Editing Pond Creek, Oklahoma

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                     = Pond Creek, Oklahoma
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

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|map_caption              = Location of Pond Creek, Oklahoma
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<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Oklahoma]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Oklahoma|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Grant County, Oklahoma|Grant]]

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|population_total         = 885
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|population_density_km2 = 402.48
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|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 73766
|area_code                = [[Area code 580|580]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 40-59950<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
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|website                  = {{URL|https://www.pondcreekok.com|pondcreekok.com}}
}}

'''Pond Creek''' is a city in [[Grant County, Oklahoma|Grant County]], [[Oklahoma]], United States, along the [[Salt Fork Arkansas River]]. As of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]], the city population was 856, a 4.5 percent decline from the figure of 896 in 2000.<ref>CensusViewer:Pond Creek (corporate and RR name for Pondcreek), Oklahoma Population.[http://censusviewer.com/city/OK/Pond%20Creek%20%28corporate%20and%20RR%20name%20for%20Pondcreek%29]</ref>

==History==
Before people of European descent came on the scene, the region around the present town of Pond Creek was traversed by many of the nomadic Native Americans of the Great Plains. Although the land is now heavily agricultural there are still traces of campsites along the numerous creeks of the drainage of the [[Salt Fork Arkansas River|Salt Fork of the Arkansas River]]. When many of the Native American groups were moved onto reservations in what is now Oklahoma, towns and trading posts were established. Eventually the present-day Oklahoma was divided into [[Oklahoma Territory]] and Indian Territory. The history of Pond Creek and the surrounding area can be easily confused with other streams called Pond Creek (see e.g.<ref>[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v002/v002p009.html] Chronicles of Oklahoma Volume 2, No. 1 March 1924 MILITARY REMINISCENSES OF CAPTAIN RICHARD T. JACOB</ref>). The present community of Pond Creek is located in what is called the Cherokee Strip, more properly known as the [[Cherokee Outlet]]. The land at the confluence of Osage Creek and Pond Creek was known as the Pond Creek Stockade on the original [[Chisholm Trail]] used by cattle drivers bringing herds of Texas longhorns north to the railroad head first at [[Abilene, Kansas]] then later to [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]] and [[Caldwell, Kansas|Caldwell]].<ref>[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v010/v010p331.html] Chronicles of Oklahoma Volume 10, No. 3 September 1932 EDWIN WILLIAMS, ENGINEER Hubert E. Collins pg. 336</ref>
<ref>[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v014/v014p084.html] Chronicles of Oklahoma Volume 14, No. 1 March 1936 THE TWO CATTLE TRAILS H. S. Tennant</ref> This location is about 4 miles north of the present town of Pond Creek near the present village of [[Jefferson, Oklahoma|Jefferson]]. Two markers have been placed in this area commemorating the untimely demise of two cowboys.<ref>[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v007/v007p121.html] Chronicles of Oklahoma Volume 7, No. 1 March 1929 A SHORT HISTORICAL SKETCH T.E. Beck, Jefferson, Okla. Page 121-122</ref> There are two granite markers placed near Pond Creek on the old [[Chisholm Trail]].<ref>[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v016/v016p393.html] Chronicles of Oklahoma
Volume 16, No. 4 December 1938 OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL NOTES Edited by James W. Moffitt pg. 339.</ref>

In 1887, the [[Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway]] built a branch line north–south from [[Caldwell, Kansas]] to Pond Creek in 1888.<ref name="Rock Island Rail History">{{Cite web |url=http://home.covad.net/~scicoatnsew/rihist4.htm |title=Rock Island Rail History |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619230000/http://home.covad.net/~scicoatnsew/rihist4.htm |archive-date=2011-06-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  By 1893, it was incrementally built to [[Fort Worth, Texas]].  It was foreclosed on in 1891 and taken over by [[Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway]], which shut-down in 1980. The Kansas-Texas mainline was sold to a subsidiary of the [[Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad]] as the [[Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad]], merging in 1988 with [[Missouri Pacific Railroad]], which merged in 1997 with [[Union Pacific Railroad]].  Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island."

