Sweetwater, Oklahoma


Sweetwater is a town in Beckham and Roger Mills counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It was incorporated in 1998. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 87.

History

Named for nearby Sweetwater Creek, the town is at the junction of State Highway 30 and State Highway 152. Sweetwater originated around the time of the Cheyenne-Arapaho land opening in 1892. A post office for Sweetwater was established September 27, 1894. By 1910 the community had an estimated population of 50, two general stores, a dry goods–grocery store, a cotton gin and fuel company. The residents expected the construction of a railroad through the area, but none was built, and this limited further growth. The town did expand to about 100 people around the time of World War I, based on being an agricultural service center for the surrounding township, and the postmaster estimated 150 in the 1930s. However, the population started a decline even before World War II as improved roads and automobile transportation carried business south to Erick or east to Elk City.
On May 5, 2007, a tornado, rated on the Enhanced Fujita Scale as EF3, traveled on a path around wide and long. It began about south of Sweetwater and ended approximately north of Sweetwater, following State Highway 30. EF3 wind speeds range from. It severely damaged several buildings in the town, including the church and high school, and destroyed eight homes.

Demographics

Education

The Sweetwater Public School District is one of the smallest public school districts in the state of Oklahoma. For the most recent data available, it tied with Boley for the smallest high school with 15 students. For a combined district, K-12, Sweetwater finished third behind Boley and Clarita, with 60 students.