[5] An article from 1985 in The Oklahoman claimed that Waurika promoted itself as "The Parakeet Capital of the World," while giving no explanation for using this slogan.

[6] The Waurika Chamber of Commerce website in 2020 echoed that the town was "once a parakeet paradise," but currently seems to be promoting the motto On The Trail, By The Lake, complete with a logo of a cowboy bronc-riding a fish.

[8] Without indicating the source of their opinions, the City of Waurika and the Oklahoma Historical Society say the name means "clear (or pure) water" in some unidentified "American Indian language".

[11] The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway came to Waurika in January 1902 after the railroad superintendent "designated the town as a flag station.

Oklahoma State Highway 5 (Waurika's Main Street) leads northwest 19 miles (31 km) to Temple.

[14] The city center lies on the east side of the valley of Beaver Creek, a south-flowing tributary of the Red River.

[10] The town's Rock Island Passenger Depot was rehabilitated starting in 1987, and in 2002 was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Oklahoma.

[9] Also NHRP-listed are the First Presbyterian Church,[9] the Jefferson County Courthouse,[18] and the State Highway 79 Bridge at the Red River leading to Byers, Texas, which has since been demolished.

Rich, a 16-year-old sophomore at the local high school, was murdered by two classmates and an acquaintance in a case that attracted national media coverage.