per square mile (183.8/km²). Ada’s 2006 racial makeup was 73.81% White, 3.54% African American, 15.10% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 5.81% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were
2.89% of the population. Of Ada’s 6,697 households, 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. The 15.8% of those 65 years or older living alone made up a substantial portion of the 37.1% single-person households. Average household size was 2.20 persons; average family size was 2.91. The age breakdown in 2006 was 22.3% under the age of 18, 17.5% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% aged 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. The disparity between the number of males and the number of females seems to be decreasing: for every 100 females aged 18 or over, there were only 84.5 males, but when all females and males were taken into account, there were 100 females for every 88.4 males.
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Median household income was $22,977, while median family income was $31,805. Males had a median income of $25,223 versus $17,688 for females. Ada’s per capita income was $14,666. Some 14.8% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.8% of those under 18 and 11.4% of those 65 or over. 10. Economy
one of the largest producers and sellers of tablet PCs and media players in the United States is headquartered in Ada. The Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center, a large water research lab staffed by the Environmental Protection Agency, opened in 1966 and is located just outside the city. LegalShield, formally Pre-Paid Legal, is the largest provider of pre-paid legal services in the United States and is headquartered in the city. Oil and natural gas are still very much a part of the regional economy, but no large companies that provide significant employment exist in the city.
The economy of Ada is diversified. In the mid and late 20th century, the town was a manufacturing center, producing products such as Wrangler jeans, auto parts, cement and concrete, plastic-wear, and other products. Since the start of The largest employers the 21st century, however, in the region are the most large manufacturing following: centers have left or have • Ada City Schools downsized considerably. • Chickasaw Nation In 1975, the Chickasaw • C h i c k a s a w Nation opened its Enterprises headquarters to Ada. • East Central Revenues for the Nation University were over 12 billion dollars • Pontotoc County in 2011, most of which Technology Center is funneled through Ada. • Solo Cup Machspeed Technologies, • Flex-N-Gate (Auto
Parts Manufacturing) • Holcim Inc. (Portland Cement) • LegalShield • Walmart • Kerr Lab • Edge Tech Corp (MachSpeed Technologies) • Mercy Hospital Ada • City of Ada • Interactive Response Technologies (IRT Call Center for T-Mobile) 11. Education 1.
Higher education
East Central University, located in Ada, is a public four-year institution that has been in operation since 1909. ECU serves roughly 4,500 students and is perhaps best known internationally for its cartography program, as only a few such programs exist. ECU is also home to an Environmental Health Science Program, one of only 30 programs nationally accredited by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (http://www.ehacoffice. org/).
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2.
Primary secondary
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Main article: Ada Independent School District Ada Public Schools has six primary and secondary schools. Glenwood Early Childhood Center • Hayes Grade Center • Washington Grade Center • Willard Grade Center • Ada Junior High School • Ada High School •
3. Technical school Pontotoc Technology Center (formerly Pontotoc Area Vo-Tech) is located in Ada. 12. National Register of Historic Places • • • • •
Ada Public Library Bebee Field Round House East Central State Normal School Mijo Camp Industrial District Pontotoc County Courthouse • Sugg Clinic
Wintersmith Park National Football League Historic District all-star, ECU graduate. • Johny Hendricks 13. Notable people UFC Welterweight Champion. • Bill Anoatubby Governor of the Chickasaw • Anthony Armstrong Jones – Country music Nation since 1987. singer. • Vaughn Ary - Staff Judge Advocate to the • David Keirsey Commandant of the United psychologist; born in Ada • Robert S. Kerr States Marine Corps Former Oklahoma • Nick Blackburn – – Minnesota Twins starting Governor and long-time U.S. Senator; born in Ada. pitcher. Owen • Harry Brecheen - • Don Former Major League Louisiana news anchor and Baseball All Star pitcher; politician, worked in radio graduated from Ada High in Ada early in his career. School; buried at Ada’s • Louise S. Robbins – Wisconsin Librarian of Rosedale Cemetery. • Jeff Carpenter, the Year (2001); named musician and songwriter one of Oklahoma’s 100 with the all Native Library Legends; director American orchestral rock of the School of Library and Information Studies at band Injunuity • Dan Cody – Baltimore University of Wisconsin– Ravens linebacker; born in Madison; author of two award-winning books. Ada. • Johnson T. Crawford Longtime resident of - Nuremberg Trial Judge Ada and first woman • Douglas Edwards – city council member and mayor. First television network • Oral Roberts – anchor. • Josh Fields - Evangelist; born near Ada. Pittsburgh Pirates infielder; • Blake Shelton – Country music singer with born in Ada. many #1 hits. • Mark Gastineau –
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• Leon Polk Smith – Abstract artist known for his work with geometric painting; graduate of East Central University. • Ron Williamson Minor league baseball player wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in 1988 in Ada for rape and murder but eventually exonerated. Subject of The Innocent Man by John Grisham.
book. Accounts from both books suggest major flaws, irregularities, and outright miscarriages of justice including forced and made-up confessions by the police and prosecutors. Prosecutor Bill Peterson has self-published his disagreements with Grisham’s version of events. 15. Martian crater named Ada
14. Debbie Carter and The name Ada has been Denice Haraway murders assigned to a small crater In 2006, a book by author on the planet Mars by the John Grisham brought International Astronomical Ada into the national Union. Like all small spotlight related to the Martian craters, it was false convictions and named after a small town, imprisonment of two without commemoration. individuals for the murder of Debra Sue “Debbie” Carter and two individuals convicted of the murder of Denice Haraway that the city officials were under pressure to solve. The cases were researched by a New York reporter and were the subject of the book The Dreams of Ada and eventually written about in The Innocent Man, Grisham’s first non-fiction
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