Blackgum, Oklahoma
20 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1898 and the latest in 1978. It stands in the Vian census division. It lies in ZIP code area 74962. The Survey maps it on the Blackgum quadrangle. 47 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 906 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresBlackgum fell from 51 to 47 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 51 | |
| 2020 | 47 | -4 (-8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 20 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1898 USGS Tahlequah quadrangle1:125000
- 1901 USGS Tahlequah quadrangle1:125000, 8 printings
- 1905 USGS Tahlequah quadrangle1:125000
- 1946 USGS Fort Smith quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Fort Smith quadrangle1:250000
- 1967 USGS Fort Smith quadrangle1:250000
- 1972 USGS Blackgum quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1978 USGS Fort Smith quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1978 USGS Stilwell quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
334 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 334 fires within 5 miles of Blackgum between 1992 and 2020, burning about 6,922 acres in total. 8 started naturally. 122 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 122 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 101 |
| Debris and open burning | 70 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 9 |
| Smoking | 9 |
| Natural | 8 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 8 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Other causes | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | not named |
| 7 September 2000 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | not named |
| 7 September 1998 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | not named |
| 6 September 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4.0 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | 30462 |
| 30 September 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 70 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | 30490 |
| 24 September 2012 | Other causes | 1.0 acres | Cherokee Nation Tribe | SNAKE CREEK |
| 24 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 15 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | not named |
| 21 September 2005 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | 30550 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Blackgum: 3 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Limestone Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Limestone Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Limestone Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
12 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Blackgum in 12 storm reports between 1999 and 2024: 4 tornado, 3 flash flood, 2 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2008 | Flash Flood | Blackgum | $300,000 | Heavy rain flooded numerous roads across the county, several of which had portions that were washed out. |
| November 2018 | Tornado (EF1) | Blackgum | $150,000 | This is the first segment of a six segment tornado. This long-track tornado developed near Blackgum where homes were damaged, barns and outbuildings were destroyed, and trees were snapped. The tornado moved north-northeast, snapping and uprooting numerous trees as it approached an inlet of Lake Tenkiller, and crossed into Cherokee County. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 100 to 110 mph. |
| May 2020 | Tornado (EF0) | Blackgum | $100,000 | This tornado destroyed boat storage units, blew down power poles, and snapped large tree limbs. It was observed by storm chasers. Based on the damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 80 to 85 mph. |
| September 2010 | Flash Flood | Blackgum | $50,000 | Numerous secondary roads across the county were barricaded or washed out due to high water. |
| May 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Blackgum | $1,000 | There was a brief tornado touchdown near Aqua Park, causing mainly tree damage. |
| November 2024 | Tornado (EFU) | Blackgum | - | This brief tornado was recorded by storm chasers. It remained over open country that was inaccessible by road, and no known damage occurred. |
| May 2022 | Flood | Blackgum | - | Portions of Indian Road north of Highway 10A were completely washed out. Monetary damage from this flood was unknown. |
| May 2017 | Flash Flood | Blackgum | - | Portions of Highway 10A were flooded and closed north of Gore. |
| October 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Blackgum | - | Strong thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated to 60 mph at Lake Tenkiller State Park. |
| March 2004 | Hail | Blackgum | - | no account filed |
| October 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Blackgum | - | no account filed |
| January 2000 | Hail | Blackgum | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | 2.1 miles | 20 | |
| Linder Bend (historical) | 2.8 miles | 20 | |
| Evening Shade | 3.4 miles | 20 | |
| Redbird Smith | 3.4 miles | 20 | |
| Paradise Hill | 4.3 miles | 19 | |
| Aqua Park | 4.6 miles | 20 | |
| Notiechtown | 5.9 miles | 20 | |
| Pinhook Corner | 7.5 miles | 20 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Blackgum | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q5729646 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1090225. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.








