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48-596: The Three Valley Museum is a non-profit museum in Durant, Oklahoma . It houses a collection of artifacts regarding the history of Bryan County . It opened in 1976. It is named after the book Queen of the Three Valleys by Henry McCreary, which is about Durant. The museum is operated by the Durant Historical Society. The museum shows Bryan County from its start in 1873 to the present. The museum's exhibits include

96-696: A float glass manufacturing facility in western Durant. It became operational in July 2004. This plant is number 20 for Cardinal Glass Industries. Big Lots has a 1,200,000 sq ft (110,000 m ). distribution center in Durant that began operating in January 2004. Durant is home to the headquarters of First United Bank , one of the largest privately owned banks in the United States, and First Texoma National Bank . Indian Nation Wholesale, also headquartered in Durant,

144-562: A time capsule that contains historic and legal documents, which was unearthed in 2023. The Three Valley Museum houses historical artifacts of Bryan County. Opened in 1976, it is named for a book about Durant, Queen of the Three Valleys by Henry McCreary, which references the city's location in the middle of the Red , Blue River , and Washita River valleys. The museum's exhibits include an early law office, doctor's office, child's room, parlor, and general store. The Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival

192-893: A major part of the Texoma region. The Durant area was once claimed by both Spain and France before officially becoming part of the United States after the Louisiana Purchase and Adams–Onís Treaty . During the 1820s and 1830s the area was designated as part of the Choctaw Nation in the southern Indian Territory. During the Indian removals the Choctaws followed the Choctaw Trail of Tears from their ancestral homeland in Mississippi and Alabama into this area. The Choctaw Nation originally extended from

240-627: A median income of $ 34,040 versus $ 26,197 for female full-time workers. The per capita income for the city was $ 18,009. About 21% of families and 28% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35% of those under age 18 and 14% of those age 65 or over. Durant was ranked as the fastest growing rural city in Oklahoma in 2004, having the fastest growth rate outside of the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas. Durant's daytime population increases to approximately 20,000 people. The city has

288-588: A photo from Durant on August 13, 1911, of a group of townspeople burning the body of an African American man named John Lee. The author of Without Sanctuary summarizes that, "According to the August 14 issue of the Durant Daily Democrat, Lee died at 11:15 p.m. at the hands of a posse of 500. An additional 1,500 citizens were estimated to have been involved in the manhunt. Reports indicate that Lee exchanged gunfire with his would-be captors until his ammunition

336-625: A pull factor of 1.8–2.1 times its population and was named an All-America City finalist for 2006. Since 1999, the Durant Economic Development Department, the Durant Industrial Authority and the City of Durant have developed over $ 600,000,000 in new investments to the city. Durant currently leads the state in economic development. One of the city's strongest industries is tourism; attractions include Lake Texoma ,

384-586: A small town exhibit area on the second floor depicting more than 20 businesses and scenes from the early 1900s, including an early law office, doctor's office, child's room, parlor, and general store. Other exhibits include area transportation history and a Native American Gallery, highlighting the Indian tribes that are located in southeast Oklahoma. 33°59′29″N 96°22′48″W  /  33.99139°N 96.38000°W  / 33.99139; -96.38000 Durant, Oklahoma Durant ( / d uː r æ n t / )

432-422: A tenth of the population (7.1%) self-identified as Hispanic or Latino , regardless of race. Individuals of mixed Native American and white heritage accounted for 4.8% of the population. Less than 1% of the population was Asian or Pacific Islander . Durant's first census was recorded in 1900, and the population was 2,969. The 2000 census reported Durant's population as 13,549. There were 6,331 households in

480-725: Is a city in Bryan County , Oklahoma , United States. The population was 18,589 in the 2020 census . It serves as the capital of the Choctaw Nation , and is the largest settlement on the reservation, ranking ahead of McAlester and Poteau . Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical Area , which had a population of 46,067 in 2020. Durant is also part of the Dallas–Fort Worth Combined Statistical Area , anchoring

528-699: Is approximately 14 miles (23 km) north of the Texas border at the Red River . Dallas is about 88 miles (142 km) south of Durant. The north edge of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex , in McKinney , is about 58 miles (93 km) to the south. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city of Durant has a total area of 26.8 square miles (69.3 km ), of which 26.7 square miles (69.2 km )

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576-464: Is housed on the campus of Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival is one of the top summer theatre festivals in America. It has made Durant and Southeastern Oklahoma State University a destination for tourists, professional and aspiring actors and theatre artisans. Although no major sports team is located in Durant, many sporting opportunities are found in the city, including

