Cowlington

History

The fertile soil of the Arkansas River bottom land, in which the present town of Cowlington is located, attracted settlement as soon as the Choctaw tribe migrated to Indian Territory. Many of these inhabitants fled during the American Civil War, returning only when hostilities had ceased. White men also came after the war and began leasing land. Among these were Coke and Fowler Cowling. A settlement formed that was informally known as Short Mountain. A post office named Cowlington, to honor the Cowling family, opened in the community in 1884. At the time of its founding, Cowlington was located in the Moshulatubbee District of the Choctaw Nation. Cowlington's economy was largely based on agricultural services. Area production included wheat, potatoes, cotton, and livestock. The town prospered because of its access to the steamboat trade on the river. Two floods along the Arkansas River, in 1898 and 1904, devastated the local economy, but the town recovered each time. However, railroads built lines through LeFlore County in the late 1800s, and began to supplant the steamboats. Fowler Cowlington tried to convince some of the railroads to build a track through Cowlington, but failed in this effort. More residents began to move away. Construction of the Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam between 1964 and 1970 coincided with a large increase in Cowlington's population to a high of 751 residents at the 1970 U. S. Census. Tourism became a significant portion of the local economy, although the population declined again after construction was completed.

Geography

Cowlington is located south of Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam (part of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System). The town is also south of Sallisaw. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  641
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  527
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  512
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  464
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  455
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  448
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  443
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  412

Largest nearby schools

• SPIRO ES
  Elementary · Spiro · 571 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• SPIRO HS
  High · Spiro · 290 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• SPIRO MS
  Middle · Spiro · 202 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• BOKOSHE ES
  Elementary · Bokoshe · 102 students · 10.2:1 ratio
• BOKOSHE HS
  High · Bokoshe · 45 students · 11.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-08-31
  12 km E of Crowder, Oklahoma
• M 2.65 — 2024-10-28
  14 km WSW of Quinton, Oklahoma
• M 2.86 — 2024-08-14
  13 km WSW of Quinton, Oklahoma
• M 2.6 — 2023-03-16
  11 km E of Crowder, Oklahoma
• M 2.8 — 2022-06-05
  13 km WSW of Quinton, Oklahoma
• M 3.16 — 2022-06-03
  10 km W of Quinton, Oklahoma