Wetumka is a city in northern Hughes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,135 as of the 2020 Census. The Muscogee Creek who first settled it after removal in the 1830s named it for their ancestral town of Wetumpka in Alabama. Wetumka is a Muskogee language word meaning "rumbling waters."
In the 21st century, it is the headquarters for two federally recognized tribes, the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town and the Kialegee Tribal Town. The town holds Sucker Day annually, on the last Saturday in September. By 1909, the community had three banks, two cotton gins, three blacksmith shops, two liveries, and a tin shop. Early newspapers included the Wetumka News-Herald, the Wetumka News, the Wetumka Herald, and the Wetumka Gazette. A two-story building constructed in 1912 housed the city hall and the Masonic Lodge.
There were 447 households in Wetumka, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 28.0% were married-couple households, 23.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Percent
|-
| White || 42.6%
|-
| Black or African American || 4.8%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 38.5%
|-
| Asian || 0%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0.3%
|-
| Some other race || 1.8%
|-
| Two or more races || 12.1%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 4.2%
|}
2000 census
As of the 2000 census
The first school in Wetumka was the Levering Manual Labor Mission School, which opened on September 1, 1881. It was operated by the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, partly funded by the Creek Nation and educated Creek children. The town had a public school system by 1902. The Wes Watkins Technology Center is located in Wetumka. Opened in 1992, it offers vocational training. The event has arts and crafts, music, and a parade of antique cars, tractors, and horses.
Brooks Lake is to the southeast.
Transportation
The town is at the intersection of U.S. Route 75 and Oklahoma State Highway 9.
Notable person
- John Herrington, astronaut