Pond Creek was settled as a town during the [[Land Run of 1893|Cherokee Strip Land Run]] in 1893.<ref name="EOHC-PondCreek">Wilson, Linda C. [http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=PO009 "Pond Creek,"] ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', 2009. Accessed April 3, 2015.</ref> According to the ''Chronicles of Oklahoma'', "The government townsite of Pond Creek was first entered at 2:10 on the day of the run. By evening, it contained some 8,000 inhabitants, and boasted a good hotel, several restaurants, a dozen law offices, two general stores and six or seven grocery stores."<ref name="COO-Milim-1932">Milam, Joe B.[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v010/v010p115.html "The Opening of the Cherokee Outlet"] "The Opening of the Cherokee Outlet". Chronicles of Oklahoma 10:1 March 1932 page 128.</ref> The settlers soon found that there was not enough water to support the new town; the government had dug wells for all of the government townsites, including Pond Creek, but all the water in Pond Creek's well was quickly used up.<ref name="COO-Milim-1932"/> Soldiers dug a new well but found only salt water.<ref name="COO-Milim-1932"/> Water from the [[Salt Fork Arkansas River|Salt Fork River]] was brought to Pond Creek and sold for five cents a cup, but it was not fit for human or animal consumption.<ref name="COO-Milim-1932"/> Beer became a precious commodity, selling for fifty to seventy-five cents a bottle.<ref name="COO-Milim-1932"/> Water from stagnant creek pools was given to animals.<ref name="COO-Milim-1932"/> The area also experienced a violent sand storm and wildfires.<ref name="COO-Milim-1932"/>

In addition to these tribulations, the citizens of Pond Creek had to do battle with the powerful railroad interests, in this case the "Rock Island Line" or CRI&P railroad, to get a coveted depot. This conflict has been called the [[Enid-Pond Creek Railroad War]]. Briefly, the railroad had established a station for Pond Creek and the federal government established a different station about 4 miles south of the railroad town. The railroad refused to stop at the government Pond Creek until a combination of citizen action and congressional action forced them to change. Pond Creek legend has it that the railroad specified a mail stop at Pond Creek so to keep face they merely changed the name of railroad Pond Creek to [[Jefferson, Oklahoma|Jefferson]] and made government Pond Creek the Pond Creek station. This story doesn't quite correspond with most personal histories of the controversy<ref>http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v022/v022p435.pdf pp452-456</ref><ref>{{Cite web
| title = Hell on Rails: Oklahoma Towns at War with the Rock Island Railroad
| accessdate = 2012-02-25
| url = http://www.historynet.com/hell-on-rails-oklahoma-towns-at-war-with-the-rock-island-railroad.htm
}}</ref> but it makes a colorful tale.

==Geography==
Pond Creek is located on the west side of the [[Salt Fork Arkansas River]]. The city lies at the intersection of [[U.S. Route 60 in Oklahoma|U.S. routes 60]] and [[U.S. Route 81 in Oklahoma|81]].<ref>''Pond Creek, OK,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1968</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|0.8|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1900= 822
|1910= 1113
|1920= 965
|1930= 857
|1940= 1019
|1950= 1066
|1960= 935
|1970= 903
|1980= 949
|1990= 982
|2000= 896
|2010= 856
|2020= 885
|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 2000, there were 896 people, 364 households, and 263 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,072.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 437 housing units at an average density of {{convert|523.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 93.53% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 3.57% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.22% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.11% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.11% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.46% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.00% of the population.

There were 364 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,515, and the median income for a family was $36,346. Males had a median income of $30,682 versus $19,097 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $17,456. About 13.6% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 27.5% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

==See also==
{{Portal|Oklahoma}}
* [[Enid–Pond Creek Railroad War]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Pond Creek, Oklahoma}}
* [http://www.pondcreek-hunter.k12.ok.us/ Pond Creek - Hunter schools]
* [http://www.historynet.com/hell-on-rails-oklahoma-towns-at-war-with-the-rock-island-railroad.htm Hell on Rails : Oklahoma Towns at War with the Rock Island Railroad], historynet.com
* [http://www.jimfulbright.com/trailsinfo.html Trails to Old Pond Creek]

{{Grant County, Oklahoma}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Grant County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Cities in Oklahoma]]