ABOUT STILWELL & STILWELL HIGH SCHOOL

Location : Oklahoma
County : Adair ( Stilwell is the county seat )
Population: 3,276 (2000 Census up from 2,369 in 1990 Census) Increase of 907
Founded: 1897

About Stilwell: The city of Stilwell was founded in 1897 by railroad baron Arthur Stilwell, who also founded the cities of Stilwell, Kansas and Port Arthur, Texas.

Stilwell is located in far eastern Oklahoma, in Adair County. The nearest large cities to Stilwell are Fayetteville, Arkansas, located 48 miles to the northeast, and Tulsa, Oklahoma , located 100 miles to the west-northwest.
The "Trail of Tears" ended here in Adair County near Stilwell.

Stilwell has long been known as the "Strawberry Capital of the World" and holds an annual Strawberry Festival the second Saturday in May.

General George Patton called the 45th Infantry Division "the finest fighting unit in the Army" during World War II and the Korean Conflict.
Much of the 45th ( The Fighting Thunderbirds )  was made up Stilwell and Adair County natives.

Stilwell is located in the heart of Oklahoma's Cherokee Indian Nation.

Stilwell is one of only a small handful of schools to have won State Championships in Football, Basketball, Baseball, Wrestling and Track

Former State of Representatives and Speaker of the House, Larry E. Adair is a Stilwell native.
Adair graduated from SHS in 1964 and still resides in Stilwell.

Country crooner Carrie Underwood of Checotah was the Musical Entertainment for five Strawberry Festivals before winning the
Television program "American Idol"

Stilwell's weather is usually as follows:
Winters - Mild, daytime highs usually in the 50's about 2 periods of heavy snow, main problem in winter is freezing rain.
Spring - Wet and stormy. Located in a valley, tornadoes are very rare. Dangerous lightning and strong winds are the main severe weather threats.
Summer - The 3 H's - Hot, Humid and Hazy. Average temperature is in the 90's. Not unusual to go a couple of months without significant rainfall.
Fall - Temperatures at beginning of fall are usually in the 80's. 70's-60's prevail towards mid-fall. One can usually expect a full 24 hour day of steady rain about 4-5 times during fall.    

About Stilwell High School
As of May, 2004
Enrollment: 589 ( 76th Largest school in Oklahoma out of 471 )
Nickname : Indians
Colors : Red & White
Football Stadium : James Bradley Memorial Athletic Park ( since 1945 )
Basketball Arena: E.G. McLemore Court at Stilwell Activity Center
Baseball Stadium: Strawberry Field at Adair State Park
Fight Song : Washington & Lee Swing
Arch-Rival: Sallisaw Black Diamonds
Most Famous Citizen: Wilma Mankiller. First female Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Most Famous Athlete: Sam Claphan. Claphan played longer in the NFL than only one other University of Oklahoma lineman. Sam was a starting Tackle for the San Diego Chargers, protecting the blind side of Hall-of-Fame Quarterback Dan Fouts. Claphan is a member of the American Indian Sports Hall of Fame.