Oklahoma History knowing folk

[royalfan5]

What were the predominate ethnic groups that settled Oklahoma excluding Native groups that were resettled there? The reason I ask is that I have been out doing some field work for my job, and was noticing the differences between rural towns based on the ethnic groups that settled them. For example, south of Lincoln the towns were settled by Dutch Reformed folk and there is nowhere to find booze, and northwest of Lincoln in the Bohemian Alps a town of 450 will have 3 bars. Another example would be the county I'm from that was settled by North Germans, there are more Lutheran Churches than all others combined. I'm just curious is there state is sectionalized by European ethnic groups in rural areas.

[jk the sooner fan]

my line moved in to the muskogee/okmulgee area via ohio.......and are of french hugenot descent, but i dont think thats a predominant group!

i'm not sure the answer, but i'd be curious to know as well

[TUSooner]

I can only say from experience that there were lots of Germans in Bessie (south of Clinton). Mostly northern Germans, I think (or eastern?) My Volk were Volgadeutsch. Peace Lutheran in Bessie used to have a weekly worship service in German until sometime in the 1960s.

[bluedogok]

I don't think they settled in just one area but there were many small towns that were ethnic enclaves scattered all over the state. Kiel was mainly German and changed its name during WWI to Loyal (near Kingfisher). Krebs (near McAlester) was an Italian miner community for the coal mines in that part of the state, now it is known for its Italian restaurants. Yukon and Prague were Czech communities.

Those are the ones that I know of.

[Sooner24]

If you get a map of Philadelphia PA. you can see where a lot of towns in Oklahoma were named after towns in PA. The men building the railroad were from PA. and named towns in Oklahoma after their towns back home. Ardmore is named for Ardmore PA. I am guessing that Wayne, Stratford, Wynnewood, Paoli, Berwyn (which was renamed Gene Autry), Noble, and Overbrook are too as they are all the names of towns in the Philadelphia area. I know that doesn't answer your question but it is a little Oklahoma history.

[olevetonahill]

Most of My family came here from Arkie :eek:
At least they was smart enough to leave that place ;)

[LoyalFan]

Could we be confusing ethnicity with nationality here?

LF

[Okla-homey]

Generally speaking of course, in Oklahoma, in areas where cotton was a staple crop until oil eclipsed it, the white folks who moved in to cultivate the cotton in the 1890's (after the former Chickasaw and Choctaw reserves were opened to whites) were of British or Scots-Irish descent. This is because those two were the predominant ethnicities in the American South.

Elsewhere in Oklahoma, we really are a delightful hodge-podge of ethnicities. Germans, Poles, Russians, Italians, Czechs, Africans, Lebanese. You name it.

[Jerk]

I know a few...a very few...

Yukon - Czechs
Okarchie - German catholics

[royalfan5]

Elsewhere in Oklahoma, we really are a delightful hodge-podge of ethnicities. Germans, Poles, Russians, Italians, Czechs, Africans, Lebanese. You name it.
Are there any Germans from Russia in Oklahoma like there are in Kansas and Nebraska?

[Tulsa_Fireman]

No, but there's a buttload of polacks in Harrah.