Editing Locust Grove, Oklahoma

{{Short description|Town in the United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Locust Grove, Oklahoma
| settlement_type          = Town
| nickname                 = The Wonder City
| motto                    = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline            = 
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = 
| image_flag               = 
| image_seal               = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map                = OKMap-doton-LocustGrove.PNG
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location in Oklahoma
| image_map1               = 
| mapsize1                 = 
| map_caption1             = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = State
| subdivision_name1        = [[Oklahoma]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Oklahoma|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Mayes County, Oklahoma|Mayes]]

<!-- Government -->
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = Jason Williams{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}
| leader_title1            = Police Chief
| leader_name1             = Windrunner Eagle
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = 

<!-- Area -->
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2024">{{cite web |title=2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Oklahoma|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_gaz_place_40.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=May 15, 2025}}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 4.72
| area_land_km2            = 4.72
| area_water_km2           = 0.00
| area_total_sq_mi         = 1.82
| area_land_sq_mi          = 1.82
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P1?q=&g=160XX00US4043500| title=P1. Race – Locust Grove town, Oklahoma: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=May 15, 2025}}</ref>
| population_total         = 1371
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| pop_est_footnotes        = 
| population_est           = 
| population_density_km2   = 290.39
| population_density_sq_mi = 752.06

<!-- General information -->
| timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset               = -6
| timezone_DST             = CDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -5
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft             = 669
| coordinates              = {{coord|36|11|53|N|95|10|08|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code              = 74352
| area_code                = [[area codes 539 and 918|539/918]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 40-43500<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name            = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2412908<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2412908}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|locustgroveok.org}}
| footnotes                = 
}}
'''Locust Grove''' is a town in [[Mayes County, Oklahoma|Mayes County]], [[Oklahoma]], United States. The population was 1,371 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref name="Census 2020"/> down from 1,423 in [[2010 United States census|2010]].<ref>[http://censusviewer.com/city/OK/Locust%20Grove CensusViewer:Population of the City of Locust Grove, Oklahoma]</ref>

==History==
Locust Grove was the site of the [[Battle of Locust Grove]], a small [[American Civil War|Civil War]] engagement on July 3, 1862, in which approximately 250 [[Union Army|Union]] troops surprised and destroyed a similar-sized [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] contingent, killing about 100 and capturing another 100 while sustaining only minimal losses. The escaping Confederates retreated toward [[Tahlequah, Oklahoma|Tahlequah]], leading to a loss of morale and desertions among the [[Cherokee]] Confederate supporters.<ref name="OHSBattle">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=LO003 John D. May, "Locust Grove, Battle of", ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'']</ref>

A small community, named for the grove of [[honey locust|locust tree]]s where this battle took place, formed here, in the Cherokee Nation of [[Indian Territory]]. A post office was established here on March 26, 1873. Jim Bryan moved the post office to his store in 1908, after Oklahoma became a state and Mayes County was established. In 1910, Louie Ross bought the Bryan store and moved it to his father's ranch house. The community of Locust Grove soon relocated closer to the store, and soon had a cemetery, a gristmill, two blacksmith shops, and a separate building to house the post office.<ref name = "EOHC-LocustGrove">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=LO002 Betty Lou Harper Thomas, "Locust Grove"],''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Accessed March 23, 2009.</ref>

The existing townsite was established in 1912 by O.W. Killam, a lawyer, merchant, realtor and promoter who bought the Cherokee allotment that had belonged to Elzina Ross in connection with the construction of the [[Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway]]. Killam platted the townsite and incorporated it on March 4, 1913.<ref name = "EOHC-LocustGrove"/>

The town has had its share of tragedy. In June 1952, the county attorney [[Jack Burris]] was assassinated at his home at Locust Grove in one of the most famous unsolved murders in Oklahoma history. In 1977 it was the location of the [[Oklahoma Girl Scout murders]], in which three young girls were raped and murdered as they were camping at the nearby Camp Scott Girl Scout facility. Gene Leroy Hart was arrested and tried for the crime, but found not guilty in a jury trial. The case remains open. Also, a popular restaurant, "Country Cottage", was linked to a highly publicized August 2008 outbreak of ''[[Escherichia coli|E. coli]]'' O111, a rare strain of the bacterium. The outbreak resulted in more than 100 cases of gastrointestinal food poisoning and one death;<ref>Kim Archer and Michael Overall, [http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080831_11_A4_TheCou931269 "Locust Grove's economic powerhouse now silent"], ''[[Tulsa World]]'', August 31, 2008.</ref> subsequent studies were unclear about the source of the bacteria, leading [[Oklahoma Attorney General]] [[Drew Edmondson]] to accuse the state health department of having "botched" the investigation.<ref>Barbara Hoberock, [http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=298&articleid=20090309_298_0_OKLAHO773268&allcom=1 "Edmondson: Locust Grove E. coli investigation 'botched'"], ''[[Tulsa World]]'', March 9, 2009.</ref><ref>Kim Archer, [http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=17&articleid=20100815_17_A1_CUTLIN794911 "Getting back to normal: Locust Grove recovering from E. coli outbreak"], ''[[Tulsa World]]'', August 15, 2010.</ref>

Native American [[Cherokee]] sculptor [[Willard Stone]] lived near Locust Grove; a museum dedicated to his work is now located on the site.<ref>David C. Hunt, [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/S/ST059.html "Stone, Willard"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201145839/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/S/ST059.html |date=February 1, 2015 }} at [[Oklahoma Historical Society]] [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416084151/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia |date=April 16, 2009 }} (retrieved March 20, 2009).</ref><ref name="famhist">[http://www.willardstonemuseum.com/history.htm "Stone Family History"] at Willard Stone Museum official website (retrieved March 21, 2009).</ref>

