Originally settled by ranchers as early as 1856, this community was known by some locals as Nesterville. By 1880, the town had a small store with a population of 132. From 1882 until 1903, a post office operated there under the designation Gilbert, named after the North Texas pioneer Mabel Gilbert. In 1906, a nearby wealthy rancher named Samuel Burk Burnett sold more than 16,000 acres (65 km2) of his land in northern Wichita County to a group of investors who were seeking to extend into the wheat-growing area of Western Oklahoma the Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway, one of the Frank Kell/Joseph A. Kemp properties based in Wichita Falls.[5]
Within Burnett's former land near the railroad, lots were auctioned off the following year and a post office was established. The town was named Burkburnett by U.S. PresidentTheodore Roosevelt, who visited the area for a wolf hunt that was hosted by the wealthy rancher Burnett.[6] In 1912, oil was discovered west of the town, attracting thousands to the area, and by 1918, approximately 20,000 people had settled around the oilfield. This part of the town's history was chronicled in the film, Boom Town with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. The Great Depression had a negative impact on the town's population, which was boosted again in 1941 as Sheppard Air Force Base was established nearby.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Burkburnett has a total area of 9.5 square miles (24.6 km2), all land.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,939 people, 4,725 households, and 3,330 families residing in the city.
Government
The city of Burkburnett is a home-rule municipality. The governing body is composed of seven city commissioners who are elected by the voters at-large, rather than by district. The commissioners serve staggered, two-year terms, with four elected during even-numbered years and three elected during odd-numbered years. The commissioners are charged with electing the mayor from among the city commissioners, and appointing or reappointing the city manager. The mayor is the traditional public figurehead of the city, while the city manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations within the city government.
Education
The City of Burkburnett is served by the Burkburnett Independent School District.[12] The school district operates three elementary schools: I.C. Evans Elementary, John G. Tower Elementary, and Overton Ray Elementary, Burkburnett Middle School, and Burkburnett High School. I.C. Evans houses the Burkburnett Head Start program. John G. Tower is located in Wichita Falls, minutes from Sheppard AFB. The mascot for all Burkburnett schools are Bulldogs.
^Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.[11]
