Adair

History

Adair is named after two Cherokee brothers, William Penn Adair, a politician and jurist, and Dr. Walter Thompson Adair. In the 1880s, a Cherokee school was started here. In 1907, shortly before statehood, the school began to admit white students. In the most daring deed of the Dalton Gang up to that date, eight members held up the Missouri-Kansas-Texas train at Adair on July 14, 1892. As the train neared, four men approached the night operator at the station and ordered him to "flag down" the train. As the train pulled to a stand-still, two members of the gang boarded the engine, while the others covered the conductor and train men. The station operator was taken to the express car, where he ordered the messenger inside to open up. When the messenger refused, the train's fireman was ordered to break open the door with his pick. Once inside, the bandits were quick to rifle the safe of its contents. The gang did not know that a special detachment of eight railroad guards was on the train, in an effort to prevent such robberies. In command was J. J. Kinney, chief of railroad detectives, and Capt. J. H. LaFlore, chief of the Cherokee Nation police. Realizing the robbery was underway, the guards got off the train opposite the depot, and had a brief gun battle with some of the bandits on that side. Finished on the train, the bandits made their get-away through the town. Doctors W. L. Goff and Youngblood were sitting on the porch of the drug store near the depot. Both men were hit several times by stray shots; Dr Goff was fatally wounded. Also wounded were captains Kinney and LaFlore, but they recovered. The railroad and express company offered rewards of $5,000 "for the capture and conviction" for each bandit in the robbery.

Geography

Adair is in northern Mayes County, north of Pryor on U.S. Route 69. US-69 leads north from Adair to Vinita. Oklahoma State Highway 28 crosses US-69 in the center of Adair, leading east to Langley and west the same distance to Foyil. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. The land in town drains southwest toward Pryor Creek, a south-flowing tributary of the Neosho River.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• PRYOR MS
  Middle · Pryor · 650 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• ROOSEVELT ES
  Elementary · Pryor · 526 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• BERNITA HUGHES ES
  Elementary · Adair · 522 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• ADAIR HS
  High · Adair · 282 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• JEFFERSON ES
  Elementary · Pryor · 281 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• ADAIR MS
  Middle · Adair · 237 students · 13.9:1 ratio