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History · Gore

Gore dates to 1902

Most of Gore was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1910.

1902founded
0on the National Register
0.7%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Gore began

When was Gore founded?

1902

Gore dates its founding to 1902 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 316 in 19102020 census: 951124 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓

What stands out about Gore’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Gore are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gore’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gore’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Gore came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Gore.

Read it all →

This community began as a small settlement in Indian Territory known as Campbell, named for Dr. W. W. Campbell, who, along with Joe Lynch, operated a ferry across the Arkansas River between Campbell and Webbers Falls. Tahlonteskee, the capital of the Western Cherokee from 1828–1839, was near here, just two miles to the north of town. In 1829, John Jolly, chief of the Cherokee Nation–West, built a home in this area.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Gore, 1888 to 1948

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888Post officeThe Campbell post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1902
    FoundingGore is established
  5. 1909Post officeThe Campbell post office closes
  6. 1909Post officeThe Gore post office opens
  7. 1945Born hereJohn Whisenant is born here
  8. 1947Born hereSteve Owens is born here
  9. 1948Born hereGlen Bud Smithson is born here
  10. 1948On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Gore, decade by decade

Today2 recent
A painting of Tahlonteeskee Cherokee Trail of Tears settlement in Gore, Oklahoma by an unknown artist2010A painting of Tahlonteeskee Cherokee Trail of Tears s…OKMap-doton-Gore2004OKMap-doton-Gore
On the map

Gore on the map, 1948 to 1972

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gore. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Gore on the 1948 USGS mapGore on the 1950 USGS mapGore on the 1972 USGS map1948Webbers Falls sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Gore.

Every building

Gore, building by building, 1911

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Gore fire insurance map, 1911, sheet 11911Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Gore, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 977

Between 297 and 977 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Gore’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Gore

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
John WhisenantAmerican basketball player and coach · b. 1945
S
Steve OwensAmerican football player and administrator · b. 1947
G
Glen Bud SmithsonAmerican politician · b. 1948
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Gore’s post office has been open since 1909. Another post office, Campbell, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Campbell
1888–1909
Gore
1909–today
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

NotchietownIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWebbers FallsIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Gore’s history

What year was Gore founded?

In 1902, according to Wikidata. Gore’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1910 counted 316 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.