Terlton, Oklahoma

Terlton is a town in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located one-half mile south of US 412/US 64 on Terlton Road and County Road E0570.

History

The community started forming not long after the Cherokee Outlet opening on September 16, 1893. A post office was established November 30, 1894, and town was named Terlton for a member of the first territorial legislature, Ira N. Terrell. The Arkansas Valley and Western Railway (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) built through town in the 1902-1903 timeframe, and Terlton developed into a trade center for the local agricultural industry. Oil was discovered in the vicinity about 1914, and oil-related industries like pipelines, tank farms and refining supported the town into the 1930s. In more recent years, Terlton has become a commuter town whose residents work in other locations and commute back to Terlton to live.

On Thursday April 26, 1984, a large nighttime F4 tornado struck the small town, killing three people and injuring over 30. This happened the same night as a tornado killed eight and injured nearly 100 in Morris, Oklahoma in Okmulgee County, to the southeast.

In 1985 an explosion at the Aerlex Corp. fireworks plant in town killed 21 people, about one-quarter of the community at that time. A short-film documentary, “Terlton,” debuted in 2019, documenting how the town has dealt with the tragedy.

Terlton was one of the filming sites for principal photography on Season One of the FX comedy series Reservation Dogs from filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, which concerns four Native American teens in rural Oklahoma.

Geography

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

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Terlton had a population of 77. The median age was 44.7 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.3 males age 18 and over.

There were 30 households in Terlton, of which 56.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.3% were married-couple households, 26.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 62 || 80.5%

| Black or African American || 0 || 0.0%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 3 || 3.9%

| Asian || 0 || 0.0%

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

| Some other race || 2 || 2.6%

| Two or more races || 10 || 13.0%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 3 || 3.9%

2000 census

As of the census

References