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Stilwell, Oklahoma

17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1898 and the latest in 1978. It stands in the Stilwell East census division. It lies in ZIP code area 74960. It lies near Davis Mountain. The Survey maps it on the Stilwell West quadrangle. 3,700 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,089 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Stilwell within Adair County

On record in Stilwell

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 3 records

Surveyed buildings and structures 1 record

Population over time

2 figures

Stilwell fell from 3,949 to 3,700 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
20103,949
20203,700-249 (-6%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 17 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.

Photographs

1 photograph,

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Adair County Courthouse, Courthouse Square, Stilwell, Adair County, OK
Adair County Courthouse, Courthouse Square, Stilwell, Adair County, OK
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

Fires near this place

550 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 550 fires within 5 miles of Stilwell between 1992 and 2020, burning about 6,643 acres in total. 14 started naturally. 297 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/incendiarism297
Debris and open burning107
Missing data/not specified/undetermined81
Recreation and ceremony14
Natural14
Smoking13
Equipment and vehicle use11
Railroad operations and maintenance7
Misuse of fire by a minor5
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

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 2011Debris and open burning3.0 acresOklahoma Division of Forestry30470
6 September 2011Debris and open burningunder an acreOklahoma Division of Forestry30461
6 September 2010Arson/incendiarism26 acresOklahoma Division of Forestry30475
4 September 1998Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreOklahoma Division of Forestrynot named
4 September 1995Missing data/not specified/undetermined10 acresOklahoma Division of Forestrynot named
22 September 2000Arson/incendiarismunder an acreOklahoma Division of Forestrynot named
19 September 2000Recreation and ceremony2.0 acresOklahoma Division of Forestrynot named
15 September 2000Railroad operations and maintenance7.0 acresOklahoma Division of Forestrynot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Adair County

Mines and quarries near this place

5 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Stilwell: 5 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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 Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Adair County

