Konowa's new American Legion Building, June 1931
(2012.201.B0347.0142, Oklahoma Publishing Company Photography Collection, OHS).
KONAWA.
Located in southwestern Seminole County, Konawa, a Seminole word meaning "string of beads," lies at the intersection of State Highways 9A and 39. On January 7, 1904, Tom West, a mixed-blood Seminole, sold George Northrup a plot of land that became the Konawa townsite. The post office was established on July 15, 1904, with Robert C. Lovelace as postmaster. Early-day establishments included the first newspaper, the Konawa Chief, hardware and drug stores, lumberyards, a blacksmith, and a bank. In 1903 the Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad (later the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway) bypassed the nearby town of Violet Springs. Most families and businesses moved to other towns. Some moved their houses to Konawa, and many of these buildings continued to stand at the turn of the twenty-first century.
Konawa served as a trade center for a surrounding agricultural region. At 1907 statehood population stood at 620. It grew to 761 in 1910, more than doubled to 2,070 by 1930, and gradually grew during the next decades. The Konawa Leader has informed the citizens since 1917. During the 1920s streets were paved, several oil wells were discovered, and a new high school was built. In November 1931 Konawa caught the attention of Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, who robbed the First National Bank. During World War II the Konawa National Guard Armory (National Register of Historic Places, NR 94000483), a Works Progress Administration project, housed German prisoners of war. Population peaked at 2,707 in 1950. On February 17, 1961, a tornado destroyed downtown Konawa and injured five individuals. At that time the population was 1,555. It was 1,719 in 1970.
The energy industry remained a mainstay of the local economy, with oil-field service companies still important. In May 1968 Oklahoma Gas and Electric Corporation broke ground for the Seminole Power Plant, creating the 1,350-acre Konawa Lake at a cost of $45 million. By 1975 the third power unit with an output of more than 1.6 million kilowatts was built. Konawa Lake is listed as one of Oklahoma's top trophy lakes.
In August 1963 Konawa hosted its first All-Night Gospel Singing. During its heyday an estimated twenty-five thousand people attended the annual event. The town maintains a council-city manager type of government. At the turn of the twenty-first century Konawa had 1,479 residents, but by 2010 the number had declined to 1,298. The April 2020 census also reported 1,298.
