Locust Grove

History

Locust Grove was the site of the Battle of Locust Grove, a small Civil War engagement on July 3, 1862, in which approximately 250 Union troops surprised and destroyed a similar-sized Confederate contingent, killing about 100 and capturing another 100 while sustaining only minimal losses. The escaping Confederates retreated toward Tahlequah, leading to a loss of morale and desertions among the Cherokee Confederate supporters. A small community, named for the grove of locust trees where this battle took place, formed here, in the Cherokee Nation of Indian Territory. A post office was established here on March 26, 1873. Jim Bryan moved the post office to his store in 1908, after Oklahoma became a state and Mayes County was established. In 1910, Louie Ross bought the Bryan store and moved it to his father's ranch house. The community of Locust Grove soon relocated closer to the store, and soon had a cemetery, a gristmill, two blacksmith shops, and a separate building to house the post office. The existing townsite was established in 1912 by O.W. Killam, a lawyer, merchant, realtor and promoter who bought the Cherokee allotment that had belonged to Elzina Ross in connection with the construction of the Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway. Killam platted the townsite and incorporated it on March 4, 1913. subsequent studies were unclear about the source of the bacteria, leading Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson to accuse the state health department of having "botched" the investigation. Native American Cherokee sculptor Willard Stone lived near Locust Grove; a museum dedicated to his work is now located on the site.

Geography

Locust Grove is in southeastern Mayes County, south of Salina and east of Chouteau. U.S. Route 412, a four-lane freeway, passes along the southern border of the town, with access from Exit 6 (State Highway 82. U.S. 412 Alternate follows the former route of the highway through the center of Locust Grove. U.S. 412 leads east to the town of Kansas and west to Tulsa. State Highway 82 runs along the eastern border of Locust Grove, leading north to Salina and southeast to Tahlequah. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Locust Grove has a total area of , all land. The town is drained to the west by Crutchfield Branch, a tributary of the Neosho River.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  141
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  135
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  134
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  114
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  98
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  98
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  95
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  88

Largest nearby schools

• PRYOR HS
  High · Pryor · 800 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• LINCOLN ES
  Elementary · Pryor · 606 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• LOCUST GROVE HS
  High · Locust Grove · 402 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• SALINA ES
  Elementary · Salina · 356 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• LOCUST GROVE UPPER ES
  Elementary · Locust Grove · 326 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• LOCUST GROVE MS
  Middle · Locust Grove · 262 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• SALINA HS
  High · Salina · 251 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• CHOUTEAU-MAZIE HS
  High · Chouteau · 223 students · 9.7:1 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 — 2016-04-03
  Arkansas-Oklahoma border region
• 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 2.6 — 2010-05-21
  2 km SW of Centerton, Arkansas