624-541: Is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km ), or 0.24%, is water. According to the 2020 census , the racial composition of Durant was as follows: As of the census of 2010, there were 15,856 people and 3,651 families residing in the city. The population density was 830 inhabitants per square mile (320/km ). There were 7,202 housing units. Nearly three fourths of the city's population (74.7%) self-identified as white , 13.3% self-identified as Native American , and 2.2% self-identified as black or African American . Less than

672-626: Is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . John Lee was an African American man who was lynched on August 12, 1911, in Durant, Oklahoma. He was subjected to a brutal act of mob violence, denial of judicial due process, and the desecration of his body posthumously. The event is a reflection of the racial tensions and injustices prevalent in the United States during the early 20th century. The book Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America by Twin Palms Publishers includes

720-448: Is the city's historic central business district and the retail district. In the past few years, downtown Durant has seen growth, renewal projects such as streetscaping, and new businesses arriving. Durant has a Main Street program . The retail district is west of downtown, at the intersection of U.S. 69 / 75 and U.S. 70 , and is Durant's fastest growing area. Cardinal Glass Industries has

768-607: Is under construction, and a walking and biking trail is planned to be built around the lake. The cost of the complex was $ 7 million. Southeastern Oklahoma State University competes in NCAA Division II in the Great American Conference . The Savage Storm compete in the following sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, men's and women's tennis, men's golf, rodeo, women's cross country, softball, women's track & field and women's volleyball. In 2000,

816-678: The Choctaw Casino Resort , and Fort Washita . Manufacturing and distribution are growing industries in Durant with several factories being constructed and planned. The largest employer in Durant is the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, including the Choctaw Nation Headquarters and the Choctaw Casino Resort, which has two Choctaw Travel Plazas, two Choctaw casinos, the Choctaw Inn, and more facilities that are located in

864-723: The Mexican border in the west (now part of the Texas panhandle ) to the Arkansas Territory in the east, from the Red River in the south to the South Canadian River in the north. In 1855, the Choctaw and Chickasaws formally divided their land into two separate nations, with Durant remaining in Choctaw territory on the east. Chickasaw land extended west to the boundary that would divide Indian Territory from Oklahoma Territory after passage of

912-629: The St. Louis and San Francisco Railway (also known as "SL&SF" or "Frisco") had intended to build an east–west line through Caddo, where it would intersect the Katy. A rapid land price increase near Caddo instead caused the Frisco to bypass it in favor of Durant. In 1904, Durant was named in a grand jury instruction as a sundown town where a notice had been posted warning African Americans not to stay after dark. The Oklahoma Constitutional Convention selected Durant as

960-516: The "Magnolia Capital of the World" in 1993. Every year since, the town has celebrated a Magnolia Festival during the weekend following Memorial Day. Durant has a "World's Largest Peanut" monument, a title it shares with two other monuments in Texas and Ashburn, Georgia . This monument to the peanut growers in Bryan County is located on the front lawn of Durant's city hall. Dedicated in 1973, it includes

1008-627: The Choctaw in their historic territory of the Southeast. The other two districts were the Apukshunnubbee District and Moshulatubbee District . These three districts were established when the Choctaw Nation relocated via the Trail of Tears to the Indian Territory. They were originally intended to provide homes for settlers from the three major clans or groupings of Choctaw Indians comprising

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1056-536: The Durant Multi-Sports Complex, golf, soccer pitches, and baseball fields. The Durant Multi-Sports Complex is an athletic facility located 2 mi (3.2 km) southeast of Durant, on Highway 78 . The sports complex, dedicated on November 17, 2006, sits on 80 acres (32 ha), with 100 acres (40 ha) undeveloped. It consists of baseball and softball fields, soccer pitches , and a football stadium /track field. A 17-acre (69,000 m ) lake

1104-458: The Nation. Eventually the principal chief became the chief . No longer a "first among equals", he became the sole political leader. In judicial affairs, however, the three districts and their seats of government retained their historic influence. Crimes and criminals not tried at the county level were bucked to the district level automatically, and court days were the busiest days of the year in

1152-619: The Oklahoma Organic Act in 1890. Pierre Durant and his four sons, all of French-Choctaw origin, made the journey up the Trail of Tears on the way to the southeastern part of the Choctaw Nation in 1832. The brothers, grown, with families of their own, established homesteads from the Arkansas line to Durant. One son, Fisher, married to a full-blood Choctaw , found a beautiful location for a home between Durant's present Eighth and Ninth avenues. At

