PRYOR

also called Pryor Creek, city, seat (1907) of Mayes county, northern Oklahoma, U.S., northeast of Tulsa. It was settled in 1872 and named for Nathaniel Pryor, a scout with explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and builder of a trading post (1820) near the present site. The city is a trade centre for an agricultural area. It carries on dairying and cotton-ginning activities and also produces wood, paper, cement, gypsum, and chemicals. An agricultural experiment station is located there. The construction of the nearby Pensacola Dam in 1940 contributed to the city's industrial expansion. Pop. (1990) 8,327.