Boswell is a town in Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Boswell had a population of 579.
History
The Boswell area was one of the Choctaw Nation's first and most important settlements. A Presbyterian missionary station was founded at Mayhew, Indian Territory, three miles north of present-day Boswell in the 1840s. It soon became a government center as well as seat of civilization. Mayhew became the administrative and judicial capital of the Pushmataha District, one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation.
Mayhew was located in Blue County, one of the counties comprising the Pushmataha District. In 1886 portions of Blue County, including Mayhew, were joined with parts of adjacent counties to form Jackson County. The new county's seat of government was at Pigeon Roost, south of Boswell.
A United States Post Office was established at Mayhew, Indian Territory on February 5, 1845, and operated until September 30, 1902. It then moved two miles south to Boswell, which was then a new townsite along the new railroad, and changed its name to Boswell.
Boswell was named for S.C. Boswell, a local merchant.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Boswell has a total area of , of which is land and 1.43% is water.
The town contains Boswell State Park, an Oklahoma State Park largely occupied by a lake, which has been stocked with channel catfish.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Boswell had a population of 579. The median age was 36.0 years. 27.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 84.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 76.9 males age 18 and over.
There were 251 households in Boswell, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 28.3% were married-couple households, 17.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 44.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 303 || 52.3%
|-
| Black or African American || 64 || 11.1%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 99 || 17.1%
|-
| Asian || 1 || 0.2%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 12 || 2.1%
|-
| Two or more races || 100 || 17.3%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 26 || 4.5%
|}
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 709 people, 295 households, and 184 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 370 housing units at an average density of X per square mile (X/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the town was 63.33% white, 18.05% Native American, 8.32% African American, 2.68% from other races, and 7.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino individuals were 5.92% of the population in 2010, having more than doubled since 2000.
- Owanah Anderson - author and human rights activist.