Storms near this place

60 of 107 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Stilwell in 107 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 53 hail, 38 thunderstorm wind, 8 flash flood, 7 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 1999Flash FloodStilwell1 killed, $5,000A 22-year old man drowned while attempting to cross a marked low-water bridge over Evansville Creek on OK Hwy 100 east of Stilwell. His compact pickup truck was swept off the road into the fast-moving stream, which had been flooded by up to 4 inches of rain earlier that morning upstream in Crawford and Washington Counties in Arkansas. The man's passenger managed to swim to safety, but the driver was carried downstream where his body was found several days later.
April 2022Tornado (EF1)Stilwell1 hurt, $300,000This tornado developed south of the E 820 Road and west of the S 4700 Road, where large tree limbs were snapped and homes were damaged. It moved east-northeast across the cemetery snapping softwood trees. The tornado then moved across the northwest and north sides of Stilwell, where the roofs of a number of apartment buildings were damaged, homes were damaged, outbuildings were destroyed, trees were uprooted, and power poles were blown down. Several businesses were damaged as it crossed Highway 59, a semi truck was blown over, and trees were uprooted. As the tornado moved east-northeast from Stilwell, numerous trees were uprooted, outbuildings were damaged, and some trees and power poles were snapped from the S 4720 Road to near the S 4757 Road. The tornado appeared to dissipate just east of the S 4757 road. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 95 to 105 mph.
April 2021Tornado (EF1)Stilwell$50,000This tornado damaged a home, destroyed a couple outbuildings, damaged chicken houses, and uprooted trees. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 90 to 100 mph.
April 2008Tornado (EF2)Stilwell$50,000An NWS storm survey determined that a strong tornado destroyed a mobile home, caused extensive tree damage, and snapped power poles. This tornado continued into Washington County Arkansas, lifting about 4 miles southwest of Lincoln.
April 1995Thunderstorm WindStilwell$50,000no account filed
May 2019Thunderstorm WindStilwell$30,000Strong thunderstorm wind uprooted several trees and destroyed a large barn.
October 1995Tornado (F0)Stilwell$30,000no account filed
April 1999Thunderstorm WindStilwell$20,000Winds destroyed a barn, damaged roofs on chicken sheds, caused damage at the rodeo grounds, and caused minor damage to a mobile home.
May 2016HailStilwell$20,000no account filed
May 2011HailStilwell$15,000no account filed
March 2020HailStilwell$10,000no account filed
March 2017HailStilwell$10,000no account filed
May 1999Tornado (F3)Stilwell$7,000A significant long-track tornado first touched down in Sequoyah County 4 miles west of Short, moving northeast for 39 miles to a point about 7 miles southwest of Fayetteville, AR. This tornado clipped the extreme southeast portion of Adair County as the tornado reached its peak strength as an F3 tornado. Fortunately, the tornado travelled across an unpopulated portion of Adair County. However, an aerial survey by NWS personnel over extreme southeast Adair County revealed that every tree in a hardwood forest was completely leveled.
March 2020Thunderstorm WindStilwell$5,000Strong thunderstorm wind estimated to 70 mph damaged a gas station.
April 2016Thunderstorm WindStilwell$5,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees and damaged a barn.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindStilwell$5,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees and damaged two barns.
February 1999Thunderstorm WindStilwell$4,000A pole barn was destroyed by strong winds.
September 2001Thunderstorm WindStilwell$3,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew the roof off the press box of the football field and blew a few trees down.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindStilwell$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees and power lines.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindStilwell$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down power lines.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindStilwell$1,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large limbs and tore the gutters off a home.
May 2008Thunderstorm WindStilwell$1,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down power lines.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindStilwell$700Several trees were snapped in half, and numerous tree limbs were blown down.
February 2001Thunderstorm WindStilwell$500Ozark Electric Company reported several large trees down causing power outages.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindStilwell$100Thunderstorm winds blew down a few trees.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindStilwell$100Thunderstorm winds blew down a few trees.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindStilwell$100Thunderstorm winds blew down a few large tree.
December 1999Thunderstorm WindStilwell$100Thunderstorm winds blew several large tree limbs down.
May 1997Thunderstorm WindStilwell$100no account filed
May 2024Tornado (EF2)Stilwell-This is the first segment of a two-segment tornado. This tornado developed just west of the S 4735 Road, where trees were snapped and uprooted. It moved east-northeast, and produced extensive tree damage for about a mile and a half before crossing into Arkansas, just north of the Washington/Crawford County border. A tornadic debris signature was detected by the KSRX WSR-88D with this tornado. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 110 to 120 mph.
February 2023FloodStilwell-Portions of Highway 59 were flooded south of Stilwell.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees.
March 2016Tornado (EF1)Stilwell-This is the first segment of a three segment tornado. In Adair County, this tornado snapped or uprooted numerous trees. Based on this tree damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 95 to 105 mph. The tornado continued into Crawford County, Arkansas.
April 2016Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs.
May 2015Flash FloodStilwell-Portions of the E 820 Road were flooded.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down several trees and numerous large tree limbs on county roads around Stilwell.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindStilwell-A storm chaser estimated 60 mph thunderstorm wind gusts north of Stilwell.
April 2011Flash FloodStilwell-Many roads were flooded and impassable across the county. Travel into and around the county was discouraged by the emergency manager after two to four inches of rain fell in less than two hours on already saturated soil.
April 2008Flash FloodStilwell-Heavy rain caused water to flow over a bridge on Highway 51.
April 2008Flash FloodStilwell-Numerous county roads were flooded and closed.
March 2008Flash FloodStilwell-Heavy rain caused secondary roads to be flooded.
