Stigler dates to 1889, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 40% of U.S. towns · #72 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Most of Stigler was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Its Register listings are the Haskell County Courthouse and the Stigler School Gymnasium-Auditorium. Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1910.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1893.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Stigler’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Stigler is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #72 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Stigler’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 Stigler’s 7.3 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% 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 (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1889.
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 Stigler’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Stigler. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1900Sansbois sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Stigler.
Every building
Stigler, building by building, 1904–1916
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.
1904Sheet 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.
At the time of its founding, Newman, later Stigler, was located in Sans Bois County, a part of the Moshulatubbee District of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory. A post office was established at Newman, Indian Territory on April 30, 1892. The community was named for Dr. Martin W. Newman, a pioneer and physician.
Joseph Stigler is said to have founded the town in 1889. He was familiar with the area, as earlier he had served as a deputy marshal under federal judge Isaac C. Parker, whose court in Fort Smith, Arkansas, had jurisdiction over Indian Territory. The post office name was changed to Stigler on May 3, 1893 by the U.S. Post Office Service, because the former name caused some confusion with the town of Norman.
In 1889, according to Wikidata. Stigler’s post office opened in 1893, and the census of 1910 counted 1,583 people here.
How does Stigler rank for history?
Stigler is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #72 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 Stigler?
Two places: the Haskell County Courthouse (listed 1984) and the Stigler School Gymnasium-Auditorium (1988).
How old are the homes in Stigler?
7% of Stigler’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (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.
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