The present community of Calvin was established in 1895, when the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway laid a line through the Choctaw Nation between McAlester and Oklahoma City. The community was initially called "Riverview", for its location on the south bank of the Canadian River. The Riverview post office was established on March 21, 1895, with John Wilbur as postmaster. The town name was changed to Calvin in June, 1895, to honor the Choctaw landowner, Calvin Perry. The Choctaw Nation Town Site Commission surveyed Calvin's site and divided it into 350 lots, which were put up for sale. About 1904, a fire destroyed several business buildings and the Masonic Lodge on Canadian Street constructed a line through the area, reaching Calvin in 1909. By that time the growing town offered the surrounding agricultural community a choice of four cotton gins, eight general stores, two hotels, and numerous other businesses typical of the era.
Geography
Calvin is located in south-central Hughes County at , on the south side of the Canadian River. U.S. Route 75 passes just east of the town limits, leading north to Wetumka and south to Coalgate. U.S. Route 270 comes in with US 75 from the north but turns east at Calvin and leads to McAlester. Oklahoma State Highway 1 runs through the center of Calvin, leading east with US 270 to McAlester and west to Ada. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Calvin has a total area of, all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 279 people, 120 households, and 75 families residing in the town. The population density was 578.6 people per square mile. There were 144 housing units at an average density of 298.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 82.44% White, 10.75% Native American, and 6.81% of the population. There were 120 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couplesliving together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.96. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $20,357, and the median income for a family was $23,409. Males had a median income of $17,083 versus $16,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,651. About 21.6% of families and 27.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 18.0% of those 65 or over.
