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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.

Blackgum within Sequoyah County

Population over time

2 figures

Blackgum 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.

YearPeople Change
201051
202047-4 (-8%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 20 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

334 since 1992

Regional 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/incendiarism122
Missing data/not specified/undetermined101
Debris and open burning70
Equipment and vehicle use9
Smoking9
Natural8
Recreation and ceremony8
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Railroad operations and maintenance2
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Other causes1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2000Recreation and ceremony2.0 acresOklahoma Division of Forestrynot named
7 September 2000Debris and open burning4.0 acresOklahoma Division of Forestrynot named
7 September 1998Natural1.0 acresOklahoma Division of Forestrynot named
6 September 2011Equipment and vehicle use4.0 acresOklahoma Division of Forestry30462
30 September 2011Equipment and vehicle use70 acresOklahoma Division of Forestry30490
24 September 2012Other causes1.0 acresCherokee Nation TribeSNAKE CREEK
24 September 1999Arson/incendiarism15 acresOklahoma Division of Forestrynot named
21 September 2005Debris and open burning3.0 acresOklahoma Division of Forestry30550

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Sequoyah County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Unknown Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unknown Limestone PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Sequoyah County

Storms near this place

12 since 1999

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
March 2008Flash FloodBlackgum$300,000Heavy rain flooded numerous roads across the county, several of which had portions that were washed out.
November 2018Tornado (EF1)Blackgum$150,000This 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 2020Tornado (EF0)Blackgum$100,000This 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 2010Flash FloodBlackgum$50,000Numerous secondary roads across the county were barricaded or washed out due to high water.
May 1999Tornado (F0)Blackgum$1,000There was a brief tornado touchdown near Aqua Park, causing mainly tree damage.
November 2024Tornado (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 2022FloodBlackgum-Portions of Indian Road north of Highway 10A were completely washed out. Monetary damage from this flood was unknown.
May 2017Flash FloodBlackgum-Portions of Highway 10A were flooded and closed north of Gore.
October 2017Thunderstorm WindBlackgum-Strong thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated to 60 mph at Lake Tenkiller State Park.
March 2004HailBlackgum-no account filed
October 2001Thunderstorm WindBlackgum-no account filed
January 2000HailBlackgum-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Sequoyah County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Box2.1 miles20
Linder Bend (historical)2.8 miles20
Evening Shade3.4 miles20
Redbird Smith3.4 miles20
Paradise Hill4.3 miles19
Aqua Park4.6 miles20
Notiechtown5.9 miles20
Pinhook Corner7.5 miles20

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 BlackgumAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q5729646The 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.