Gans, Oklahoma

Episode 435 / 26 October 2023 / 163 min / full

Laughing, Torture & Lies

"covered name says this is far eastern Oklahoma, right near Arkansas, and that Gans is in Sacoya County, area code 539." about 0:06:18

The case: Murder of Cindy Bailey (July 4, 1982). Read the case file.

The figures, as told in 2023

Population

336

Median age

42.2

Median household income

$48,701

Median home value

$140,800

Two-bedroom rent

$790 a month

Cost of living

78

Religious

37%

Property crime

▼ just below average

Violent crime

▼ about 20% under

History, in brief

• Gans was originally within the Sacoya district of the Cherokee Nation, a dispersed rural area. about 0:06:55
• It was named Gan after the brothers Charlie, Tom and Swimmer Gan. about 0:07:26
• The post office, established in 1896, was renamed Gans. about 0:08:36
• Growth in the early years came from agriculture. about 0:08:43
• Wheat speculation stripped the ground cover and helped cause the Dust Bowl. about 0:08:49
• The railroad came through in 1900 so local produce could be shipped out. about 0:09:10
• In 1900 the population was 136. about 0:09:21
• By 1911 the town had a bank, two cotton gins, a saw mill, six general stores, three doctors, two drug stores, two blackname withheld heres, a restaurant and a newspaper. about 0:09:31
• In January 1957 a tornado killed eight people, injured eleven and caused $100,000 of damage. about 0:10:16
• By 1980 the population was 346. about 0:10:29
• By 1990 the school district had 250 people in it. about 0:10:36
• Bryant 'Big Country' Reeves, the basketball player, is from Gans. about 0:10:42
• Reeves donated a city hall building in 2002 after retiring and returning to live in Gans. about 0:11:23
• By 2000 the population was 208. about 0:11:52
• The town had a kindergarten through high school. about 0:12:01

The reviews read out

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