Town file
Okarche, Oklahoma
Okarche, Oklahoma (Canadian and Kingfisher counties, Oklahoma) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 275, "The Bad News Killers" (21 April 2022). In 1979 the Reverend Richard Douglas was 42 and his wife Marilyn was 36.
- Town
- Okarche
- County
- Canadian and Kingfisher counties
- State
- Oklahoma
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 275
- Approximate location
- 35.725, -97.976
Episode 275 / 21 April 2022 / 174 min / full
The Bad News Killers
"We are going to O'Carchie, Oklahoma this week; it is in both Canadian and Kingfisher counties, about 45 minutes to Oklahoma City." about 0:05:06
The case: Murder of the Douglas family (October 15, 1979); Murders of Dale Coquens and Yurby Land III (November 1979). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2022
- Population
- 1,334
- Median age
- 39 and a half
- Median household income
- almost $67,000
- Median home value
- $173,800
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $799
- Cost of living
- 90 out of 100
- Religious
- about 46%
- Property crime
- ▼ about half the national average
- Violent crime
- ▼ about half the national average
History, in brief
- The post office was established in 1890. about 0:06:18
- The land was originally Native American land; Cheyenne and Arapaho lands were opened to settlement by land run on April 19th, 1892. about 0:06:32
- The name Okarche was made by mashing together Oklahoma, Arapaho and Cheyenne. about 0:07:20
- In the late 1890s German immigrants were the greater part of the population and German was the most spoken language in the area. about 0:07:51
- Many Germans came in the 1880s and settled in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri before coming to Oklahoma for free land. about 0:08:02
- Federal highway numbering was implemented in 1926 and US 81 went through Okarche. about 0:08:17
- The first highway through here was a gravel surfaced road and stayed gravel until 1947. about 0:08:47
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Okarche is a great small town; everyone is tightly knit, cares about each other and about others, and it is a great place to live."about 0:09:14
5 stars
"The writer went to school in Okarche since preschool, is now a senior at Okarche High School and has worked in Okarche at a dealership."about 0:11:11
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Mustang, Oklahoma27 miles
- Chickasha, Oklahoma47 miles
- Enid, Oklahoma47 miles
- McLoud, Oklahoma53 miles
- Seiling, Oklahoma61 miles
- Depew, Oklahoma82 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.