Clayton

History

Clayton was formerly known as Dexter. A United States Post Office was established at Dexter, Indian Territory on March 31, 1894, and was named for Dexter Chapman, early-day resident. Dexter was located in Wade County, Choctaw Nation. The official name of the post office name changed to Clayton, Indian Territory on April 5, 1907. Its name is thought to have been derived from Clayton, Missouri. It is also possible the town renamed itself after William H.H. Clayton, judge of the U.S. Court for the Central District of Indian Territory. Judge Clayton was prominent in the role to gain Oklahoma’s statehood. Clayton is the largest town or community in northern Pushmataha County. It is the region's largest trading center due to its relative distance from the county seat of Antlers—36 miles. Flagpole Mountain retains a fire tower. Built of metal and several stories tall, it was once part of a network of towers, all staffed, from which a fire watch was maintained. It is the only tower remaining in Pushmataha County, although it is no longer operational. Views from the tower offer a panorama stretching for many miles in any direction. Clayton, as regional trading center, remains economically healthy, with a locally based economy. It is currently home to a public school, several churches, and numerous businesses and homes. During recent years the Clayton High School has become recognized as an architecturally and historically significant building, and has been added to the NRHP. The building was found to be a very unusual example of WPA architecture—one of only two known single-use auditoriums constructed by the WPA. On February 13, 2015, approximately 5% of the town population was arrested in a methamphetamine drug sweep. More information on the history of Clayton may be…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.58% is water. Clayton, located in the Kiamichi River valley, is framed on its west by Flagpole Mountain (1,562 ft.) and to its east by unnamed mountains topping 1,600 feet in elevation. Within a few miles of Clayton is scenic McKinley Rocks, a collection of massive boulders strewn across a mountain top. South of Clayton is Clayton Lake State Park which is surrounded by a pine tree forest. Northwest of town is Sardis Lake, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam which impounds the water of Jack's Fork Creek. The Pushmataha Wildlife Refuge is also nearby.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  134
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  94
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  86
• Pine Warbler

  Setophaga pinus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  82
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  80
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

  Polioptila caerulea (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  77
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  77
• White-eyed Vireo

  Vireo griseus (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  76

Most recent

• M 2.67 — 2026-08-13
  5 km NE of Wardville, Oklahoma
• M 2.55 — 2026-08-09
  4 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
• M 2.94 — 2026-08-09
  4 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
• M 2.69 — 2026-08-08
  4 km ENE of Wardville, Oklahoma
• M 2.5 — 2025-08-31
  12 km E of Crowder, Oklahoma
• M 2.65 — 2024-10-28
  14 km WSW of Quinton, Oklahoma