Gilmore, Oklahoma Explained

Gilmore, Oklahoma
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:Oklahoma#USA
Pushpin Label:Gilmore
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Oklahoma
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Le Flore
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2000
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:538
Coordinates:35.0516°N -94.5242°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Area Code:918, 539
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:40/29350
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1100450

Gilmore is an unincorporated community in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States.[1] The town, formerly incorporated, boasted a small post office (between 1890 and 1918),[2] city hall, and Mayor Pratt McMillin, a rancher and oil distributor who died in April 2001, aged 84.[3] The primary population of Gilmore lives around the intersection of Nail Creek Road and Gilmore Road just east of Poteau and north of Monroe, although in recent years, multiple houses have been built along Nail Creek Road west of Gilmore Road, expanding the community towards the town of Poteau. The town is home to the Vaughn Memorial Cemetery which was adjacent to the Double Branch Baptist Church until the church burned down in the late 2000s.The surrounding area consists primarily of farmland and forest situated in the Poteau River Valley region between Sugar Loaf Mountain, Oklahoma Peak, and Cavanal Hill with a tributary of the Poteau River, Nail Creek running through Gilmore.

Location

The area of the town was originally located in Sugar Loaf County, Moshulatubbee District of the Choctaw Nation.[4]

Today, the town is located in Choctaw Nation, District 4.[5]

History

A post office opened at Gilmore, Indian Territory, on June 30, 1890. It closed on January 15, 1918. It was named for Rad Gilmore, a local mill operator.[6]

In the 1884 election campaign for sheriff of Sugar Loaf County, Bob Benton and Charles Wilson ran against each other. Benton and Jack Crow shot and killed Wilson outside the county courthouse near Summerfield. Even though Benton shot first, Crow delivered the fatal shot and was the only man to stand trial in the case under Isaac C. Parker. Wilson was buried in Vaughn Cemetery.[7]

On November 22, 1983, an F3 tornado hit the town after traveling 16 miles from Reichert and Howe, ending in Gilmore. There were no reported injuries or fatalities.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gilmore Populated Place Profile / Le Flore County, Oklahoma Data. oklahoma.hometownlocator.com. 2017-05-09.
  2. Web site: USPS.gov: Post Offices of LeFlore County. www.usps.gov. 2017-05-09.
  3. News: DEATHS. Tulsa World. 2017-05-09.
  4. Morris, John W. Historical Atlas of Oklahoma (Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1986), plate 38.
  5. Web site: Choctaw Nation District Map (PDF). www.choctawnation.com. 2017-05-09. 2017-05-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20170505025543/https://www.choctawnation.com/sites/default/files/District%20Map%20copy.pdf. dead.
  6. Shirk, George H. Oklahoma Place Names (Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1965), p. 88.
  7. Web site: Okgenweb: Jesse Rob Interview. www.okgenweb.net. 2017-05-09.
  8. Web site: Le Flore County, OK Tornadoes (1875-2011). Service. US Department of Commerce, NOAA, National Weather. www.crh.noaa.gov. 2017-05-09.