Locust Grove is home to the [[Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry]]. There is only one other poetry museum in the U.S., the American Poetry Museum in Washington DC.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

==Geography==
Locust Grove is in southeastern Mayes County, {{convert|7|mi|0}} south of [[Salina, Oklahoma|Salina]] and {{convert|11|mi|0}} east of [[Chouteau, Oklahoma|Chouteau]]. [[U.S. Route 412]], a four-lane freeway, passes along the southern border of the town, with access from Exit 6 ([[Oklahoma State Highway 82|State Highway 82]]. [[Special routes of U.S. Route 412#Eastern Oklahoma alternate route|U.S. 412 Alternate]] follows the former route of the highway through the center of Locust Grove. U.S. 412 leads east {{Convert|22|mi}} to the town of [[Kansas, Oklahoma|Kansas]] and west {{convert|47|mi}} to [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]]. State Highway 82 runs along the eastern border of Locust Grove, leading north to Salina and southeast {{convert|26|mi}} to [[Tahlequah, Oklahoma|Tahlequah]].

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the town of Locust Grove has a total area of {{convert|1.8|sqmi|1}}, all land.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2024"/> The town is drained to the west by Crutchfield Branch, a tributary of the [[Neosho River]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1920= 587
|1930= 510
|1940= 545
|1950= 730
|1960= 828
|1970= 1090
|1980= 1179
|1990= 1326
|2000= 1366
|2010= 1423
|2020= 1371
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2010, there were 5,200 people, 819 households, and 363 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|1,606.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 567 housing units at an average density of {{convert|666.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 57.32% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 32.50% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.22% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.81% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 9.15% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.42% of the population.

There were 519 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.1% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,655, and the median income for a family was $24,821. Males had a median income of $25,500 versus $16,389 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,191. About 22.1% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 19.5% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
It is in the [[Locust Grove Public Schools]]<!--UNI 18000--> school district, located in Locust Grove. It serves the students from Locust Grove and many other communities.<ref name=CensusSDMap2020>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st40_ok/schooldistrict_maps/c40097_mayes/DC20SD_C40097.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Mayes County, OK|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-10-13}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st40_ok/schooldistrict_maps/c40097_mayes/DC20SD_C40097_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

The school system consists of four different schools: The Early Learning Center (Pre-K through 1st Grade), the Upper Elementary (2nd through 5th grades), the Middle School (6th through 8th grades), and the High School (9th through 12th grades).

Locust Grove High School is steeped in tradition. Every year the first football game of the season is Locust Grove versus [[Salina, Oklahoma|Salina]] in the Battle of [[Oklahoma State Highway 82|82 (highway).]]{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}

==Points of interest==
Locust Grove is {{convert|8|mi|0}} west of the [[Rose, Oklahoma#Saline District Courthouse|Saline Courthouse]], the only remaining of nine rural [[Cherokee Nation]] courthouses built in the 1880s. The courthouse, near the Mayes/Delaware County line, was undergoing renovation in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tulsaworld.com/lifestyles/magazine/touring-the-tribes-where-to-go-in-northeast-oklahoma/article_78b60e75-a447-5340-ab17-5aa4608c8661.html |title= Touring the Tribes? Where to go in northeast Oklahoma |date= May 11, 2019 | publisher=Kelsy Schlotthauer, Tulsa World, May 11, 2019|accessdate = October 11, 2019}}</ref>

The [[Willard Stone#Willard Stone Museum|Willard Stone Museum]] is currently at his homeplace in Locust Grove.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.facebook.com/Willard-Stone-Museum-112697180080554/?rf=122236947874137 |title=Willard Stone Museum|website=[[Facebook]] |accessdate=October 11, 2019}}</ref> The museum's goal is to relocate to the historic building that housed the first bank in Locust Grove, located in downtown and built in 1912, to house the collection.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://willardstonemuseuminc.com/ |title=Willard Stone Museum Website|accessdate=October 11, 2019}}</ref> In 2019, the museum's board of directors authorized build-out of the new facility, and in September 2020 launched a fundraising campaign to finance the needed renovations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tulsaworld.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/willard-stone-museum-launches-fundraiser-to-renovate-new-facility/article_9174ca3e-eec5-11ea-b620-d3ae87fbc24f.html |title=Willard Stone Museum launches fundraiser to renovate new facility|date=September 8, 2020 |publisher=James D. Watts Jr., Tulsa World, September 8, 2020}}</ref>

Locust Grove is directly south of [[Lake Hudson (Oklahoma)|Lake Hudson]], southwest of [[Lake W. R. Holway]], formerly Chimney Rock Lake, and northeast of [[Fort Gibson Lake]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Locust+Grove,+OK+74352/@36.238115,-95.0762314,14z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x87b623b5c0c7a3ab:0xc76089900c965760!8m2!3d36.2000936!4d-95.1677401 | title=Locust Grove, Oklahoma|publisher=Google Maps|accessdate=October 19, 2019}}</ref>

== Notable residents ==
* [[Ally Carter]], author
* [[Bill Glass Jr.]], [[Cherokee Nation]] ceramic artist and sculptor
* [[Jeffrey Rowland]], artist and CEO
* [[Willard Stone]], Art Deco sculptor

==External links==
* {{Official|locustgroveok.org}}
* [https://rompoetry.com/ Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry]
* [https://willardstonemuseuminc.com/ Willard Stone Museum]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Mayes County, Oklahoma}}
{{Indian Territory in the Civil War}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Towns in Mayes County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Indian Territory in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:1873 establishments in Indian Territory]]