Earlsboro, Oklahoma

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Earlsboro is a small town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. It has about 600 residents and covers roughly 9.3 square miles of mostly land. The town is often called The Boro.

Earlsboro started in 1891 when a railroad line was built through the area. It was named after James Earls, a local African American who helped during the Civil War. The name changed to Earlsboro when the post office opened in 1895.

In its early days, Earlsboro grew because Indian Territory was dry while nearby Oklahoma Territory was not, so many merchants sold liquor. The first shops included several saloons, and the town population reached about 500 by 1905. With Oklahoma statehood came prohibition, which reduced liquor sales and slowed growth. The town then turned more to farming.

Oil was discovered nearby on March 1, 1926. The first well produced 200 barrels a day, and the boom brought many workers and rapid growth. Within two months the population rose to around 10,000. A large hotel and theater were built, and the town invested in public works, including a water and sewer system funded by a 1929 bond issue. The 1930 census counted about 1,950 residents. When oil production declined in 1932, many people left, and the town fell into debt and bankruptcy. By 1959, a newspaper called Earlsboro “the town that whisky built and oil broke.”

In May 2022, two tornadoes struck the town. An EF2 tornado damaged the southeastern part of Earlsboro and then the eastern half, along with homes and power lines. An EF1 tornado started nearby and caused more damage as it moved east.

Geographically, Earlsboro’s area is about 9.2 square miles, almost all land with a tiny amount of water.

Demographically, the town had 628 people in 2010. The community was mostly White, with African American and Native American residents also present. There were around 229 households, with many families and married couples. The median household income was around $28,000, and some residents lived in poverty.

Most of Earlsboro is served by Earlsboro Public Schools, with small parts in Strother Public Schools and South Rock Creek Public School District for elementary students. Earlsboro has also been featured in media, such as a Song Salad podcast episode about the town in 2017.