Mayor
Stephen Brinlee
Wilburton is a vibrant community of just under 3000, with an opportunistic spirit like no other. From its people to its landscape, we truly reside in the most beautiful place in Oklahoma. We are a college town, with one of the most gorgeous state parks just five miles up the road. Many people from all walks of life come here to live, work and raise a family. On Friday nights in the fall, you can find many of us in our purple and white, seated about the fifty yard line, cheering our Diggers to victory, or watching Mountaineer hoops at EOSC. You are always greeted with a warm welcome, and a smile. We truly strive to be that "shining city on a hill", or in our case "in the valley". If you are looking for a great place to live, start a business, or vacation, Wilburton is a great choice for you and your family. Wilburton hosts a fine public school system, as well as one of the largest junior colleges in the state. I hope that you come to visit us here at the gateway to southeast Oklahoma.
Mayor
Stephen Brinlee
Mayor Stephen C. Brinlee was elected April 7th, 2007 at the age of 22 years making him the youngest Mayor in the State of Oklahoma at that time. Mayor Brinlee was born and raised in Wilburton graduating from Wilburton High School in 2003 and Eastern Oklahoma State College in 2005 and 2010 with degrees in Music Education and Criminal Justice.
Mayor Brinlee is a full-time Mayor who guides and directs all aspects of the municipal government on a daily basis. His duties include fiscal oversight and employee management, addressing public concerns, and chairing the Wilburton Public Works Authority Board where he oversees it's daily operations. Mayor Brinlee presents an annual budget for all city and public works departments to the governing body each fiscal year, and sees that the budget is carried out in accordance to the wishes of the City Council and the Oklahoma Municipal Budget Act. The Mayor works closely with all elected city officials and employees to insure that the city's operation run smoothly. The Mayor is also available as his schedule permits to visit or speak to your club or organization, just contact us!
Mayor Brinlee is active in the community, serving as a member of the Board of Directors for Kiamichi Economic Development District of Oklahoma;the Economic Development Board; Oklahoma Conference Of Mayor's; Kiamichi RC&D; Wilburton Chamber of Commerce; Eastern Oklahoma State College Alumni Association; Wilburton High School Alumni Association; and a past chairman of the Latimer County Democratic Party.
Wilburton
Historical Facts
Wilburton was named after: EITHER Will Burton,
a surveyor who plotted land in this area in 1890 for the Choctaw Railroad OR Elisha
Wilbur, President of Lehigh Valley Railway and one of first men to buy stock in Choctaw
Coal and Railroad Company.
1896:
Wilburton took
off population wise – by 1900 census 19 languages were spoken in the Wilburton area. Sam
Givens General Store was first rock building in Latimer County; 1st
floor was store and upstairs was lodging. Currently is “The Picture Show” movie theatre.
1898: 2 semiprofessional baseball located
here: 1 white and 1 black, called
“Blues” .
1900: Miner’s & Merchant’s Bank opened by
Mr. J. Poe – sold in 1903 and became the First
National Bank. Later became Citizen’s
Bank, then “Talbots” and later a hotel.
1903:
First Telephone
System install, consisting of 40 phones.
1904: Katy
Railroad ran a line through Wilburton. May 10:
First Sale of Lots in City.
1905: Great Western Coke & Coal Company
building constructed by COL William Busby: Later
became the “Old Courthouse”.
1905 – 1930: MINING ACCIDENTS kill 133 men while only 85
have died in foreign wars. 1905: 13 fatalities Degnan
Mine #9 1910: 6
“ Busby Mine #2 1916: 3
“ Degnan Mine #5 1918:
2 “ Lutie Mine #4 1920:
3 “ Degnan Mine #5 1920: 91 “ Degnan Mine #19 1930: 15
“ Lutie Mine #5
1906:
442,000 tons of coal excavated from Latimer County; more than any county
in Coal Belt.
1907: November 16: Latimer County named for
Representative J.S. Latimer.
1908: April
14: “The Picture Show”
building became the county jail for 22 months.
1910: April 10: WILBURTON
INCORPORATED AS A CITY. October 1: First motor vehicle accident when J. Poe’s
crank on his car kicked back and broke his arm.
