Pickens, Oklahoma
15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1901 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the North McCurtain census division. It lies in ZIP code area 74728. It stands on Watson Branch. The Survey maps it on the Clebit quadrangle. It stands 856 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 15 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.
- 1901 USGS Alikchi quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1950 USGS Mcalester quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Mc Alester quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS McAlester quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Mc Alester quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1965 USGS McAlester quadrangle1:250000
- 1972 USGS Clebit quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Antlers quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
252 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 252 fires within 5 miles of Pickens between 1992 and 2019, burning about 4,073 acres in total. 19 started naturally. 101 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 | 101 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 68 |
| Debris and open burning | 34 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 24 |
| Natural | 19 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2011 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | 10537 |
| 5 September 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Talihina Agency | SE471 |
| 3 September 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,300 acres | Talihina Agency | COUNTY LINE |
| 20 September 1995 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Talihina Agency | 0462 |
| 20 September 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | not named |
| 19 September 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 12 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | 10541 |
| 14 September 2002 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | not named |
| 13 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 22 acres | Talihina Agency | PICKENS #2 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Pickens: 4 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Clay. 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 Shale Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Shale Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Shale Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Shale Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Weyerhauser Co Shale Pit | Clay | Producer |
Storms near this place
13 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Pickens in 13 storm reports between 1994 and 2022: 6 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 2 tornado. The reports record 1 death and 1 injury. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2022 | Tornado (EF2) | Pickens | 1 killed, 1 hurt, $300,000 | An EF-2 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 125 mph touched down in extreme Northwest McCurtain County near the Pickens community. The tornado touched down off of Pickens Road where it completed destroyed a chicken house, removed large sections of a roof of a home, and snapped multiple hardwood trees. The tornado then impacted a double-wide mobile home that was tied down with straps, which were snapped or footings pulled out of the ground. The mobile home was vaulted to the northwest and led to a fatality of a 90 year old male inside. A vehicle was also tossed and rolled at this location as well. The tornado continued moving northeast and uprooted multiple hardwood and softwood trees as it crossed Mount Zion Church Road, Glover Road, and Cedarwood Lane, before lifting near Coleman Road. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickens | - | A large tree was uprooted along Battiest Pickens Road. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickens | - | Metal roofing was peeled off of a few chicken houses just off of Battiest Pickens Road just east of the Pickens community. |
| April 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Pickens | - | An NWS survey and eyewitness reports confirmed that an EF0 rope tornado briefly touched down south of Pickens, Oklahoma. Only a few trees were damaged in an uninhabited area south of Pickens. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Pickens | - | Hail fell just south of town. |
| September 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickens | - | Trees were downed. |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickens | - | Trees down blocking highway between Pickens and Battiest. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickens | - | Numerous large trees down. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pickens | - | Skywarn spotter at a local convenience store reported numerous trees down. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Pickens | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Pickens | - | no account filed |
| March 1998 | Hail | Pickens | - | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Hail | Pickens | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clebit | 0.6 miles | 15 | |
| Battiest | 4.6 miles | 19 | |
| Bethel | 9.6 miles | 19 | |
| Mount Herman | 12.2 miles | 19 | |
| Sherwood | 13.2 miles | 19 | |
| Ringold | 13.9 miles | 17 | |
| Alikchi | 16.4 miles | 17 | |
| Nani-chito | 19.4 miles | 16 |
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 Pickens | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q7190777 | 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 1096612. 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.