March 2008Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down a few trees.
March 2008Flash FloodStilwell-Heavy rain caused some secondary roads near Stilwell to be flooded.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down numerous large tree limbs.
September 2006Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour uprooted a large tree and blew down several large tree limbs.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down three trees.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down tree limbs.
May 2003Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down a large tree.
October 2001Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew a tree down.
September 1998Flash FloodStilwell-There was one foot of water over some county roads, and low water bridges were flooded.
June 1997HailStilwell-Severe thunderstorms moved across northeast Oklahoma during the early morning of June 12th. Strong thunderstorm winds tore a small awning off a motor home and downed several large tree limbs at Cherokee Landing State Park 4 miles east of Pettit, and a privacy fence was blown down 3 miles northeast of Talala. 2 trees were blown down onto power lines in Ketchum, and a large tree was blown down across State Highway 82 4 miles north of Tahlequah. Trees were also blown down 5 miles east of Pryor, in Tahlequah, and 2 miles southeast of Tahlequah, and dime size hail fell at Stilwell.
May 1997HailStilwell-Severe thunderstorms moved across northeast Oklahoma during the evening of May 7th and early morning of May 8th. The storms spawned 2 brief tornadoes, both in Osage County, and also produced damaging winds and large hail. The tornadoes touched down at 2037CST 7 miles west of Ralston and at 2102CST 1 mile southwest of Fairfax. The tornadoes both touched down in rural areas, and no structural damage occurred. The tornadoes were both rated F0 in intensity. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 miles an hour on the Creek/Tulsa County line 3 miles south southwest of Glenpool and in Bixby. Golfball size hail fell at Ralston, and quarter size hail fell at Fairfax, where the hail drifted to a depth of 11 inches in some places. Dime size hail fell at several other locations in northeast Oklahoma. The storms also produced very heavy rainfall which resulted in flash flooding in Osage and Pawnee Counties. A few roads were washed out 15 miles west southwest of Burbank, and many county roads were flooded near Maramec.
June 1995HailStilwell-Thunderstorms reintensified to severe limits in northeast Oklahoma during the early afternoon of June 9th. Nickel-size hail fell in Pryor, dime-size hail fell four miles south of Stilwell, and strong thunderstorm winds downed numerous large tree limbs in Braggs.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Severe thunderstorms moved across southeast and extreme east-central Oklahoma during the afternoon of June 5th. Strong thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in Poteau, and trees were blown down in Muldrow and in Westville. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 70 mph in McAlester, and several large tree limbs were blown down in Red Oak. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 to 65 mph six miles west of Wilburton and to 60 mph in Alderson, three miles southwest of Summerfield, and five miles southeast of Stilwell. Quarter-size hail fell at Alderson and four miles west of Kinta, and dime-size hail fell three miles southwest of Summerfield, at McCurtain, one mile south of Muldrow, and at Westville. Very heavy rainfall from the thunderstorms also resulted in flash flooding in Pittsburg and Le Flore Counties. Street flooding occurred in McAlester and also in Panama.
January 1995HailStilwell-Severe thunderstorms developed in southeast Oklahoma during the evening of January 12th and moved north northeast into east-central Oklahoma. Large hail accompanied the storms, with golf ball-size hail at Roland and dime-size hail which covered the ground 10 miles north of Muldrow and at Keota. Dime-size hail also fell at several other locations in southeast and east-central Oklahoma.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindStilwell-Severe thunderstorms developed in northeast Oklahoma during the evening of July 7th and continued into the early morning of July 8th. The storms produced four small, brief F-0 tornadoes in Osage County. The first tornado touched down briefly at 1942CST in open country 5 miles southeast of Foraker. The second tornado touched down briefly at 2007CST 5 miles northwest of Hominy. The third tornado touched down briefly at 2015CST 7 miles northwest of Hominy. The fourth tornado touched down briefly at 2023CST 5.5 miles north of Hominy. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 90 mph at Nowata, where numerous large trees were downed blocking some roads and signs were also downed. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 85 mph 10 miles west of Bartlesville, and quarter-size hail also fell at this location. A barn was damaged and numerous large trees were downed by 70-mph winds in Verdigris, and several large tree limbs and one tree with a 10 inch diameter trunk were downed by 70-mph winds in Welch. Strong thunderstorm winds pushed a large metal building off its foundation and downed numerous large trees in Miami, and power poles were downed 5 miles west of Jay. Thunderstorm winds downed trees, large tree limbs, and signs near New Alluwe, and numerous trees were downed in Stilwell. A large tree was toppled through a picture window of a house 4 miles east of Wagoner, and a large tree was downed near White Karen Cove in Wagoner County. A large tree was blown down onto power lines in Avant, and numerous large tree limbs were downed from just west of Skiatook in Osage County into Skiatook in Tulsa County. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 70 mph at Tahlequah and to 65 mph at Locust Grove and Wyandotte. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 mph 2 miles south of Wynona, at Avant, 3 miles north of Oologah, and 6 miles north of Claremore. Golfball-size hail fell at the intersection of 41st Street South and 145th East Avenue in the city of Tulsa, and at the intersection of 61st Street South and Elm Street in Broken Arrow. Half dollar-size hail fell at the intersection of 71st Street South and Kenosha Street in Broken Arrow. Dime to quarter-size hail fell at several other locations in northeast Oklahoma.
May 2025HailStilwell-no account filed
April 2024HailStilwell-no account filed
April 2017HailStilwell-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Adair 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
Zion2.2 miles17
Fairfield2.4 miles17
Marietta2.5 miles17
Blanch2.9 miles17
Stony Point4.2 miles17
Salem4.4 miles17
Honey Hill4.7 miles17
Cherry Tree5.1 miles18

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 StilwellAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1992906The 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 1098544. 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.