1911: New
School House completed on top of North Hill; built at a cost of $40,000.
1912:
October 24: The deposits at First
National Bank were short by $65,000.
Cashier by name of Lust stole it and reportedly built his home, now the “Windsong
Inn”. Latimer County National Bank bailed them out. Mr. Lusk had to sell his home and got $5,000
for it.
1914: Fire destroyed Givens Hotel and Wilburton
News, current site of Bumper-to-Bumper to empty lot next to Latimer County Home
Health, block of 200 East Main Street
1915: First
City Park established across from “Old Courthouse”; City Bank played at event, 20th Century Club was
responsible. July 25:
Great Western Coke & Oil company building was purchased by Latimer
County for $10,000. The brick building behind the new Courthouse
became & remains the jail.
1916: The 1st Ballpark, Degnan Park, donated
by James McConnell, located SW of railroad depot.
City raised $600 to fix it.
1918:
Patterson Powder Mill exploded, located 7 miles west of town.
1919-1929: No picture
shows allowed on Sundays.
1927: November: Fire destroyed or damaged several buildings
on north side of East 100 Block of Main Street. Dr Coleman, a dentist had an office whose
equipment was saved when his friends moved it out. The operators for the phone system
were also in the building and the
switchboard destroyed. The firemen saved
the building. Currently is home of Cole's General Store.
1928: January 23: fire started at Chilli Inn restaurant and
spread both east and west on the South side of East 100 block of Main
Street. The café was destroyed but Cooks
Barber Shop was saved.
1931:
Wilburton was known as the “LITTLE CAPITAL OF OKLAHOMA”: Chief Justice of Supreme Court Eugene
Lester, Speaker of the House Carlton Weaver, President of the Senate, Chad Briggs and Industrial Commission Member Matt McElroy all hailed from Wilburton.
1935:
Robber’s Cave State Park was established.
1938: Red
Oak wanted to be the County Seat, so the Governor called for a special
election. Wilburton remained the County Seat.
1939: The new
Courthouse was finished and the Old Courthouse was sold at auction for $1285.
1940:
Business and Professional Women paid for concrete street markers
throughout town.
1953:
Wilburton installed dial phones:
700 phones.
1953:
Mayor Donathan promised during his campaign he would get paved streets
in Wilburton. The Lions Club, in conjunction with OK Highway Department who were in the area paving from Wilburton to Robbers Cave State Park, Wilburton citizens could get a 18 foot wide street in front
of their house for 50 cents a foot.
1958: The
Metropolitan Phone Systems was installed with the prefix “Howard 5”,still in use:"465". November: Highway 2 North was dedicated.
1960:
Wilburton State Bank moved to their present location at 123 East Main
Street. May 5: A tornado ripped through Wilburton killing 11
and injuring over 10. Damaged 5 blocks of residential area with 82
homes demolished and 34 heavily damaged and 122 homes suffering slight damage. 22 businesses were destroyed on 2 blocks of
Main Street, 12 heavily damaged and 41 sustained minor
damage. It rained 9 inches during the
storm.
1983:
October 10: Fire damaged or
destroyed 8 businesses on north side of west 100 block of Main Street.
1990: Fire
destroyed building which had been home of Roy’s Cardinal Grocery which moved to its current location on Hwy 2 North.
2002: Karin
Q. Woodruff elected Mayor: First woman
Mayor in Wilburton’s first 100 years.
2006: Wilburton completed construction of new
Wastewater Treatment Plant at cost of $6.5 Million. Wilburton completes new downtown sidewalk
project at a cost of $550,000. Wilburton completes renovations at
Municipal Airport at a cost of $675,000.
2007:
Stephen Brinlee elected as Wilburton and Oklahoma’s YOUNGEST Mayor at
age 23. Two years later Muskogee’s new Mayor
elected at age 22. Mayor Brinlee was re-elected in both 2011 and 2015.
2011: First
City Seal designed by Jean Lively adopted after contest with entries from local artists. February: Wilburton Recycling Program initiated; residents
respond enthusiastically. October:
Oklahoma Recycling Award received for “Best Rookie Effort”
2015: Wilburton named “Safest City in Oklahoma” based on ratio of crime to population.