The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

PINK.

Located in western Pottawatomie County, Pink lies on State Highway 9, ten miles west of Tecumseh. The town emerged some time after the Iowa, Sac and Fox, Citizen Band Potawatomi, and Absentee Shawnee lands were opened on September 22, 1891. The Post Office Department designated a Pink post office in January 1894, but Joseph Fahnestock declined his appointment as postmaster, delaying the opening until February. Thomas M. McKittrick accepted the postmaster job, but the post office discontinued in January 1897. In 1901 it was reestablished, but again discontinued in February 1906, with the mail diverted to Tecumseh. The town may have received the name Pink to complement the town of Brown, which was nearby in the same township and range.

Throughout the town's history it has served the vicinity's agriculturists. In its infancy W. R. Stapp operated a gristmill and O. A. Miller ran a general store. For much of the twentieth century a retail outlet has operated on State Highway 9. After the 1964 impoundment of Lake Thunderbird, a convenience store and gas station benefited from the increased traffic of outdoor enthusiasts. In the late 1960s Pink incorporated, and the 1970 population stood at 337. In 1977 the community completed a town hall and fire station. By 1980 the population had climbed to 911, and it continued to grow, reaching 1,020 in 1990. The majority of its residents commuted to the Oklahoma City or Norman areas to work. In 2000 the population was 1,165, and in 2010 it was 2,058. The April 2020 census reported 2,087 residents.

Larry O'Dell