Beaver, Oklahoma

History

It is located by Beaver River,also known as North Canadian River, and began as the location of a fur-trading post in 1879. Its original name was Beaver City, and was planned to be the capital of the short-lived Cimarron Territory. The Federal government never recognized the proposed Territory, but Beaver City remained the center of business and law enforcement for the area. In 1890, the territory was assigned to Oklahoma Territory, and Beaver City became the seat for the entire Oklahoma Panhandle, then known as Seventh County.

Beaver began as a stop on the Jones and Plummer Trail. In 1880, Jim Lane built a house on the south side of Beaver Creek, that also served as a general store, saloon, hotel, and restaurant.The first post office had been established on the north side of the river in 1883. In 1884 Lane moved the post office to his store and became the postmaster. He also added a corral and livery stable to accommodate freighters and cattle drivers. The Presbyterian Church was built in 1887. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as ""the oldest church in Oklahoma Territory".

Between Beaver and Guymon Oklahoma along Beaver Creek there are several plains Indians ruins. They are on private property and not accessible to the public. These ruins are associated with the Buried City Plains Indian Ruins near Perryton, Texas.

Geography

Beaver is located at 36°48′49″N 100°31′27″W (36.813486, −100.524298). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all land.

A mile north of the town is Beaver Dunes State Park, featuring the formation of sand dunes left by ancient seas that covered the area.

Climate

Beaver experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with cool, dry winters and hot, much wetter summers.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,515 people residing in the city. The population density was 1,300 people per square mile (510/km²). There were 702 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile (230/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.48% White, 0.57% African American, 1.53% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 3.69% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.68% of the population.

There were 606 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,560, and the median income for a family was $44,107. Males had a median income of $34,167 versus $19,511 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,897. About 6.8% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.9% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The economy of Beaver and the surrounding area is based on cattle ranching, wheat and sorghum farming, corporate hog farms, and oil and gas production. In 2015 Dollar General opened up in Beaver making it the first Dollar General in Beaver County.

Notable people