1200-496: The United States and at the age of 36 lost to William McKinley . He lost to McKinley again in 1900, and to William H. Taft in 1908. Woodrow Wilson appointed the county's namesake as United States Secretary of State in 1913. Eleven people were killed in Durant by a tornado in April 1919 . The town's population grew from 2,969 in 1900 to 5,330 in 1910, 12,823 in 1990, and to 13,549 in 2000. The Durant Downtown Historic District

1248-461: The area was simply called Durant. W.H. Hilton was elected the first mayor of Durant. A memorable event in Durant's rail history occurred on April 5, 1905. A special southbound Katy train stopped in the city with President Theodore Roosevelt aboard. In 1895, a fire destroyed the original business district, which had spread along the Katy tracks. Calvin Institute was opened in 1894, representing

1296-528: The baseball team won the Division II college world series. The City of Durant maintains and operates 11 parks totaling more than 251 acres (1.02 km ). They include: Pushmataha District The Pushmataha District was named in honor of Pushmataha , a revered Choctaw warrior and statesman who was chief of Okla Hannali , the Six Towns District, one of the three historic, major clan divisions of

1344-409: The city, of which 26% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. Individuals living alone accounted for 32.9% of households and 25.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.96. In

1392-425: The city, the population was spread out, with 22% under the age of 18, 18.6% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.9 years. There were slightly more females (51.4% of the population) than males (48.6%). The median income for a household in the city was $ 35,135, and the median income for a family was $ 41,014. Males working full-time had

1440-469: The coming "race war". In several days, without additional violence, tensions calmed. Durant is located in southeast Oklahoma, in a region named Texoma , or Texomaland, because of its short distance from Lake Texoma . The city is also part of Choctaw Country , formerly Kiamichi Country . Its geographic coordinates are 33°59′59″N 96°23′5″W  /  33.99972°N 96.38472°W  / 33.99972; -96.38472 (33.999834, −96.384825). It

1488-421: The county seat for Bryan County, Oklahoma, which would supersede Blue County at statehood. In 1908, a special election ratified this choice over three other candidates for the honor: Bokchito , Blue , and Sterrett (later renamed Calera ). Bryan County was created from Choctaw lands in 1907, the same time as statehood, and was named after William Jennings Bryan . Bryan was nominated three times for President of

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1536-461: The district seats of government. Pushmataha District's final and most important administrative seat of government was Mayhew, Indian Territory . This was started as a former Presbyterian missionary station. Present-day Boswell, Oklahoma developed about two miles south of its location. The first district seat was Tiak Heli, "between the forks of the Boggy" ("or Boggies"), as it was called. The site

1584-400: The first building, adjacent to the boxcar, where he opened a general store in 1873. The first post office, also named as Durant Station, Indian Territory, opened February 20, 1879, but closed on July 11, 1881. A.E. Fulsom was postmaster. The U.S. Postal Service re-established the post office at the site as Durant on March 8, 1882, dropping the word "station" from the name. Beginning in 1882,

1632-595: The first institute of higher education in the immediate area, which was an outgrowth of Presbyterian mission work among the Choctaw Indian nation . Its success led it being reopened as a larger school, Durant Presbyterian College in 1901, later renamed as Oklahoma Presbyterian College . After statehood became effective on November 16, 1907, the state legislature created the Southeastern State Normal School at Durant, which opened March 6, 1909. This school

1680-413: The nation. Over time, the clan affiliations and allegiances rapidly became less important after the Choctaw reached Indian Territory, in part because the geography was different, and there was great disruption due to population loss in the removal. The districts' importance in the political life of the nation gradually waned, and the three district chiefs lost power and authority to the principal chief of

1728-632: The northern edge. The city was founded by Dixon Durant, a Choctaw who lived in the area, after the MK&;T railroad came through the Indian Territory in the early 1870s. It became the county seat of Bryan County in 1907 after Oklahoma statehood. Durant is home to Southeastern Oklahoma State University and the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation. The city is officially known as the Magnolia Capital of Oklahoma. The city and its micropolitan are

1776-615: The owners of the buildings, the Red River Valley Historical Association , title was transferred to the federal government . Ceremonies were held August 17, 1976, commemorating the title transfer. Reacquisition of this building allowed centralization of government which permits more effective utilization of personnel in administering current programs and developing future programs. The buildings has been renovated, and administration of many Choctaw programs are headquartered there. Another important part of Durant's economy

