Fallis, Oklahoma

Fallis is located at 35°44′58″N 97°7′18″W (35.749471, -97.121665).[6] Located in western Lincoln County, Fallis is situated on a paved county road five miles northwest of Wellston.[7][8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²), all of it land.

Fallis was founded in 1892, just south of an Indian village on the western edge of the Iowa Reservation,[8] in a wooded area and "on a long red hill."[9] Originally named Mission 1892-1894, it was renamed in 1894 for its prime developer and first postmaster, Judge William Henry Fallis. Although the town is mostly abandoned today, and is nearly a ghost town, during the early 1900s Fallis was a whistle-stop for several railroad lines, and was a thriving little community with stores, hotels, banks, lumber yards, and other businesses, as well as a city hall. The population may have reached 400 during this time. Fallis was the home of several accomplished authors and poets.[8][9]

After the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the decline of the railroad, by 1950 the population had fallen to just 105 residents,[8] and much of the town was destroyed by fire in 1960. Very little of the old town was ever rebuilt, and only a handful of buildings remain.[8][10]

However, Fallis still maintains a volunteer firestation, and a community center was built in 1999.[8]

At the 2000 census there were 28 people, 13 households, and 7 families in the town. The population density was 81.2 people per square mile (31.8/km²). There were 17 housing units at an average density of 49.3 per square mile (19.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.86% White and 7.14% African American.[3] Of the 13 households 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 38.5% of households were one person and 30.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.88.

The age distribution was 17.9% under the age of 18, 17.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.0 males.

The median household income was $41,875 and the median family income was $51,250. Males had a median income of $27,083 versus $0 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,869. There were no families and 6.9% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 50.0% of those over 64.

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Fallis
• Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory