Editing Wilburton, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
[[File:Loading coal in the strip pits, Wilburton, Indian Terr. (Oklahoma), ca. 1898 - NARA - 516380.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Men and horses hitched to wagons are in a large trench. One wagon is full of coal.|Loading coal in the strip pits at a coal mine in Wilburton, 1898]]

The community now known as Wilburton was originally established as a group of settlers living around Riddle's Station, a stop for the [[Butterfield Overland Mail]] stagecoach along the trail from [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]] to [[Fort Worth, Texas]]. Riddle's Station was built in 1858 and the Overland Stage operated from 1857 to 1861. According to the ''Oklahoma Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', it was likely named for Will Burton, a contractor and surveyor who was involved in platting the townsite and building the [[Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad|Choctaw Coal and Railway Company]] line from [[Wister, Oklahoma|Wister]] to [[McAlester, Oklahoma|McAlester]].<ref name = "EOHC-Wilburton"/> According to ''Oklahoma Place Names'', it was named after Elisha Wilbur, who was the president of the [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]].<ref name="OK-place-names">Shirk, George H. ''Oklahoma Place Names'', Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965, p.222.</ref> The post office was established at Wilburton, Indian Territory in 1891.<ref name="OK-place-names"/> At the time of its founding, the community was located in [[Sans Bois County, Choctaw Nation|Sans Bois 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>

On 18 January 1926, ninety-one people were killed in a coal mine explosion in or near Wilburton.<ref>{{cite news |title="Disasters" |url=https://archive.org/details/powell-valley-news-1927/page/n2/mode/1up |access-date=21 August 2023 |publisher=Powell Valley News |date=7 January 1927}}</ref>

A tornado struck Wilburton on [[May 1960 tornado outbreak sequence|May 5, 1960]], and injured more than one hundred people and killed thirteen.<ref name = "EOHC-Wilburton"/>

Initially, the local economy was based on cattle production and shipping. Then, during the 1890s and early 20th century, coal mining became the largest industry. In 1909, the state established the Oklahoma School of Mines and Metallurgy in Wilburton. The school name was later changed to Eastern Oklahoma A&M College and it is now known as [[Eastern Oklahoma State College]].<ref name = "EOHC-Wilburton"/>