Tag: Stilwell
Stilwell is a city and county seat of Adair County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,949 at the 2010, an increase of 20.5 percent from 3,276 at the 2000 census. In 1949, the Oklahoma governor and legislature proclaimed Stilwell as the “Strawberry Capital of the World.” Stilwell also serves as a gateway to Lake Tenkiller and Adair State Park.
The town was named after Arthur Stilwell, noted philanthropist and founder of the Kansas City Southern Railway. It was built because of the construction of the railroad, and was incorporated on January 2, 1897.
When Adair County was formed in 1907, Westville was identified as the county seat, due partly to its location at the intersection of two major railroads: the Kansas City Southern Railway and the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway. The county seat was moved to Stilwell in 1910.
During the Great Depression and World War II, strawberries became a major crop in Adair County. In 1948, the first Stilwell Strawberry Festival was…
