A brief introduction to Clinton, Oklahoma

By now, Elliot should be in Clinton, Oklahoma.  Let’s see what we can find out about his new home, with lots of pictures and links, after the jump.

Clinton Factoids.  According to the city’s website, Clinton had 8,833 residents in 2000.  Average temperature in January is 49.  July averages a toasty 95.  It gets about 27 inches of rain and five inches of snow annually.  The location of the city was “discovered” in 1899 by two men, J.L. Avant and E.E. Blake, who had to overcome several obstacles to acquire the land to develop what eventually became Clinton.  According to one source, the main obstacle was “the fact that the land was owned by the Indians. Federal law specified that an Indian could sell no more than half of his 160-acre allotment only after he was granted permission by Congress. So the men, working in secrecy, picked 320 acres allotted to four different Indians - Hays, Shoe-Boy, Nowahy, and Night Killer - and paid them each $2000 for 80 acres.”  Congressional approval for the land was secured in 1902 and the town of Clinton sprang right up, named after the late Judge Clinton Irwin who helped develop the city and surrounding areas.

Churches in Clinton.  There are at least 15 different religions represented in Clinton, led by Baptists with eight congregations and Pentecostals with seven.  The Mormon church has a single congregation in Clinton, with a building (pictured) located at 430 South 28th.  According to the church website (registration may be required), the members of the Clinton Ward live in the cities of Elk City, Clinton and Weatherford, as well as many smaller surrounding communities.  The ward boundaries encompass a large portion of central western Oklahoma, north and south of Interstate 40 west of Oklahoma City, from the Custer/Caddo County line at mile marker 86, west to the Oklahoma/Texas state border.  It’s a good thing Elliot will have a car!

Attractions in Clinton.  Clinton is the home of the Cheyenne Cultural Center (pictured at right), founded in 1977 for the preservation of the Cheyenne way of life.  It is also the home of the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum (pictured below), where you can buy some really great t-shirts, charms for a charm bracelet featuring California and Arizona Route 66 charms (but, curiously, not Oklahoma), very cool replica oil company signs, books (including “The Great American Bunion Derby,” the story of a half-Cherokee from Oklahoma who participated in the 1927 International Trans-Continental Foot Race), and other stuff.  This website tells more of the history of Route 66 in Clinton and includes some great pictures.  And lest anyone believe there is no culture in western Oklahoma, Clinton has the Western Oklahoma Ballet Theater and Academy, the Southwest Playhouse, and the Clinton Public Library.  Elliot’s dad would likely want to visit the Clinton Country Jamboree.  And let’s hope Elliot steers clear of the Lucky Star Casino, where lots of once-famous artists (Styx, Chicago, Foreigner, Kenny Rogers, Clint Black) perform.  Saving the best for last, the Wild West Speedway (pictured) looks like it has some terrific dirt track racing.

Here's a couple more pictures of downtown Clinton.

And there you have it, a brief introduction to Clinton, Oklahoma.  Let’s hope Elliot enjoys it there!