Idabel is a city in and the county seat of McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,961 at the 2020 census.

The city was first named "Purnell", after Isaac Purnell, a railroad official. When postal officials rejected that designation, the name was changed to "Mitchell", honoring another railroad company officer. Postal officials rejected that name because another post office of the same name already existed elsewhere in the territory. They named the post office Bokhoma (a Choctaw word meaning Red River); it opened December 15, 1902.

Railroad officials then chose the name Idabel, a compound of the names of Isaac Purnell's two daughters, Ida and Bell. The post office was renamed as Idabel.

At the time of its founding, Idabel was located in Bok Tuklo County, a part of the Apukshunubbee District of the Choctaw Nation, within what was known as Indian Territory.

For the first four years, Idabel local government was conducted by the Choctaw tribe for its people. The federal government had legal jurisdiction in most matters over non-Choctaws. In 1906, the citizens elected their first mayor and established a mayor-council form of government.

At the time of statehood, November 16, 1907, the town was designated as the county seat of McCurtain County. A census in that year reported 726 residents. By 1910, the population had grown to 1,493. In 1920, there were 3,617 residents, but the number fell to 2,581 in 1930. Growth resumed by the end of the Great Depression in the late 1930s.

Idabel residents elected their first African-American mayor in April 2019, mayor Craig Young.

2022 tornado

On November 4, 2022, Idabel was hit by a destructive EF4 tornado. The tornado warranted a tornado emergency and was at EF3 strength when it struck the city. It caused heavy damage, mainly to the southeast portion of the city.

Geography

Idabel is in southern McCurtain County, lying between the Little River and the Red River, about west of the Oklahoma-Arkansas state line and east of Hugo.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Idabel had a population of 6,961, 2,721 households, and 1,790 families residing in the city. The median age was 35.1 years; 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.4 males age 18 and over.

There were 2,721 households in Idabel, of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.4% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 40.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Percent

|-

| White || 46.4%

|-

| Black or African American || 22.6%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 10.9%

|-

| Asian || 0.5%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1.8%

|-

| Some other race || 5.6%

|-

| Two or more races || 12.3%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 10.4%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

McCurtain County Regional Airport (FAA ID: 4O4) is northwest of Idabel, and features a paved runway.

Commercial air transportation is available out of Texarkana Regional Airport, about 73 miles southeast.

Idabel has rail freight service through the Kiamichi Railroad.

Economy

Initially, timber was the basis for the local economy, but this was supplanted by cotton production after the nearby forests were cleared. One cotton gin operated in Idabel in 1904, but six were in business in 1930. However, the Great Depression, depleted soil and destructive pests essentially wiped out this industry around Idabel. Landowners converted their properties to pastures and expanded beef production. Chicken farms were also established in the area and marginal agricultural land was turned into pine plantations.

Little River National Wildlife Refuge is to the northeast; further to the northeast are Broken Bow Lake, Beavers Bend State Park, Hochatown State Park (now part of Beavers Bend), McCurtain County Game Reserve, and the Carson Creek Recreation Area. To the southeast is the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area.

The Museum of the Red River houses art as well as archaeology, including Acrocanthosaurus atokensis, the Oklahoma State Dinosaur.

The Barnes-Stevenson House is a 1912 restored Victorian house complete with period furnishings, and is on the National Register of Historic Places listings in McCurtain County, Oklahoma. Other Idabel locales on the list include the Frisco Station, the Idabel Armory, the Rouleau Hotel, and the Spaulding-Olive House.

Education

thumb|The former State Theater, across from the courthouse in Idabel, houses a law office, the Legal Arts Building.

right|thumb|McCurtain Daily Gazette office in Idabel

Public schools

Idabel Public Schools serves the community.

  • Idabel High School - Grades 9–12
  • Idabel Middle School - Grades 6–8
  • Central Elementary - Grades 3–5
  • Idabel Primary South - Grades 1–2 PRE-K–K
  • EvenStart - Ages 2–4
  • Southeast Elementary - pre-k–4–Adult Ed
  • Denison Elementary - Pre-Kindergarten - 8th

Advanced education

  • Kiamichi Technology Center
  • Southeastern Oklahoma State University, McCurtain County campus (formerly called the ET Dunlap Center)
  • Eastern Oklahoma State College

Notable people

  • Vice Admiral Phillip Balisle, United States Navy
  • Randall Burks, former professional football player
  • Ray Burris, professional baseball player
  • Hadley Caliman, jazz musician
  • Robert Evans, podcaster and journalist
  • Earl Grant, organist
  • Larzette Hale-Wilson, first Black woman in US to earn a PhD in accounting and the first Black female CPA in the state of Georgia.
  • Jeff Keith, lead singer for the rock band Tesla
  • Sunny Murray, jazz drummer, composer and band leader
  • Harold Stevenson, artist (1929–2018)
  • Countess Vaughn, actress

References

  • Idabel Public Library
  • Idabel Public Schools
  • McCurtain County OSU Extension Center
  • Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Idabel