Swink, Oklahoma

A post office was established at Swink, Indian Territory on August 14, 1902. It was named for D.R. Swink, a local merchant.[5] At the time of its founding, Swink was located in Kiamitia County, a part of the Apukshunnubbee District of the Choctaw Nation.[6]

Swink is the location of the historic District Choctaw Chief's House, which was the home of District Choctaw Chief Thomas LeFlore.[7] The house was built in 1837 and is the oldest house in the state of Oklahoma that remains on its original site.[7] The house is on the National Register of Historic Places.[8]

Swink is located in eastern Choctaw County at 34°1′6″N 95°12′10″W (34.018441, -95.202851).[9] U.S. Route 70 passes along the northern edge of the community, leading west 19 miles (31 km) to Hugo, the county seat, and east 6 miles (10 km) to Valliant.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Swink CDP has an area of 0.23 square miles (0.6 km²), all land.[10]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 66 people, 36 households, and 20 families residing in the community.[3] There were 54 housing units.[3] The racial makeup of the town was 92.4% White, 1.5% Native American, and 6.1% from two or more races.[3] Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.[3]

There were 36 households, out of which 11.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families.[3] 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[3] The average household size was 1.83 and the average family size was 2.30.[3]

In the town the population was spread out, with 7.6% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 16.5% from 25 to 44, 31.8% from 45 to 64, and 39.4% who were 65 years of age or older.[11] The median age was 54.5 years.[11] For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males.[11] For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.[11]

According to the 2013 American Community Survey, The median income for a household in the town was $21,875, and the median income for a family was $21,042.[12] Males had a median income of $105,313, and there were not enough sample observations to calculate a median income for females.[12] The per capita income for the community was $21,206.[12] There were 17.6% of families and 18.5% of the population living below the poverty line, including 33.3% of those under the age of 18 and 4.8% of those 65 years of age or older.[12]

Near Swink was the discovery of Oklahoma’s only steamboat wreck.[13] The steamboat Heroine sank in the Red River on May 7, 1838, after hitting a submerged snag.[14] The Red River changed course in the early 1840s, leaving the Heroine buried in what became a pasture.[14] In the 1990s during a period of flood, the river moved again and Heroine reappeared in a riverbank.[14] In 1999 the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University collaborated on a dig of the site.[14] The excavation occurred between 2001 and 2008.[15] Reconstructed segments of the boat and its machinery, along with artifacts from the wreck, are now in the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City.[16]