Towns in Choctaw County, present day(*) & historical

Apple.  5 miles W of Spencerville; post office from July11, 1919 to January 31. 1924.

Atlas. 11 miles NW of Hugo, post office from December 12, 1902 to April 30, 1909.

Bluff.  6 miles S of Soper,  post office from April 23, 1901 to February 28, 1934. Took its name from a nearby bluff adjoining the south side of Muddy Boggy River immediately north of its mouth. 

Boswell.*  Formerly Mayhew; 20 miles W of Hugo; post office name changed to Boswell, 9/30/1902; named for S. C. Boswell, local merchant.

Cooksville.  9 miles NW of Hugo. On January 28, 1910, a post office named Speer was established at this site, and thereafter, the name Cooksville fell into disuse.  Named for Albert Cook, a Choctaw, townsite owner.

Crowder.  8 miles SE Boswell; post office from 1/18/1898 to 1/15/1904; named for

Richard C. Crowder, local rancher

Doaksville.  Early-day settlement, adjoining Ft. Towson. Ft. Towson post office operated under the name of Doaksville from 11/11/1847 to 6/12/1903. Named for Judge Josiah Doaks, early-day resident.

Duland.  9 miles SE Boswell; post office from 11/20/1919 to 12/30/1922.

Ervin.  7 miles SE Hugo; post office from 3/8/1904 to 7/31/1922. Named for Edwin E. Ervin,

first postmaster.

Fennell.  3 miles N of Ft. Towson; post office from 9/15/1911 to 4/15/1916; named for Thomas Fennell, Ft. Towson postmaster

Forney.  5 miles W of Hugo; post office from 9/11/1903 to 3/31/1904; named for Forney, Tx.as both communities produced much prairie hay.

Fort Towson.*  Established as a military post in 1824 & permanent sire selected in 1831.  Military post was 2 miles NE of present Ft. Towson.  Abandoned by U.S. Army in 1854; was used as the Confederate military headquarters for Indian Territory in 1864-65 & was site where Brigadier General Stand Watie, last regularly commissioned Confederate general officer to surrender, laid hhis arms June 23, 1865. Post office established 9/7/1832. Name changed to Doaksville, 11/11/1847; post office was moved to present site & name changed to Fort Towson 6/12/1903.

Frogville.  9 miles SW of Ft. Towson; post office from 10/29/1897 to 8/15/1933.  Took name from great number of frogs so large they reputedly ate”young ducks”.

Gay.  Formerly Lenton. 6 miles SW of Hugo. Name changed to Gay, 4/28/1908; post office discontinued 12/31/1932.

Goodland.  4 miles north of Hugo; post office from 8/21/1871 to 2/28/1902.

Goodland.  3 miles S of Hugo; post office from 4/5/1915 to 7/31/1944, located at Goodland Indian Orphanage.  The institution was founded in 1848 & has been in continuous service since that date.

Grant.*  In southern Choctaw County, Post office established 1/31/1889. Named for President Ulysses S. Grant.  Post office now closed.

Hamden.  In northern Choctaw Co., 7 miles SE of Antlers; post office from 3/31/1894 to 5/15/1924.

Hugo.*  County seat of Choctaw County.  Post office established 11/01/1901. Named by Mrs. W. H. Darrough, wife of townsite developer, for Victor Hugo, French novelist.

Juanita.  8 miles SE of Boswell. Post office established 3/21/1902 & name changed to Crowder, 6/04/1904. Named for Juanita Harlan Crowder, wife of Dr. W. E. Crowder, early-day physician.

Kent.  7 miles NW of Hugo; post office from 2/9/1905 to 11/15/1915.

Mayhew.  2 miles N of present-day Boswell; post office established 2/05/1845; name changed to Boswell & moved to new site 9/30/02.  Name comes from Mayhew Presbyterian Mission in Mississippi.

Messer.*  6 miles NE of Hugo; post office from 1/4/1907 to2/29/1916.  Named for Columbus G. Messer, first postmaster.

Miah.  Present day Sawyer; post office established ;6/27/1902 & name changed to Sawyer, 4/1/1903.  Named for Miah Cravens, son of William E. Cravens, first postmaster.

Mudsand.  Adjoining Soper; post office from 6/9/1923 to 4/30/1935. 

Nelson.  6 miles N of Soper.  Spencer Academy was moved here from Spencerville.  A post office from 3/10/1881 to11/30/54; until 9/15/1881, official name of post office was Nelsons.

Named for Cole Nelson, prominent Choctaw.

Ord.  6 miles S of Hugo; a rural community named for Ord, Nebraska.

Rooster.  7 miles NE of Soper; post office established 5/19/1920; name changed to Zinville

1/18/1921.

Sandbluff.  9 miles NE of Boswell.  Post office from 6/23/1919 to 12/15/1934.  Took name from a sandy bluff along east bank of Muddy Boggy River.

Sawyer*.  Formerly Miah.  8 miles E of Hugo. Post office name changed to Sawyer, 4/1/1903. Named for Charles H. Sawyer, attorney for the Dawes Commission.

Shoals.  8 miles SE of Grant; post office from 7/2/1904 to 8/31/1916.  Took name from shoals along the Red River.

Soper.*  11 miles W of Hugo; post office established 4/2/1903; named for P.L. Soper, U.S. attorney

Speer.  9 miles NW of Hugo; post office from ˝0/1910 to 4/30/1959.  First known locally as Cooksville.

Spencerville.  12 miles NE of Hugo; located at first site of Spencer Academy; post office established 5/17/1902 & took name from Spencer Academy.

Swink.*  4 miles E of Ft. Towson; post office established 7/14/1902; named for D.R. Swink, local merchant.  One mile NE of Swink stands Oklahoma’s oldest house known as the Chief’s House.

Sunkist.  8 miles N of Boswell; post office from 2/14/1925 to 9/30/1953. Name is coined word made popular by the California orange industry.

Unger.  5 miles E of Boswell; post office from 12/8/1910 to 10/18/1922; named for Mike Unger, deputy U.S. marshall.

Virgil.  7 miles N of Sawyer; post office from 7/10/1914  to 9/14/1940.

Credit to George H. Shirk, OKLAHOMA PLACE NAMES, for some of the above information