Coalgate, Oklahoma
| Coalgate, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location of Coalgate, Oklahoma |
|
| Coordinates: 34°32′1″N 96°13′7″W / 34.53361°N 96.21861°WCoordinates: 34°32′1″N 96°13′7″W / 34.53361°N 96.21861°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Coal |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.6 sq mi (4.1 km2) |
| • Land | 1.5 sq mi (4.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 610 ft (186 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,967 |
| • Density | 1,311.3/sq mi (491.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 74538 |
| Area code(s) | 580 |
| FIPS code | 40-15800 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1091522 |
Coalgate is a city in and the county seat of Coal County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,967 at the 2010 census, a 1.9 percent decrease from 2,005 in 2000. The town was founded in 1889 in the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory as a coal mining camp named Liddle. The name changed to Coalgate on January 23, 1890.
Coalgate was founded in 1889 as a coal mining camp named Liddle in the Pushmataha District of the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. It was named for William "Bill" Liddle, a superintendent for the Atoka Coal and Mining Company, who had arrived in the fall of 1888 to locate a site for a new coal mine. The Southwestern Coal and Improvement Company, a subsidiary of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway (MK&T) developed the site. A tent city sprung up, followed by company-built houses. Work on the mine started January 2, 1889, and the first shipment of coal left Liddle on April 17, 1889. The town name changed to Coalgate on January 23, 1890. The new name was taken from the steel gate or "coal gate" that separated the trains from the coal mines north of town. Coalgate incorporated under the laws of Arkansas on November 25, 1898. It was platted and approved by the Secretary of the Interior on December 16, 1903.
Coal County was created at statehood in 1907. Initially, Lehigh, Oklahoma was designated as county seat. However, a special election held on June 2, 1908 moved the seat to Coalgate. A new charter was approved on June 16, 1914.
Coalgate had grown to a population of 2,921 by statehood in 1907 and in one year the population had increased to 3,500. The city had at least 65 merchants plus carpenters, doctors, veterinarians, and as many as seven attorneys and three newspapers. The streets in the downtown area were bricked in 1912. In 1911, the weekly newspaper Coalgate Record Register was first published in Coalgate. Robinson Publishing Company took over publication of the newspaper in 1988. It has a circulation of 2,300.e
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