Hochatown Historical Association
Our Roots
Hochatown was originally settled in the Mountain Fork River Valley by members of the Choctaw Tribe who had migrated to southeast Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears in the 19th century. It was considered an unspoiled paradise with its plentiful wildlife, fertile soils and clear running waters.
Around the turn of the 20th century, when the Choctaw Timber and Coal Company began harvesting the virgin pine trees from the lands nearby, Hochatown went from a sleepy little village to a thriving timber town, complete with its own post office, trading post, and railroad spur.
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In the 1920’s, when the timber harvest had moved north and alcohol prohibition was federal law, Hochatown became known as “the moonshine capital of Oklahoma”. Prohibition did not end in Oklahoma until 1959. Hochatown’s moonshine-driven economy thrived until then.
In 1937, using the native stones and timbers in the area, Civilian Conservation Corps workers built many of the structures that still exist in Beavers Bend State Park. Today, Beavers Bend is the most visited state park in Oklahoma, with over one million tourists per year.
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After the US Congress passed the Flood Control Act of 1958, the government took ownership of properties from the residents of Hochatown and began construction of Broken Bow Lake in 1961. The church and cemetery were relocated to their current locations along US Highway 259 and modern day Hochatown was established there.
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In the years since, Broken Bow Lake and Beavers Bend State Park have established themselves as popular tourist attractions. A thriving community of entrepreneurs has kept the spirit of Hochatown alive.
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In 2015, a group of citizens began efforts to incorporate modern-day Hochatown. The City of Broken Bow, in a direct move to block these incorporation efforts, annexed a strip of land directly through the very heart of Hochatown. The citizens of Hochatown, seeking to protect their statutory right to incorporate their community, subsequently filed a lawsuit in the District Court of McCurtain County. The Judge ruled in Hochatown's favor. but Broken Bow appealed the ruling.
After many years of litigation the final appellate ruling was also in Hochatown's favor.
In 2022, A legal petition to have Hochatown Incorporation added to the ballet for the next election was presented to the Board of County Commissioners. BOCC failed to act within the required thirty (30) days. Hochatown filed suit again. This time in McCurtain County District Court and the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Commissioners eventually agreed/voted to allow the Hochatown Incorporation question on the November 8, 2022 ballot for a vote of the people. The law suits were dropped and Hochatown residents voted yes to incorporate on November 8, 2022.
Hochatown may begin the process of establishing a tax base and collecting tax revenue to improve and implement municipal services and infrastructure which directly serve the businesses, homeowners and investors in Hochatown.
Connect to the Town of Hochatown HERE
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