Ketchum is a town in Craig and Mayes counties, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 471 at the 2020 census,

History

thumb|100px|left|Portrait of James Ketchum, of the Delaware tribe

The town was named for James Ketchum, a Delaware Indian and Methodist minister who had relocated to Indian Territory in 1867 from Wyandotte County, Kansas. The Post Office Department established the post office on September 15, 1899, at the original townsite. Ketchum was originally located in northeastern Mayes County, on the bank of the Grand River (Neosho River). It was relocated to southeastern Craig County around 1912 when the Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad — which became the Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway (KO&G) in 1919 — was being constructed from southeastern Kansas south through the region. New Ketchum was platted in late 1912. The original townsite sat in an area that was later filled in by the creation of Grand Lake o' the Cherokees.

The economy of Ketchum was based on agriculture until Pensacola Dam was built between December 30, 1938, and March 21, 1940, creating Grand Lake. Since then, the local economy has largely been dominated by tourism and other businesses related to the lake. The land on which the airport is built was officially designated "Brent Howard Field" in June 2024, named after local community leader S. Brent Howard, who was instrumental in creating the airport's managing authority and establishing it as a Title 60 Public Trust. In September 2025, the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics and the airport held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 3,800-square-foot terminal building, a 12,000-square-foot commercial hangar, and a partial parallel taxiway, with total project costs of approximately $12.3 million.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Ketchum had a population of 471. The median age was 45.2 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.5 males age 18 and over.

There were 200 households in Ketchum, of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.5% were married-couple households, 23.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 277 housing units, of which 27.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.8%.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

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| White || 351 || 74.5%

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| Black or African American || 3 || 0.6%

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| American Indian and Alaska Native || 66 || 14.0%

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| Asian || 1 || 0.2%

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

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| Some other race || 0 || 0.0%

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| Two or more races || 50 || 10.6%

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| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 12 || 2.5%

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Education

It is in the Ketchum Public Schools<!--UNI 16380--> school district.

References

  • Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture - Ketchum