Editing Valliant, Oklahoma

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Valliant, Oklahoma
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

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|image_map                = OKMap-doton-Valliant.PNG
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Valliant, 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        = [[McCurtain County, Oklahoma|McCurtain]]

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|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 819
|population_density_km2   = 163.91
|population_density_sq_mi = 424.57

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|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
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|elevation_ft             = 525
|coordinates              = {{coord|34|00|21|N|95|05|10|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}<ref name=gnis/>
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 74764
|area_code                = [[Area code 580|580]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 40-76650<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2413421<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2413421}}</ref>
|website                  = [http://www.valliantchamber.org Chamber of Commerce, Valliant]
|footnotes                = 
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}}
'''Valliant''' is a town in [[McCurtain County, Oklahoma|McCurtain County]], [[Oklahoma]], United States. The population was 754 at the [[United States Census, 2010|2010 census]].

==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>

==Geography==
The town is located in southwestern McCurtain County on [[U.S. Route 70 in Oklahoma|U.S. Route 70]], {{convert|3|miles|km}} from the [[Choctaw County, Oklahoma|Choctaw]] - McCurtin county line. It is {{convert|6|miles|km}} north of the [[Red River of the South|Red River]] and the Oklahoma-[[Texas]] state line. [[Idabel, Oklahoma|Idabel]] is {{convert|15|miles|km}} southeast on Route 70.<ref>''Oklahoma Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 1st edition 1998, p. 66, {{isbn|0-89933-283-8}}</ref>
 
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|0.8|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 656
|1920= 809
|1930= 608
|1940= 551
|1950= 661
|1960= 477
|1970= 840
|1980= 927
|1990= 873
|2000= 769
|2010= 754
|2020= 819
|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|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
According to the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, Valliant residents included 771 people, 315 households, and 194 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|1,023.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 351 housing units at an average density of {{convert|466.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 75.49% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 9.21% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 10.77% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.52% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 4.02% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.91% of the population.

There were 315 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 74.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 64.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $18,393, and the median income for a family was $26,058. Males had a median income of $24,125 versus $17,344 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $10,380. About 24.3% of families and 31.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 35.2% of those under age 18 and 28.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Economy==
The economic base of the town has been agriculture. Early-day crops were cotton and grains. Cotton began to decline after 1930, so the land was shifted into pasture and forage for feeding cattle. Forest products became important in the 1970s, when Weyerhaeuser Co., a paper products company opened a paperboard plant and a paper mill, making it the largest employer in town.<ref name="EOHC-Valliant"/>{{efn|Weyerhaeuser then had 350 production workers and 150 support workers before the company announcing that it would close one of its three paper machines indefinitely. It also sold its container board packaging and recycling business to [[International Paper]]. That included the Valiant mill.<ref name= "Blossom">[https://newsok.com/article/3298900/why-valliant-paper-mill-plant-to-shut-unit-impacting-60-jobs Blossom, Debbie. "Why Valliant paper mill plant to shut unit, impacting 60 jobs." NewsOK. September 17, 2008.] Accessed October 11, 2018.</ref>}}

==Transportation==
Valliant is served by [[US Route 70]], and Old State Highway 98, a prior alignment of the current [[Oklahoma State Highway 98]].<ref name="Valliant, Oklahoma">{{cite web|url= https://www.google.com/maps/place/Valliant,+OK+74764/@34.0060004,-95.0990872,15.01z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x864a9fad45a36705:0x8e9306bc3d01a3b6!8m2!3d34.0023293!4d-95.0938386 |title= Valliant, Oklahoma|publisher=Google Maps|accessdate=August 27, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.odot.org/hqdiv/p-r-div/maps/state-maps/pdfs/1961.pdf |title=Oklahoma 1961 Road Map|publisher=Oklahoma Department of Transportation|accessdate=August 27, 2021}}</ref>

The town is a rail connection point, with the [[Texas, Oklahoma and Eastern Railroad]], [[Kiamichi Railroad]], and [[WFEC Railroad Company|WFEC Railroad]] all having interchange points at the location.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.brokenarrowedc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/State-Rail-Map-2018-2020.pdf |title=Oklahoma 2018-2020 State Railroad Map|publisher=Oklahoma Department of Transportation|accessdate=August 26, 2021}}</ref>

McCurtain County Regional Airport (FAA ID: 4o4) is about 17 miles southeast and features a 5002 x 75&nbsp;ft. paved runway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airnav.com/airport/4O4| title= McCurtain County Regional Airport|publisher=AirNav.com|access-date=September 17, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Valliant, Oklahoma"/> Commercial air service is available out of [[Texarkana Regional Airport]], about 92 miles southeast.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.travelmath.com/nearest-airport/Valliant,+OK |title=Nearest major airport to Valliant, Oklahoma |publisher=travelmath.com|accessdate=August 27, 2021}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*http://www.valliantchamber.org
* [http://www.valliant.lib.ok.us/ Mattie Terry Public Library (Valliant, OK)]

{{McCurtain County, Oklahoma}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in McCurtain County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Towns in Oklahoma]]