1824-400: The remains on fire. It burned from nine in the morning until late in the afternoon. All that remained were ashes and a "few charred parcels". Whites rioted throughout the town of Durant. The city's remaining blacks were warned "not to let the sun go down on them here". All left by sunset. Rumors spread that blacks were organizing to return and avenge Lee's death. Durant's white citizens armed for

1872-448: The resort. Over 5,400 people work for the Choctaw Nation in Durant. Though the capital of the Choctaw Nation is recognized as being Tuskahoma , the administrative offices are located in Durant. In 1894, Calvin Institute , a school for Native American youths, was established in Durant. By 1899, it had attracted an enrollment of 300. It was renamed Durant Presbyterian College in 1900 and Oklahoma Presbyterian College in 1910. The support for

1920-486: The school came from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the federal government, and several denominational missionary boards. Because of financial difficulties, the school was closed as a learning institution in the late 1960s. Chief Clark David Gardner established the Choctaw Nation administrative offices at the old Oklahoma Presbyterian College Building in 1975. In 1976, in cooperation with the Durant Chamber of Commerce and

1968-569: The time of Durant's founding it was located in Blue County , a part of the Pushmataha District of the Choctaw Nation. Fisher Durant's son Dixon Durant is recognized as the founder of Durant and is honored as its namesake. A minister, businessman and civic leader, Dixon Durant is credited with pastorates in local Presbyterian , Congregational and Methodist churches. He established the first store selling general merchandise in 1873, around

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2016-541: The time of the 1872 creation of the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad (Katy Railroad) siding at Durant, which was the initial impetus for establishing the community. The Missouri-Kansas and Texas Railway (also known as the MKT or "Katy") had already laid a line through the area that would become Durant by November 1882. A wheelless boxcar was parked on the siding there and named "Durant Station". Dixon Durant erected

2064-630: The tree was still in existence. Included in the Pushmataha District were the Choctaw Nation counties of Atoka , Jack's Fork , Blue , Jackson , and Kiamitia (Kiamichi) . As Oklahoma's statehood loomed, the Pushmataha District, and its constituent counties, slowly wound down their governmental functions as the United States Courts in the Indian Territory assumed their powers. On November 16, 1907—Oklahoma's Statehood Day—the district and its counties disappeared forever. The territory of

2112-478: Was difficult to reach, being situated between the small rivers of Clear Boggy Creek and Muddy Boggy Creek . Few ferries operated on the rivers to provide convenient crossings. When the court house at Tiak Heli burned in the last part of the 19th century, the district moved its administrative center to Mayhew. Present-day Sunkist, Oklahoma (in southeastern Atoka County ) developed about one-half mile west of that historic community. "I never understood why court

2160-487: Was held in the forks of the Boggy, forcing everyone who attended to cross a river," an early-day settler said decades later. He thought the district seat was likely considered to be in the center of general population. But, he said, "There were no ferries , nor bridges above the forks of the Boggy." Another settler recalled the post oak tree was used as the "whipping tree". Judges of the Choctaw district courts sentenced some criminals to whippings as punishment. As of 1937,

2208-453: Was renamed Southeastern State Teachers College in 1921, and renamed again in 1974 as the present Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Further growth of the town was inhibited by its proximity to the larger town of Caddo (also on the Katy line) and the fact that Dixon Durant did not want to sell more of the land he had inherited to non-Indians. In the 1902-1903 timeframe, the St. Louis, San Francisco and New Orleans Railroad , an affiliate of

2256-408: Was spent. The posse "calmly emptied their guns into his body". Lee was accused of a range of crimes, the most serious of which was the critical wounding of a white woman, Mrs. Fanny Campbell. She identified the corpse as that of her assailant. Mrs. Campbell expired later the same day. The mob took John Lee's body to a vacant lot near the railroad tracks, where they built a pyre of gathered lumber and set

2304-676: Was the 15th largest wholesaler in the United States as of 2008. Durant is home to the annual Magnolia Festival and the Three Valley Museum . The festival is put on by the Durant Chamber of Commerce and Durant Main Street Program the weekend following Memorial Day . It features music, shopping, shows, and two pageants – the Magnolia Pageant and the Choctaw Princess Pageant. The Oklahoma Legislature proclaimed Durant as

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