Early day McLoud was known for manufacturing and selling whiskey to whites and American Indians in dry Indian Territory. Located on the North Canadian River, the original town was destroyed in a flood and was rebuilt on higher ground one mile south. In June 1895, a post office named McCloud was established for the town, named after railroad attorney John William McLoud. The spelling of the post office name was corrected in October 1895. The town incorporated July 7, 1896. The town was an agricultural center for much of its history. By the start of the 21st Century, it had become a bedroom community, with many of its residents commuting to work in other towns. In 1949, the city was recognized as the "Blackberry Capital of the World" when the Chamber of Commerce sent a crate of blackberries to President Harry S. Truman.
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,044 people, 1,102 households. The racial makeup of the town was 2910 White, 241 African American, 569 Native American, 10 Asian, 46 Some Other Race, 276 from Two or More Races. There were 1,102 households out of which 356 had children under the age of 18 living with them, In the town, the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 38.7% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 58.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 49.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,475, and the median income for a family was $37,138. Males had a median income of $30,431 versus $20,667 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,774. About 11.6% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.
The city of McLoud is served by Gordon Cooper Vo-Tech in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Primary and secondary schools
McLoud Public Schools consists of two campus sites. The McLoud Elementary campus consists of eight buildings, including the Elementary building, the Ola Barnett building the PreK building, the Early Childhood Center, and the Intermediate building. Also at the Elementary campus are the Elementary Gymnasium, the Elementary Multi-Media Center, and the Elementary SafeRoom, which provides tornado protection for the 1,000+ students, staff, and faculty. The Secondary campus consists of ten buildings. These include McLoud Junior High School and High SchoolEast and West buildings Also included on the Secondary campus are the Secondary cafeteria, the Secondary Multimedia Center, the Business Building, a VoAg Building and VoAg Barn, the Home Economics Building, the Fine Arts Building, and the Secondary SafeRoom which provides the entire secondary campus with tornado protection. McLoud Schools offers students access to 15 different computer labs across the District. There are four basketball gyms, baseball, football, soccer, and softball fields. McLoud Schools also has indoor practice facilities for their baseball, softball, and wrestling programs, as well as the football field house.
As the "Blackberry Capital of the World", McLoud is home to the annual Blackberry Festival sponsored by the McLoud Chamber of Commerce. The festival began in the 1940s as a celebration of the end of the blackberry harvest. Although there is no longer large scale commercial blackberry farming in McLoud, blackberries still grow wild in the area. Another local favorite is the Austin poker tournament held in conjunction with the festival.
The festival is held the first weekend in July at venues throughout the community. The festivities now include a parade, carnival, car show, poker run, baking contest, and pageant. Fireworks and music are also a major part of the activities for the weekend.
