Spavinaw, town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States of America
Spavinaw is a small town in northeastern Oklahoma beside the quiet Spavinaw Lake, covering about 0.4 square miles. The town sits in a green landscape with gentle hills and quiet streets, where simple houses and some historic buildings in the downtown area can be seen.
Lewis Rogers arrived from Arkansas in 1829 and built a mill, distillery, and salt works by Spavinaw Creek. After the Cherokee removal in 1839, the population grew, and the town was relocated when the dam was completed in 1924 to supply water to Tulsa.
The name Spavinaw comes from French traders in the 1700s who named the nearby creek after the dark color of trees growing there. The town keeps alive the memory of Mickey Mantle, the famous baseball player born here, and locals enjoy sharing stories about the town's past.
The best way to explore the town is to walk through the quiet streets, especially to see the historic buildings in the downtown area. The lake shore and nearby parks are easy to access and offer good opportunities for walking, fishing, and picnicking throughout the year.
The town was relocated to a new location in 1924 when the dam was built, with the old settlement of Lynch's Mill sinking beneath the waters of the new lake. This makes Spavinaw a place where the past literally lies underwater and is remembered only through stories and names.
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