Prague ( ) is a city in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,356 at the 2020 census, a 1.76 percent decrease from the figure of 2,388 in 2010. Czech immigrants founded the city, and named it after the capital of the present-day Czech Republic.

History

After the opening of the Sac and Fox Reservation by a land run on September 22, 1891, Czech immigrants settled and founded Prague. Eva Barta owned the land, and named the new town "Prague" for the Czech capital in Europe, then part of Austria-Hungary. The town incorporated in 1902. The town's name has been adopted in Sac and Fox language as Pwêkeki.

On March 27, 1943, the film Hangmen Also Die! had its world premiere in Prague in an event which featured Adolf Hitler, Hirohito and Mussolini being hanged in effigy on Main Street. The town of Prague was apparently chosen because the movie is loosely based on the 1942 assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazi Reich Protector of the German-occupied city of Prague, now in the Czech Republic. After the premiere, the film opened nationwide in the first days of April, beginning with 20 key cities.

On May 24, 1952, a head-on automobile collision seriously injured Indian mystic Meher Baba near Prague. The accident site has become a place of pilgrimage for world wide Meher Baba followers.

An F5 tornado tore through Prague on May 5, 1960.

For the 1996 Summer Olympics, the torch was carried through the town of Prague in order to commemorate the legacy of the legendary Sac and Fox native Olympic athlete, Jim Thorpe, who was born and raised in this region.

On November 5, 2011, a series of earthquakes struck near Prague, the first one a magnitude 4.7 at 2:15 a.m. CST, followed by a series of aftershocks, and then a second quake of magnitude 5.7 at 10:53 p.m. CST, the strongest recorded in Oklahoma history until a 5.8-magnitude earthquake occurred on September 3, 2016. This continued on November 7, 2011 when another 4.7 hit at 8:45 p.m., just five miles northwest of Prague.

On February 2, 2024, there was a 5.1 magnitude earthquake around 11:25pm.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Prague had a population of 2,356. The median age was 39.6 years, with 24.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 19.0% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.1 males age 18 and over.

0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 997 households in Prague, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.6% were married-couple households, 18.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Percent

|-

| White || 79.7%

|-

| Black or African American || 3.5%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 7.1%

|-

| Asian || 0.2%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0%

|-

| Some other race || 1.1%

|-

| Two or more races || 8.4%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 3.0%

|}

2000 census

As of the census serve approximately 1000 students.

Economy

Agriculture, with corn as the primary crop, initially drove Prague's economy. This was still true at the beginning of the 21st century. Industry and commerce began to contribute later.

The Prague-owned Prague Municipal Airport (FAA Identifier—O47) is two miles west of town, and features a 3600’ asphalt runway.

Culture

The Prague Historical Museum is located on the town's main street, Jim Thorpe Boulevard. The street is named for Olympic athlete and Sac and Fox Tribe member Jim Thorpe.

Reflecting its Czech Catholic heritage, Prague has hosted an annual "Kolache Festival" on the first Saturday in May since 1965. The festival was cancelled in 2020 for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

thumb|Prague history mural featuring Jim Thorpe, July 2025

thumb|Prague City Hall and Jail

Notable people

  • Kyle Denney (born 1977), baseball player
  • Walter E. Fountain (born 1961), United States Army officer
  • Olinka Hrdy (1902–1987), artist
  • Richard James (1926–2013), lawyer and legislator
  • Orville Edwin Langley (1908–1973), U.S. District Judge for Eastern Oklahoma (1965-1973)
  • Jim Thorpe (1887–1953), athlete, the first Native American Olympic gold medalist

NRHP sites

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

  • Prague City Hall and Jail
  • ZCBJ Lodge No. 46, also known as Bohemian Hall

References

  • City of Prague, Oklahoma
  • Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
  • Tower, William Ray. "A General History of the Town of Prague, Oklahoma 1908 - 1948."
  • Flag of Prague, Oklahoma