Editing Stilwell, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
Stilwell's history began in 1838 as an end point of the [[Trail of Tears]], with the [[ethnic cleansing]] and [[Forced displacements|forced displacement]] of thousands of Indigenous people to the Stilwell area. The trail was called ''nu na da ul tsun yi'' in [[Cherokee language]], or "the place where they cried". The U.S. federal government set up a “disbandment depot” outside what is present-day Stilwell in the early months of 1839 to distribute food and supplies to the newly arrived Indigenous people.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Stilwell and the Trail of Tears|url=https://www.nps.gov/trte/learn/historyculture/upload/TRTE_StilwellOK_MrsWebbers_3panels.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=}}</ref> Those with resources quickly left to settle across the rest of [[Indian Territory]], but the sickest and poorest stayed in the Stilwell area, close to the safety of the depot.<ref>{{Cite web|last=World|first=Michael Overall Tulsa|title=Stilwell, Oklahoma, has lowest life expectancy in the United States|url=https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/stilwell-oklahoma-has-lowest-life-expectancy-in-the-united-states/article_c32cce0a-73cd-5506-a7c8-9d19843e818a.html|access-date=2021-01-19|website=Tulsa World|date=September 18, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

The U.S. government opened the Stilwell area to American settlers in 1893.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |title=Oklahoma - Land Run, Tulsa Race Riot, and Dust Bowl {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Oklahoma-state/United-States-settlement-and-statehood |access-date=2023-06-23 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The [[Kansas City Southern Railway]] built a rail line through what is present-day Stilwell in 1896.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Encyclopedia of Arkansas|url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/kansas-city-southern-railway-6302/|access-date=2021-01-19|website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas|language=en-US}}</ref> The municipality developed because of the rail line and it was incorporated as a town on January 2, 1897. The town was named after [[Arthur Stilwell]], founder of the Kansas City Southern Railway.<ref name="lutherhill">{{cite book|last=Hill|first=Luther B.|url=https://archive.org/stream/ahistorystateok00hillgoog#page/n504/mode/2up|title=A History of the State of Oklahoma|publisher=The Lewis Publishing Company|year=1910|volume=I|page=470}}</ref><ref name="stilwellpedia">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/S/ST038.html|title=Stilwell|last=Barker|first=Betty Starr|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture|publisher=[[Oklahoma Historical Society]]|access-date=June 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501152706/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/S/ST038.html|archive-date=May 1, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> By the turn of the twentieth century, white settlers outnumbered the [[Cherokee]] people.<ref name=":9" />

As early as 1901, Stilwell and [[Westville, Oklahoma|Westville]], in anticipation of Oklahoma statehood, vied for the role of county seat. When Adair County was formed in 1907, Westville was identified as the county seat, due partly to its location at the intersection of two major railroads: the Kansas City Southern Railway and the [[St. Louis–San Francisco Railway]].<ref name=lutherhill/> After three intensely contested elections, however, Oklahoma governor Charles Haskell proclaimed Stilwell as the county seat on May 6, 1910.<ref name="EOHC-Stilwell"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Oklahoma Almanac Online|url=http://www.odl.state.ok.us/almanac/2005/counties/adair.pdf|year=2005|publisher=Oklahoma Department of Libraries}}</ref>

In 1944, during [[World War II]], a [[prisoner of war]] (P.O.W.) [[Prisoner-of-war camp|camp]] was established {{convert|5|mi|km}} south of Stilwell. The camp housed 200 [[Axis powers|axis]] soldiers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=POW Camps of Oklahoma |url=http://genealogytrails.com/oka/powcamps.html |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=genealogytrails.com}}</ref>

Stilwell was served by Kansas City Southern's [[Southern Belle (KCS train)|''Southern Belle'']] passenger rail line until November 2, 1969. The rail line connected Stilwell with daily trains to [[New Orleans]] and [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], with stops in [[Northwest Arkansas]], [[Joplin, Missouri|Joplin]], [[Shreveport, Louisiana|Shreveport]], [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]] and many other cities in-between. A second passenger line, ''The Flying Crow'', also stopped in the town.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Flying Crow {{!}} University of Missouri-St. Louis Digital Library |url=https://dl.mospace.umsystem.edu/umsl/islandora/object/umsl:333331#page/1/mode/1up |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=dl.mospace.umsystem.edu}}</ref> The town's train station fell into disrepair due to vandalism and was closed on February 22, 1971.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/index/9970|title=Stilwell train depot remains Adair County fixture|website=Cherokee Phoenix|date=January 19, 2016 |access-date=2020-01-19}}</ref> The station building itself was restored in 2004 though passenger rail service was not.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oklahoman.com/article/1901261/tracks-to-a-new-era-stilwell-revives-old-train-station-br-restored-depot-to-be-dedicated-friday|title=Tracks to a new era: Stilwell revives old train station|website=Cherokee Phoenix|date=5 May 2004|access-date=2020-01-19}}</ref>

During the [[Great Depression]], [[Strawberry|strawberries]] emerged a major crop and cornerstone of the local economy. In 1948, a [[strawberry festival]] was organized, and in 1949, the state governor and legislature proclaimed Stilwell as "Strawberry Capital of the World." Stilwell's strawberry festival became an annual event. Over time, the strawberry industry weakened, cultivated acreage decreased and the role of strawberries in the local economy dissipated.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title=Stilwell {{!}} The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture|url=https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=ST038|access-date=2021-02-04|website=www.okhistory.org}}</ref> Despite this, Stilwell still holds a strawberry festival annually and the town's 2015 festival had approximately 30,000 people in attendance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/wordpressua.uark.edu/dist/9/350/files/2018/06/OK2015-Report-Economic_Contribution_of_the_Stilwell_Strawberry_Festival_to_Adair_County%E2%80%99s_Economy-26vajqt.pdf|title=Economic Contribution of the Stilwell Strawberry Festival to Adair County's Economy}}</ref> Stilwell's 2022 strawberry festival featured the largest parade in its 75-year history with over 100 [[Float (parade)|floats]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Griffin |first=David |title=Thousands Gather For 75th Annual Stilwell Strawberry Festival, Parade |url=https://www.newson6.com/story/62806c1962e4dc0724de1087/thousands-gather-for-75th-annual-stilwell-strawberry-festival-parade |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=www.newson6.com |language=en}}</ref>