Editing Whitefield, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
At the time of its founding, the community that became Whitefield was located in the [[Moshulatubbee District]] of the [[Choctaw Nation]], in the [[Indian Territory]].<ref>Morris, John W.  ''Historical Atlas of Oklahoma'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986), plate 38.</ref>

Whitefield's history can be traced to the [[American Civil War]], when the [[Confederate Army]] established Camp Pike for two thousand  Confederate soldiers in 1861. The camp was named for Confederate Brigadier General [[Albert Pike]], who had persuaded the [[Five Civilized Tribes]] to ally with the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]].<ref name="EOHC-Whitefield"/>

After the end of the Civil War, Camp Pike became a [[Choctaw]] trading post. The trading post and the adjacent community were renamed as Oklahoma, Indian Territory. Its clientele were not only members of the Choctaw tribe, but also white settlers who had permits from the tribe to farm land in the Choctaw Nation. Occasionally, it was patronized by white outlaws such as [[Belle Starr]], who were hiding from the law in the mountains of southern Oklahoma.The Post Office wanted to change the name because of confusion with another post office already known as Oklahoma Station. In 1888, the local residents voted to accept Whitfield as the name of the settlement and post office.<ref name="EOHC-Whitefield"/>  The post office at Whitefield, Indian Territory, which had originally been established as Oklahoma, Indian Territory on December 21, 1881, was reestablished on November 27, 1888.  It was named for Bishop George Whitefield, an early-day Methodist leader.<ref>Shirk, George H.  ''Oklahoma Place Names'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pp. 154 & 221.</ref>

Whitefield existed primarily as a town to support the nearby farms. By 1911, it counted approximately 500 residents. Improvements included two groceries, two general stores, a cotton gin and mill, a drugstore, a doctor, and a blacksmith. It had about 300 residents by 1920. Reportedly, the population declined sharply with the onset of the Great Depression. Whitfield incorporated in 1978, so its first Federal Census in 1980 recorded 240 people.<ref name="EOHC-Whitefield"/> The population has trended upward since that year.