Hugo, Oklahoma

History

This was part of the Indian Territory to which the United States government relocated Native American tribes from east of the Mississippi River in the 1830s under its Indian Removal policy. Among the nations relocated here were the Choctaw, for whom the county is named. They were one of what were called the "Five Civilized Tribes" of the southeastern United States, as they had adopted numerous elements of European-American culture. When they relocated, they brought with them the numerous African-American slaves whom they held. As the Choctaw allied with the Confederate South during the American Civil War, the United States government insisted on a new peace treaty with them after its end. A condition was the Choctaws' emancipation of their slaves and granting to the freedmen of rights of full citizenship in the Choctaw nation, as the US was granting citizenship to former slaves of the South.

The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (Frisco) built a line from Hope, Arkansas, to Ardmore, Oklahoma, in 1901. It crossed the north-south line Frisco had built in 1887 to connect Monett, Missouri, to Paris, Texas. The territorial town that sprung up at the crossing would soon be named Hugo. The town's name was recommended by the wife of local surveyor W.H. Darrough, a fan of Victor Hugo.

In late 1993, the town suffered several violent incidents. Before Christmas, a shootout occurred in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Within one week in December, two fires occurred; the first was at the Booker T. Washington gymnasium on December 26. On December 28 a fire erupted in the central business district of Hugo, consuming five buildings and burning for four hours. The Belmont Hotel, which the area historical society was renovating, was destroyed. Area authorities suspected that the fires were arson.

Point of interest

In 1937, artist Joseph Fleck painted an oil-on-canvas mural, titled The Red Man of Oklahoma Sees the First Stage Coach, in the United States post office. The original post office is now the Oklahoma School System Administration Building. Murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the Section of Painting and Sculpture, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department.

Geography

Hugo is located at the center of Choctaw County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.42 square miles (16.64 km²), of which 6.40 square miles (16.58 km²) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.06 km²), or 0.36%, is water. Hugo Lake on the Kiamichi River lies northeast of town, and Roebuck Lake, an oxbow former channel of the Red River, lies south of town.

Hugo is the southern terminus of the Indian Nation Turnpike, a 105-mile (169 km) four-lane highway which runs northwest to Interstate 40 in Henryetta, providing a vital transportation link from southeastern Oklahoma to the state's largest cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,536 people, 2,309 households, and 1,415 families residing in the city. The population density was 999.0 people per square mile (385.8/km²). There were 2,798 housing units at an average density of 504.9 per square mile (195.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.28% White, 30.6% African American, 14.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.

There were 2,309 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.4% were married couples living together, 20.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% 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 2.98.

In the city, the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 79.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,321, and the median income for a family was $26,523. Males had a median income of $26,473 versus $17,348 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,676. About 25.5% of families and 29.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.5% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Agriculture (especially cotton farming), timber and ranching have been mainstays of the city's economy since its beginning. Since the 1940s, circuses have used Hugo as their winter quarters. The Kiamichi Technology Center and the "Agriplex," originally the Choctaw County Agricultural Center, opened during the 1970s.

Government

Hugo implemented a council-manager form of city government in 1995.

Transportation

Hugo serves as the southern terminating point for the Indian Nation Turnpike. U.S. Highway 70 runs west to east through the city and connects Hugo to Durant 53 miles (85 km) to the west and Idabel 43 miles (69 km) to the east. U.S. Highway 271 runs south out of the city and leads 26 miles (42 km) to Paris, Texas.

Hugo is served by the city-operated Stan Stamper Municipal Airport, with one 4,007-by-75-foot (1,221 m × 23 m) runway. The airport has ten aircraft based on the field and supports medical air ambulance operations by EagleMed as well as scheduled cargo operations for all of southeastern Oklahoma via a flight from Tulsa operated by Martinaire on behalf of UPS.

National Register of Historic Places

Notable people