Spiro, Oklahoma

Spiro is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,164 at the 2010 census, a 2.8 percent decline from the figure of 2,227 recorded in 2000.

Developed as a railroad station in an agricultural area in the late 19th century, the small town is notable for its proximity to the Spiro Mounds. This is a Mississippian culture center that was active from about 900 to 1450 CE that was part of a culture in Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas. Today, the 80-acre site with several earthwork mounds is preserved as Oklahoma's only State Archeological Park and one of North America's most important archaeological sites. It is the westernmost site of the expansive Mississippian culture, which had associated centers through the Mississippi and tributary river valleys.

History
In 1895 and 1896, the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad (later owned by the Kansas City Southern Railroad) established a station at the present site of Spiro, which connected the area to the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas. This railroad access attracted residents from the nearby town of Skullyville, and Spiro soon developed as the principal town in this area. The town population was 543 in 1900.

A post office was established at Spiro, Indian Territory on September 21, 1898. At the time of its founding, Spiro was located in Skullyville County, a part of the Moshulatubbee District of the Choctaw Nation.

Several accounts differ as to how the post office was named. One claims that Spiro was the maiden name of the first postmistress. Another claims it was the maiden name of the mother of a Fort Smith banker. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, Spiro was named after Celia Spiro, wife of an Oklahoma banker, Iser H Nakdimen. He founded the City National Bank in Ft. Smith, Arkansas and the First National Bank in Muldrow, Oklahoma.

Cotton was an important cash crop. In 1901, Spiro had three cotton yards and one cotton gin. By 1910, there were three cotton gins and the population had grown to 1,173. As cotton cultivation became more mechanized, labor needs declined. The Great Depression of the 1930s took the heart out of the market. Timber harvesting and processing and livestock became important industries in the region. The population declined to 969 in 1930, as agricultural workers migrated to other areas for jobs. It rebounded to 1,365 by 1950 as the economy grew.

On March 26, 1976, the town was struck by an F5 tornado, the highest level on the Fujita scale, resulting in two deaths. The town was again hit by a tornado on April 21, 1996 as the storm moved across the Sunset Corners area and eastward through the town center, however the storm resulted in no deaths in Spiro although 4 people were killed as the storm moved into Arkansas.

Geography
Spiro is located 3 mi south of the Arkansas River, 17 mi southwest of Fort Smith, Arkansas and 10 mi west of the Oklahoma-Arkansas border.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.2 sqmi, of which 2.1 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (3.18%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,227 people, 875 households, and 587 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,049.5 PD/sqmi. There were 992 housing units at an average density of 467.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 80.47% White, 5.21% African American, 6.11% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 1.35% from other races, and 6.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.51% of the population.

There were 875 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% 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 3.03.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $18,241, and the median income for a family was $25,556. Males had a median income of $23,716 versus $16,694 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,195. About 23.2% of families and 29.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.8% of those under age 18 and 29.9% of those age 65 or over.

The local government consists of city council members and a mayor. Doug Harper, a lifelong resident of and business owner in Spiro, serves as the towns mayor.

Notable people

 * Bill Blankenship – football coach, born in Spiro in 1956
 * Albert E. Brumley (1905–1977) – gospel songwriter and publisher, born in Spiro in 1905
 * Henry Burris – professional Canadian football player, born in Spiro in 1975
 * Ryan Franklin (b. 1973) – Major League Baseball pitcher, grew up in Spiro
 * Dallas Frazier – Bakersfield Sound singer-songwriter, born in Spiro in 1939
 * Rod Shoate – professional football player for the New England Patriots