Webbers Falls, Oklahoma

Walter Webber had settled here with some of the first Cherokee to go to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River; it was then considered part of Arkansas Territory. Having acquired a small fleet of keelboats, he was able to stock the post with goods from other parts of the United States, so he opened a trading post and a portage service, as well as building a house. Of mixed-race Cherokee-European descent, Webber was married to a full-blood Cherokee. They had adopted many American ways and outfitted their house in European-American style. When English-speaking visitors came, one of their African-American slaves and domestic servants would translate. At his direction, slaves built a house here that was a replica of his former antebellum mansion in Georgia, the Chief Vann House. This area was within the reservation of the Cherokee Nation. A post office opened at Webbers Falls in 1856. 1842 slave revolt On November 15, 1842, more than 25 slaves revolted in the largest action and escape in Cherokee territory. Civil War Cherokee Confederate General Stand Watie established a headquarters at Webbers Falls during the Civil War. In 1863, Union troops tried to capture Watie, but failed. Before leaving, they burned the town, including Vann's antebellum home. That railway, which connected to the Midland Valley Railroad at Warner, ceased operations in 1914, was reorganized as the Webbers Falls Railroad in 1916, but was dismantled by 1918. Construction in 1970 of the Webbers Falls Lock and Dam created Webbers Falls Reservoir, and construction in the same year of Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam created the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir, both part of the McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS), operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It has boosted the local economy by attracting outdoor enthusiasts for recreation opportunities. The town population increased 57 percent between 1980 and 2000, from 461 to 726. On May 22, 2019, two barges loaded with fertilizer broke loose from Muskogee County and were heading to Webbers Falls Lake. They were part of a tow that had been docked along the river because of the extremely high water level and the speed of the current. On the morning of May 23, 2019, the barges got stuck on some rocks and were later secured but, at around 10:40 AM the barges were on the loose after a helicopter attempted to safely secure the barges and around noon that same day hit the dam, which caused minor damage to the structure, but destroyed flood gates 7, 8, and 9. The barges suffered major damage as they overturned and dumped their cargo into the flood, then sank to the base of the dam. Since the lake level had to be lowered significantly before the mangled barges could be removed, the flood gates could not be safely removed and the damaged gates repaired. This restricted traffic through the McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System until late October 2019. ==Geography==

Webbers Falls is in southeastern Muskogee County, southeast of Muskogee, the county seat, via the Muskogee Turnpike. U.S. Route 64 passes through the north side of town, leading northeast across the Arkansas River to Gore and west to Warner. Interstate 40 passes just south of the town, leading east to Fort Smith and west to Oklahoma City. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Webbers Falls has a total area of , of which , 0.17%, are water. The Arkansas River runs along the eastern border of the town. ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Webbers Falls had a population of 338. The median age was 45.0 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 106.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.4 males age 18 and over. There were 136 households in Webbers Falls, of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.7% were married-couple households, 21.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 179 housing units, of which 24.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 26.1%. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 726 people, 288 households, and 209 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 364 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 69.56% White, 0.28% African American, 24.79% Native American, 1.38% from other races, and 3.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.48% of the population. There were 288 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.89. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $19,300, and the median income for a family was $22,955. Males had a median income of $22,813 versus $17,031 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,684. About 22.0% of families and 26.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.9% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over. ==Notable people==

• Joseph "Rich Joe" Vann (1798-1844), early Cherokee settler and operator of a steamboat business, who died in 1844 when his steamboat, Lucy Walker, exploded on the Mississippi River. ==Notes==