Corn, Oklahoma

Corn is a town in Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 503 at the 2010 census.<ref name="Census2010DP1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Corn is located 13 miles northeast of Cordell in west-central Oklahoma.<ref name="odot-2008-map">Template:Cite map</ref>

The U.S. Census Bureau, reports that the town has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Origins of the town name

The word Template:Lang itself is a German word translated in English as 'grain'.<ref name=Linguee>Template:Cite web</ref> Several sources confirm that the town settled by German immigrants received its name because its first post office was located in (or near) a corn field.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=GAMEO-Corn/> As a result of anti-German sentiment during World War I, the name of the town was permanently changed from Korn to Corn.<ref name="korn">Template:Cite web</ref>

Founding and early years

The town of Corn, or Korn—as it was spelled at that time—was originally settled by German-speaking Russian Mennonites.<ref name="korn"/> Around the time of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Land Run of 1892, Mennonite missionary John J. Kliewer, who was stationed at nearby Shelly Indian Mission, invited fellow Mennonites from Kansas to homestead lands left unclaimed by Cheyennes and Arapahos. Sixteen Mennonite families staked homestead claims in 1892. By 1893, forty families had settled in the area.<ref name="ML">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="CornMarker">Template:Cite web</ref>

These Mennonite homesteaders brought with them a particular variety of winter wheat known as "Turkey Red", which grew particularly well in the western Oklahoma soil.<ref name=GAMEO-Farming>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1894, Peter Bergman donated part of his land to establish a place of worship. A rough Mennonite church was then built; a dugout with a low sloping roof and sides made of sod. Church benches were made from local Cottonwood trees.<ref name=GAMEO-Corn>Template:Cite web</ref> Between 1893 and 1920, a total of eight Mennonite churches were established within an eight-mile radius of the town.<ref name="ML"/> To mark its centennial year, Corn received a historical marker from the state honoring both its agricultural and Mennonite heritage.<ref name="CornMarker"/>

On April 27, 1896, the Korn post office was established in a rural home, two and one-fourth miles north of the present-day town. Shortly thereafter, the post office was moved three miles north of the original site to a store owned by James Kendall. When Kendall's planned townsite failed to develop at the location, the post office was once again moved in 1903 to the present day site of the town of Corn, finding its new home in the merchandise store of George B. Flaming.<ref name="korn"/>

World War I brought down harassment both from vigilantes and the Washita County Council of Defense upon many of the Germans and Mennonites that lived in and around Corn. This was due to the combination of their German heritage and their particular Mennonite/Anabaptist theological convictions, which dictated their conscientious objection to participation in warfare.<ref name="wash">Template:Cite web</ref> Not only did the town Americanize its name from Korn to Corn during this time, but the nearby Cordell Christian College closed and a German-language newspaper, the Template:Lang, ceased operation after threats from the Knights of Liberty.<ref name="wash"/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Education

A private Christian academy, under the name Template:Lang, was established by the Mennonite Brethren Church as a Bible and language school in 1902.<ref name=GAMEO-CBA>Template:Cite web</ref> Now known as Corn Bible Academy, it has continuously educated students into the 21st century<ref name="korn"/> and is the oldest Christian school west of the Mississippi.<ref name=CBA>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2016, it was serving grades 7–12.<ref name=CBA/>

In 1968, the public school of nearby Colony merged with the Corn public schools, forming the Washita Heights School District. On April 23, 2010, a referendum was held asking for voter approval to disband the increasingly small school district of Washita Heights, along with its school in Corn, due to the lack of students within the district and insufficient funding.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The dissolution was approved and the nearby Cordell schools annexed the Washita Heights district.Template:Citation needed

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 591 people, 198 households, and 136 families residing in the town. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 226 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the town was 91.71% European American, 0.34% African American, 1.86% Native American, 2.88% from other races, and 3.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.57% of the population.

There were 198 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 15.2% from 45 to 64, and 33.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,154, and the median income for a family was $33,281. Males had a median income of $23,750 compared o $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,632. About 14.4% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of 2010, the Census Bureau reported 503 people, 188 households and 118 family households in the town. 93.6% of its population was white. 42.7% were male and 57.3% were female. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.86 persons. The percent of the population 18 years and older was 84.9%, or 427 persons, while 37.8%, or 190 persons, were 65 years and older. The median age was 53.6 years.<ref name="Census2010DP1"/>

Economy

Agriculture has been a primary base for Corn and the surrounding county.<ref name="wash"/> Crops include wheat, cotton, sorghum, barley, rye, and peanuts.<ref name="wash"/>

External links

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Corn (Town)