Poteau dates to 1885, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 46% of U.S. towns · #59 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Most of Poteau was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 2 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1899 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1887.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Poteau’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Poteau is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #59 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Poteau’s overall grade.
Oklahoma towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oklahoma town has 5.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Poteau’s 6.7 sits near the middle of its state (55% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1885.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Poteau’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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 year, then a sheet.
1899Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the National Register
5 historic places in Poteau
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
In 1719, Bernard de la Harpe led a group of French explorers through this area, and gave the river its present name. The present-day city was founded in 1885, its name derived from the nearby Poteau River. During the late 1700s, a large French outpost was at Belle Point (Ft. Smith). Further up the Poteau River was a secondary post at the base of Cavanal Mountain. Because of this, the river was named the "Post River", or Poteau River, and the outpost was simply called the post, or "Poteau". Poteau is a French word meaning post.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1885, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Poteau’s post office opened in 1887, and the census of 1900 counted 1,182 people here.
How does Poteau rank for history?
Poteau is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #59 of 131 in Oklahoma. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Poteau?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Terry House (listed 1980, the first), and 1 historic district, the Twyman Park, with 2 contributing buildings. 6 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Poteau?
8% of Poteau’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1979.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (16), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.
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