Editing Spiro, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
In 1895 and 1896, the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad (later owned by the [[Kansas City Southern Railroad]]) established a station at the present site of Spiro, which connected the area to the city of [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]]. This railroad access attracted residents from the nearby town of [[Skullyville, Oklahoma|Skullyville]], and Spiro soon developed as the principal town in this area. The town population was 543 in 1900.<ref name="EOHC-Spiro">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=SP011 Harold Crain, "Spiro"], ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Retrieved August 30, 2012.</ref>

A post office was established at Spiro, Indian Territory on September 21, 1898.<ref>Shirk, George H. ''Oklahoma Place Names'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1965), p. 196.</ref>  At the time of its founding, Spiro was located in [[Skullyville County, Choctaw Nation|Skullyville County]], a part of the [[Moshulatubbee District]] of the [[Choctaw Nation]].<ref>Morris, John W. ''Historical Atlas of Oklahoma'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1986), plate 38.</ref>

Several accounts differ as to how the post office was named. One claims that Spiro was the maiden name of the first postmistress. Another claims it was the maiden name of the mother of a Fort Smith banker.  According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, Spiro was named after Celia Spiro, wife of an Oklahoma banker, Iser H Nakdimen. He founded the City National Bank in Ft. Smith, Arkansas and the First National Bank in Muldrow, Oklahoma.<ref>See page 368 of ''Chronicles of Oklahoma'', 1944 for the history of the name.https://archive.org/stream/chroniclesofokla2231okla/chroniclesofokla2231okla_djvu.txt
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Cotton was an important cash crop. In 1901, Spiro had three cotton yards and one [[cotton gin]]. By 1910, there were three [[cotton gin]]s and the population had grown to 1,173. As cotton cultivation became more mechanized, labor needs declined. The [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s took the heart out of the market. Timber harvesting and processing and livestock became important industries in the region. The population declined to 969 in 1930, as agricultural workers migrated to other areas for jobs. It rebounded to 1,365 by 1950 as the economy grew.<ref name="EOHC-Spiro"/>

On March 26, 1976, the town was struck by an F5 tornado, the highest level on the Fujita scale, resulting in two deaths.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Grazulis|first1=Thomas P.|title=Significant tornadoes, 1680–1991|date=1993|publisher=Environmental Films|location=St. Johnsbury, Vt.|isbn=1-879362-03-1}}</ref>