Afton

History

Afton developed in this part of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory after the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway, or Frisco) built tracks through the area to Vinita in 1871. Regarding the town name, Oklahoma historian George Shirk states that a Scottish railroad surveyor, Anton Aires, named the town Afton after his daughter, while others have claimed the name comes from Robert Burns's poem, "Flow Gently Sweet Afton." A post office was established in Afton during 1886. The 1900 census showed a population of 606. In 1901, the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad, which soon became part of the Frisco system, constructed another line through the town, creating a shorter route to Kansas City, and causing another spurt of population growth. The town became a Frisco division point and shipping center for the surrounding agricultural area. In 1910, Afton's population was 1,276; the town had two schools, a waterworks, two hotels, two banks, a brick and tile plant, a creamery, a newspaper, mills and grain elevators. The population peaked at 1,518 in 1920, but a depression after World War I caused a drop to 1,219 in 1930. Today there is a bank a gas station, buffalo ranch, a pecan factory, a motel, a repair shop, and a dollar general.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. Originally a farming and railroad community, Afton is located on the historic Route 66. Route 66 was bypassed by I-44 in 1957. Businesses which formerly served US 66 travellers in the town's heyday included the Palmer Hotel, Rogers’ Motel, Rest Haven Motel, Green Acres Motel and Avon Motor Court, Baker's Cafe, Clint's Cafe, Smith Store and Barrett's Food Store, Mack's Place and Fred's 66 Bar. There was a museum in a former D-X filling station, built in 1937 and restored in 1999 to house Packard and U.S. Route 66 memorabilia. The museum was closed and the building is now vacant. The Palmer Hotel building burned down in 2019.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  418
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  385
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  353
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  351
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  348
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  346
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  344
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  322

Largest nearby schools

• AFTON ES
  Elementary · Afton · 305 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• FAIRLAND ES
  Elementary · Fairland · 262 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• FAIRLAND HS
  High · Fairland · 179 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• AFTON HS
  High · Afton · 172 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• FAIRLAND MS
  Middle · Fairland · 133 students · 13.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.82 — 2024-03-23
  9 km SE of Foyil, Oklahoma
• M 2.7 — 2018-12-10
  1 km ENE of Zeb, Oklahoma
• M 2.7 — 2016-01-14
  7 km W of Talala, Oklahoma
• M 2.6 — 2015-09-03
  6 km WSW of Vera, Oklahoma
• M 3 — 2014-10-01
  9 km SSW of Galesburg, Kansas
• M 2.6 — 2010-05-21
  2 km SW of Centerton, Arkansas