McAlester, Oklahoma

The crossing of the east–west California Road with the north–south Texas Road formed a natural point of settlement. At the time of its founding, the site was located in Tobucksy County, a part of the Moshulatubbee District of the Choctaw Nation. Alyssia Young, who emigrated from Mississippi to the Indian Territory, first established a settlement at the intersection of the two roads in 1838. The town was named Perryville after James Perry, member of a Choctaw family, who established a trading post. At one time Perryville was the capital of the Choctaw Nation and County Seat of Tobucksy County. During the American Civil War, the Choctaw allied with the Confederate States of America (CSA) as the war reached Indian Territory. A depot providing supplies to Confederate Forces in Indian Territory was set up at Perryville. On August 26, 1863, a force of 4,500 Union soldiers crossed the Canadian River and destroyed the Confederate munitions depot at Perryville. This became known as the Battle of Perryville, Indian Territory. Union Major General James G. Blunt, finding the Confederate supplies and realizing that Perryville was a major supply depot for Confederate forces, ordered the town burned. The town was rebuilt but never reached its prewar glory or population. After the end of the Civil War in 1865, Captain J. J. McAlester obtained a job with the trading company of Reynolds and Hannaford. McAlester convinced the firm to locate a general store at Tupelo in the Choctaw Nation. He had learned of coal deposits in Indian Territory during the war while serving as a captain with the 22nd Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Confederate). At Fort Smith, Arkansas, before going to work with Reynolds and Hannaford, McAlester had received maps of the coal deposits from engineer Oliver Weldon, who served with McAlester during the war. Weldon had worked for the U.S. surveying Indian Territory before the war and knew of the coal deposits. Hearing of the railroad plans to extend through Indian Territory and knowing that rich deposits of coal were in an area north of the town of Perryville, McAlester convinced Reynolds and Hannaford that Bucklucksy would be a more suitable and profitable site for the trading post. He constructed a trading post/general store there in late 1869. The Bucklucksy general store was an immediate success, but McAlester recognized an even greater opportunity in the abundance of coal deposits in the area, so he began obtaining rights to the deposits from the Choctaws, anticipating the impending construction of a rail line through Indian Territory. Miners of Italian origin arrived in McAlester in 1874. McAlester was also on the route of the Jefferson Highway established in 1915, with that road running more than 2,300 miles from Winnipeg, Manitoba to New Orleans, Louisiana. McAlester was the site of the 2004 trial of Terry Nichols on Oklahoma state charges related to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. On December 25, 2000, an ice storm hit the area, leaving residents without electrical service and water for more than two weeks; in January 2007, another devastating ice storm crippled the city, leaving residents without power and water for more than a week. ==Geography==

McAlester is at the intersection of U.S. Route 69 and U.S. Route 270, in Pittsburg County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land. It has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and average monthly temperatures range from in January to in July. The hardiness zone is 7b. ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, McAlester had a population of 18,171. The median age was 37.3 years, with 23.0% of residents under the age of 18 and 16.6% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 106.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 108.1 males age 18 and over. There were 6,897 households in McAlester, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.6% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 7,962 housing units, of which 13.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 59.3% were owner-occupied and 40.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.2%. 2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 17,783 people, 6,584 households, and 4,187 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,374 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 74.72% White, 8.68% African American, 10.48% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.29% from other races, and 4.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.04% of the population. There were 6,584 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,631, and the median income for a family was $36,480. Males had a median income of $29,502 versus $19,455 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,694. About 16.1% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over. ==Economy==

Agriculture and coal mining supported the city's economy around the turn of the 20th century. Cotton was the main cash crop, and McAlester had three cotton gins and one cotton compress. Then a boll weevil infestation destroyed local cotton production. Meanwhile, railroads converted from coal to oil as their primary fuel, which marked the decline of the coal industry in the area. , established in 1911, is a source of employment and local revenue in McAlesterThe Oklahoma State Penitentiary is a major source of employment and revenue in McAlester. During World War II, the U.S. Government built the Naval Ammunition Plant a few miles south of McAlester. In 1977, the facility became the U.S. Army Ammunition Plant. It is still the main site of ammunition production and storage for the armed forces in the United States. ==Government==

Two Oklahoma Department of Corrections facilities, the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and the Jackie Brannon Correctional Center, are in McAlester. McAlester was also previously home to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in the Carl Albert Federal Building. ==Organizations==

Another non-profit called McAlester Main Street, one of the various national Main Street Programs, is a public-private partnership with the City of McAlester, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which works to preserve and revitalize Old Town and Downtown McAlester. ==Education==

McAlester Public Schools operates public schools. The McAlester Public Library was built in 1970. As of 2010 the city has plans to build a new library. The Friends of the McAlester Public Library is financing the new branch. McAlester includes Kiamichi Technology Center, which has over 300 students per school year. There is also an extension of Eastern Oklahoma State College that partners with Southeastern Oklahoma State University and East Central University. The Wanda Bass Higher Education Center, a branch of Eastern Oklahoma State College, is also in McAlester. ==Media==

Newspaper • McAlester News-Capital Television ==Transportation==

McAlester is served by: McAlester Regional Airport (KMLC; FAA ID: MLC), approximately three miles southwest of town, features a paved 5602’ x 100’ runway. The airport had commercial air service through Central Airlines in the 1960s. ==Points of interest==

• Garrard Ardeneum • McAlester Public Schools • McAlester News-Capital • Oklahoma State Penitentiary ==Notable people==

• Carl Albert, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives • Melva Blancett, actress • John Berryman, poet • Mary Blair, artist, Disney animator • Ridge Bond, actor/singer • Riley Brett, race car driver • Quentin Brooks, Olympian athlete • Edwin H. Burba, Jr., U.S. Army four-star general • Lynn Cartwright, actress • Wilburn Cartwright, U.S. representative from Oklahoma • W.H.H. Clayton, U.S. District Court judge • Bennie L. Davis, U.S. Air Force four-star general • Bob Dickson, professional golfer • Lance Fenton, racing driver • Clonie Gowen, professional poker player • Micha Hancock, indoor volleyball player • Jerry Jewell, voice actor affiliated with Funimation • Levi Parham, singer-songwriter • Steve King, NFL football player • Steven T. Kuykendall, U.S. representative from California • Pepper Martin, Major League Baseball player • Dave Matthews, saxophonist • J. J. McAlester, pioneer for whom McAlester was named • Pake McEntire, singer • Reba McEntire, singer/actress • Susie McEntire-Eaton, singer • Beverlee McKinsey, actress • George Nigh (b. 1927), politician, Governor of Oklahoma (1979 - 1987), was born in McAlester • William Nigh, politician • Rutus Sarlls, first lawyer in South McAlester, political candidate, and successful defendant in a United States Supreme Court case involving the sale of malt beverages to Native Americans. • Derek Sitter, founder/former owner, Volcanic Theatre Pub (Bend, Oregon) and actor/filmmaker • Gene Stipe, longest-serving member of the Oklahoma Senate, represented McAlester (1957–2003) • Steven W. Taylor (b. 1949), attended high school in McAlester, mayor of McAlester (1982 - 1984), Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice (2004 - 2016), Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice (2011 - 2013) • Edward Lloyd Thomas, Confederate general • Wade Watts, Baptist minister; civil rights activist • Walter L. Weaver, U.S. representative from Ohio • Michael Wilson, screenwriter ==NRHP sites==

The following sites in McAlester are listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma: ==Notes==