Alva, Oklahoma

Alva is a city located in Woods County, Oklahoma. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,288. It is the county seat of Woods County{{GR|6}}.

Details

Alva was established in 1893 as a land office for the Cherokee Outlet land run, the largest of the land rushes that settled western and central Oklahoma. The site was chosen for its location on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and likely named for a railroad attorney, Alva Adams, who had become governor of Colorado.

Related Topics:
Cherokee Outlet - Land run - Oklahoma - Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway - Alva Adams - Colorado

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Alva is home to Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU), founded in 1897 as a normal school. The college's main building for a time was the "Castle on the Hill," a huge, fanciful brick building, modeled after a Norman castle, that towered over much of the town. The Castle burned down in 1935, to be replaced by the more staid Jesse Dunn Hall, which was dedicated in 1937 by Eleanor Roosevelt. The town council is actively soliciting murals -- one of the most recent is of the fabled Castle -- and trying to attract businesses to attract tourists and to keep people in town, important as the population of Woods County has been dropping since the 1930s. Alva lost 200 people between 1990 and 2000 according to official census figures. It has a Wal-Mart Supercenter that is one of the smallest supercenters ever built; the other supermarket in town closed after it opened. The area is generally religious, with 16 different churches, all Christian, in town.

Related Topics:
Northwestern Oklahoma State University - Normal school - Eleanor Roosevelt - Mural - Wal-Mart - Church - Christian

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