Editing Valliant, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
Valliant was founded June 2, 1902, in what was the [[Choctaw Nation]], [[Indian Territory]], and named for Frank W. Valliant, a chief divisional engineer for the [[St. Louis, San Francisco and New Orleans Railroad|Arkansas and Choctaw Railway]] then being constructed in the area.<ref name="EOHC-Valliant">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=VA003 Smith, Joy McDougal and Sharon McKeever. "Valiant." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.] Accessed October 11, 2018.</ref>  At the time of its founding, Valliant was located in [[Towson County, Choctaw Nation|Towson County]], a part of the [[Apukshunnubbee District]], one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation.

A cotton gin opened in 1903, and continued operation until the 1930s. In 1904, the town incorporated and elected its first mayor. A newspaper began publishing in 1905. Before 1920, the community had two banks, three hotels and nearly 20 other businesses.<ref name="EOHC-Valliant"/>

[[Dierks Forests|Dierks Forests, Inc.]], known until 1954 as the Dierks Lumber and Coal Company<ref name="encyclopediaofarkansas.net">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=8188|title=The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, article on Dierks Forests, Inc. |access-date=August 11, 2017}}</ref> and originally known as Choctaw Lumber Co.,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/only-in-oklahoma-logging-towns-were-literally-on-the-move/article_49792da9-ca29-5765-a271-45232819bb8b.html|title=Gene Curtis, "Only in Oklahoma: Logging towns were literally on the move," Tulsa World, May 17, 2007|access-date=July 6, 2015}}</ref> was a timber harvesting and processing company primarily in Oklahoma and Arkansas which started with a purchase of forest in 1903 near Valliant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forestry.ok.gov/Websites/forestry/Images/CentennialBrochure.pdf|title=Oklahoma Forestry Services brochure, “The Early Years of Forestry in Oklahoma,” November 2007|access-date=July 6, 2015}}</ref>  The company grew to own 1.75 million acres of timberland, making it one of the largest family-owned landholding entities in the United States before it was sold to the [[Weyerhaeuser|Weyerhaeuser Company]] in 1969.<ref name="encyclopediaofarkansas.net"/>

Pine Creek Dam was built nearby in the 1960s to control flooding along the stream. [[Pine Creek Lake]] and the [[Pine Creek Wildlife Management Area]], directly north of town, have attracted vacationers.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.google.com/maps/place/Valliant,+OK+74764/@34.0042621,-95.2307951,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x864a9fad45a36705:0x8e9306bc3d01a3b6!8m2!3d34.0023293!4d-95.0938386|title= Valliant, Oklahoma|publisher=Google Maps|access-date=July 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>[https://www.valliantchamber.org/history/ Chamber of Commerce of Valiant, Oklahoma. "History." Undated.] Accessed October 11, 2018.</ref>