Wewoka, Oklahoma
Wewoka is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,271 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Seminole County. Founded by John Coheia, a Black Seminole, and Black Seminoles in January 1849, Wewoka is the capital of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
History
Wewoka's history begins with Black Seminole John Horse, who was also known as Gopher John. In the spring of 1849, Horse and a group of Black Seminoles founded a settlement near modern-day Wewoka. Seeking safety and autonomy from the Creek Nation, they established a community located at the falls of a small stream, lying in the fertile lands between the North and South Canadian Rivers. The steady rush of water over the falls gave rise to the name We-Wo-Ka – meaning "Barking Water" in the Mvskoke language. Other historians say he named the settlement Wewokea after Osceola's second wife who was of both Seminole and African ancestry.In autumn of 1849, Horse and Seminole chief Wild Cat led Seminole families into Mexico to avoid the attempts of slavers to raid families and capture people of African descent. The Mexican government offered Wild Cat, Horse and other Seminoles land in Mexico if they could rid the land of renegades who were terrorizing Mexican citizens. Wild Cat was the next hereditary chief of the Seminole Nation but the government appointed its first chief John Jumper instead. The descendants of Wildcat and his band were split for a time between Wewoka, Texas, and Mexico until 1918.
The city was founded in 1866 when Elijah J. Brown, an employee of the federal government led Seminole refugees from Leroy, Kansas to Indian Territory. During the American Civil War, the Seminole Nation had sided with the Confederacy, although many tribe members fled to the relative safety of Kansas, where they remained for the duration of the war. In 1866, after the Confederacy surrendered, the United States government required the Seminole Nation to sign a new treaty, which required them to emancipate their slaves, give freedmen who wanted to stay in the territory full rights as citizens, including voting in the tribe. Brown led the refugees back to Wewoka, here he built himself a house and established a trading post. Freedmen settled in Wewoka along with the Seminole and Elijah Brown was the only legal white settler in the town. The trading post had several subsequent proprietors before it was bought by two Seminole brothers, John Frippo Brown and A. J. Brown, and became the Wewoka Trading Company in 1891. Rev. James Ross Ramsey, a Presbyterian missionary, founded the Ramsey Mission in 1866. A post office was established on May 13, 1867, with E. J. Brown as first postmaster. The Seminole Nation made Wewoka their capital city and Seminole Governor John Brown had a log house erected at Wewoka as the Seminole capitol in 1877.
During the existence of the Seminole Nation as a political entity, the federal government was required by treaty to make payments directly to qualified tribe members. A popular sight was the pay wagon, accompanied by several armed Seminole light horsemen who rapidly unloaded the gold bullion, silver coins and paper money, and make a mad dash from the train station to the Wewoka Trading Company building, where it was delivered to A. J. Brown, who was also the Treasurer of the Seminole Nation. Brown kept the bulk payment in the company vault until he distributed it directly to the proper recipients.
The Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad built a railroad line from McAlester to Oklahoma City that passed through Wewoka.
The city was formally platted in 1897. The Seminole National Council ordered that decreed that the lots could be sold only to American Indians. However, the decision was overturned in 1902 and sales were opened to white settlers.
In 1907, Wewoka became part of the state of Oklahoma, which was admitted to the union. In 1908 it was designated as the county seat of Seminole County, Oklahoma, winning out in an election against the city of Seminole, Oklahoma. Early newspapers were the Wewoka Herald, Wewoka Democrat, and the Seminole County Capital.
The city developed around the house that Andrew Jackson Brown and his wife Mannie Lou built at 11th Avenue and Muskogee. Brown was the brother of Seminole Governor John Brown and the two owned and operated the Wewoka Trading Company. They were prominent Seminole of Creek and Scottish ancestry. Descendants included two prominent Seminole chiefs, Lucy Brown McKellop and her husband John F. McKellop. The house still stands, the last remaining structure of the Nineteenth Seminole Republic. It straddles the border between the Seminole and Creek nations and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
On March 16, 1923, oil was discovered two miles southeast of Wewoka by R. H. Smith, part of the Greater Seminole Oil Field. Great wealth was realized by many Seminole in 1925 with the exploration of the Magnolia Petroleum Company. In the 1920s and 30s the great Seminole Oil Fields were the largest suppliers of oil anywhere in the world. In 1925 the population of Wewoka was 1,520. By 1927 the population increased to over 20,000, as adventurers and workers came, to make their fortunes. It rapidly had become the third-largest city in Oklahoma.
From 1927 to the present, the oil companies took out as much as they could get. As the oil decreased, jobs and people left the city. By 1950 the population of Wewoka was 6,753 and in 1960 it was 6,300. The population continued a steady decline, but the city has continued as the commercial center of the region. The 1980s and 1990s were difficult for the city. Businesses left town and poverty greatly increased.
The city leaders tried to protect themselves by refusing to allow competition, like Wal-Mart, to enter the city. Holdenville and Seminole do have Wal-Mart stores. Seminole's Wal-Mart has the super-center configuration offering groceries as well as dry goods.
Douglass High School was established for African American students during segregation, and Frederick Douglass Moon served as a teacher and its principal.
The crime rate in Wewoka during the 1980s increased; the radio commentator Paul Harvey called Wewoka "Little Chicago," because it had a higher crime rate per capita than the city of Chicago. The violence in the city caused people to avoid coming to Wewoka and gave the city a reputation that continues to linger.
By the mid-1990s, new leadership began to turn commerce around in the city. The police force was increased and began to get the crime rate under control. The crime rate by 2001 was below average for the state of Oklahoma. The historic downtown received a face lift of new sidewalks, streets, lights and flowers. Wewoka was selected as one of Channel 5's Top Five Cities in 2004.
The city of Wewoka continues to work to attract businesses and maintain population. The current population of Wewoka is just over 3,500. The projections show that the city will continue to decrease in the coming years. The ethnic diversity continues, with 52% white, 22% American Indian and 18% African American. The average household income is approximately $37,000 a year, a substantial increase over 2002. According to the demographic comparison, the number of households is decreasing, but the income of those living in Wewoka is increasing.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.8 square miles, all land.Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Wewoka had a population of 3,133. The median age was 38.5 years, 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.9 males age 18 and over.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,151 households in Wewoka, of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 30.7% were married-couple households, 24.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,511 housing units, of which 23.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 52.8% were owner-occupied and 47.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 6.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 18.8%.
| Race | Percent |
| White | 47.3% |
| Black or African American | 13.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 23.5% |
| Asian | 0.3% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% |
| Some other race | 1.0% |
| Two or more races | 14.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4.4% |
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 3,430 people, 3,177 households, and 803 families residing in Wewoka. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.23. Less than 30% of the population was under the age of 18 and 16.3% was age 65 or older.2000 census
The 2000 census counted 3,271 people, 1,390 households, and 884 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 1,762 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 51.04% White, 19.88% African American, 21.45% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 6.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.39% of the population.There were 1,390 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $19,490, and the median income for a family was $27,130. Males had a median income of $22,467 versus $17,670 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,039. About 26.6% of families and 29.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.0% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.
The drive from Wewoka to the nearest major metropolitan area Oklahoma City is a little over one hour. The drive to Tulsa is a little over 1.5 hours. The nearest interstate highway to Wewoka, I-40, is 15 miles.