Chelsea is a town in Rogers County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Chelsea had a population of 1,991. Chelsea was named after the area in London, England, by Charles Peach, a railroad official who was a native of London. The town was the site of the Chelsea-Alluwe Oil Field, which produced a significant amount of oil from circa 1910 until the early 1920s, before it played out. Will Rogers attended a subscription school on Cherokee Land in Chelsea.

History

In 1881, Chelsea began as a stop on the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. A post office was established in November 1882. The community incorporated as a town in the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, in 1889. The town was surveyed and platted in 1902. The Bank of Chelsea, the first state bank in Indian Territory, began operation in March 1896.

Chelsea's claim to the first oil well proved to be untrue. Although USOGC drilled ten other wells on its lease in the next two years, the total production was said to be only 12 barrels, economically insignificant, after which the company ceased operating. The Cherokee Oil and Gas Company then took over the lease. By then, the Cherokee government had limited the size of each lease to . It and other companies later drilled more productive wells which proved economically viable. The whole area became known as the Chelsea-Alluwe Oil Field. Significant production dropped after 1916 and the oil companies stopped work in this field shortly after.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Chelsea had a population of 1,991. The median age was 35.3 years. 26.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.7 males age 18 and over.

There were 781 households in Chelsea, of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.2% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

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| White || 1,147 || 57.6%

|-

| Black or African American || 9 || 0.5%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 465 || 23.4%

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| Asian || 2 || 0.1%

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| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

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| Some other race || 8 || 0.4%

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| Two or more races || 360 || 18.1%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 33 || 1.7%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

National Register of Historic Places

The following sites in Chelsea are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

  • Chelsea Motel
  • Hogue House
  • Pryor Creek Bridge

Notable natives

  • Actor Gar Moore
  • World Series MVP pitcher Ralph Terry (member of Chelsea High School Green Dragons baseball team)

References

  • Chelsea entry at the Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture