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McCurtain County, Oklahoma
Idabel August 2018 03 (McCurtain County Courthouse)
The McCurtain County Courthouse is located downtown in Idabel.
Map of Oklahoma highlighting McCurtain County
Location in the state of Oklahoma
Map of the U.S
Oklahoma's location in the U.S.
Founded 1907
Seat Idabel
Largest city Idabel
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

1,902 sq mi (4,926 km²)
1,850 sq mi (4,791 km²)
52 sq mi (135 km²), 2.8%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

30,814
18/sq mi (7/km²)
Congressional district 2nd
McCurtain County National Bank, Idabel, OK IMG 8510

McCurtain County National Bank in Broken Bow, Oklahoma

McCurtain County is in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,814.[1] Its county seat is Idabel.[2] It was formed at statehood from part of the earlier Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory.[3] The name honors an influential Choctaw family that lived in the area. Green McCurtain was the last chief when Oklahoma became a state in 1907.[4]

History[]

The area now included in McCurtain County was part of the Choctaw Nation before Oklahoma became a state. The territory of the present-day county fell within the Apukshunnubbee District, one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation, and was divided among six of its counties: Bok Tuklo, Cedar, Eagle, Nashoba, Red River, and Towson counties.[5] Previously, In the 1820s, it was a major part of Miller County, Arkansas.

The area was sparsely populated, with no roads or bridges and no towns. Post offices were established at small trading posts along the various trails. Towns began to form when the Arkansas and Choctaw Railway (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) was built across the area in 1902. Between 1910 and 1921 the Choctaw Lumber Company laid tracks for the Texas, Oklahoma and Eastern Railroad from Valliant, Oklahoma, to DeQueen, Arkansas. These roads still served the area at the beginning of the 21st century.[3]

Initially, the county experienced difficulty functioning because of lack of funds. When the Choctaws accepted their land allotments, their homesteads were not taxable for twenty-one years. No roads were built until a decade after statehood. There were no bridges, so ferries carried people and vehicles across the major streams.[3]

Beavers Bend State Park was opened in 1937, establishing the region as a tourism destination due to the variety of recreational activities it offers.

The only F5 tornado in April in Oklahoma occurred in this county on April 2, 1982.[6]

Geography[]

Broken-bow-spillway

Spillway at Broken Bow Lake

McCurtain County's location in southeastern Oklahoma places it within a 10-county area designated for tourism purposes by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation as Choctaw Country.[7] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,902 square miles (4,930 km2), of which 1,850 square miles (4,800 km2) is land and 52 square miles (130 km2) (2.8%) is water.[8]

It is the third-largest county in Oklahoma by area.[3] The terrain of McCurtain County varies from the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains in the northern part of the county, to the rich Red River bottoms of the southern part. Sections of the Mountain Fork and Little River drainages lie in McCurtain County. The Glover River originates in McCurtain County and flows 33.2 miles (53.4 km) to its confluence with the Little River southeast of Wright City. Broken Bow Lake was created in 1968 by damming the Mountain Fork River; the River is one of the two year-round trout fisheries in the state. The lowest point in the state of Oklahoma is located on the Little River in McCurtain County, where it flows out of Oklahoma and into Arkansas.[3] McCurtain County is the only documented part of Oklahoma, together with Choctaw County, located within the natural range of the American alligator.[9]

The county also contains the McCurtain County Wilderness Area, a 14,087-acre tract created in 1918 and managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, and the Little River National Wildlife Refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.[10]

McCurtainCounty1909

Map of McCurtain County, 1909

The county contains the location (Smithville) with the highest annual average precipitation in the state, at 55.71 inches.[11]

Major highways[]

  • US 70 U.S. Highway 70
  • US 259 U.S. Highway 259
  • Oklahoma State Highway 3 State Highway 3
  • Oklahoma State Highway 4 State Highway 4
  • Oklahoma State Highway 37 State Highway 37
  • Oklahoma State Highway 87 State Highway 87
  • Oklahoma State Highway 98 State Highway 98

Adjacent counties[]

National protected areas[]

  • Little River National Wildlife Refuge
  • Ouachita National Forest (part)

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1910 20,681
1920 37,905 83.3%
1930 34,759 −8.3%
1940 41,318 18.9%
1950 31,588 −23.5%
1960 25,851 −18.2%
1970 28,642 10.8%
1980 36,151 26.2%
1990 33,433 −7.5%
2000 34,402 2.9%
2010 33,151 −3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14]
1990-2000[15] 2010-2020[1]

At the 2000 census there were 34,402 people, 13,216 households, and 9,541 families in the county. The population density was 7/km2 (19/mi2). There were 15,427 housing units at an average density of 3/km2 (8/mi2). The racial makup of the county was 70.54% White, 9.30% Black or African American, 13.57% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.34% from other races, and 5.02% from two or more races. 3.09%.[16] were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.6% were of American, 7.6% Irish and 5.9% English ancestry. 94.4% spoke English, 2.9% Spanish and 2.6% Choctaw as their first language.

Of the 13,216 households 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.30% were married couples living together, 14.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% were non-families. 25.40% of households were one person and 11.00% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.06.

The age distribution was 28.20% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.10 males.

The median household income was $24,162 and the median family income was $29,933. Males had a median income of $26,528 versus $17,869 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,693. About 21.00% of families and 24.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.40% of those under age 18 and 21.20% of those age 65 or over.

Politics[]

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2021[17]
Party Number of Voters Percentage
style="background-color:#FF3333;" width=10px | Republican 7,624 45.72%
style="background-color:#3333FF;" width=10px | Democratic 7,419 44.50%
style="background-color:#ffffcc;" width=10px | Independent 1,574 9.44%
style="background-color:#FFCC00;" width=10px | Libertarian 57 0.34%
Total 16,674 100%
United States presidential election results for McCurtain County, Oklahoma[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 9,485 82.72% 1,858 16.20% 124 1.08%
2016 8,656 80.70% 1,802 16.80% 268 2.50%
2012 7,635 75.78% 2,440 24.22% 0 0.00%
2008 7,745 73.49% 2,794 26.51% 0 0.00%
2004 7,472 66.98% 3,684 33.02% 0 0.00%
2000 6,601 62.97% 3,752 35.79% 129 1.23%
1996 3,892 39.82% 4,350 44.51% 1,532 15.67%
1992 3,519 30.62% 5,082 44.21% 2,893 25.17%
1988 4,920 49.64% 4,928 49.72% 63 0.64%
1984 6,381 61.26% 3,994 38.34% 41 0.39%
1980 5,189 45.63% 5,953 52.35% 230 2.02%
1976 3,423 30.89% 7,560 68.23% 97 0.88%
1972 6,441 70.20% 2,568 27.99% 166 1.81%
1968 2,795 32.43% 2,944 34.16% 2,880 33.41%
1964 2,981 33.26% 5,982 66.74% 0 0.00%
1960 3,562 45.88% 4,202 54.12% 0 0.00%
1956 2,707 36.25% 4,761 63.75% 0 0.00%
1952 2,748 32.17% 5,793 67.83% 0 0.00%
1948 1,091 14.92% 6,223 85.08% 0 0.00%
1944 1,419 21.02% 5,322 78.83% 10 0.15%
1940 2,225 24.06% 6,994 75.63% 29 0.31%
1936 1,119 17.99% 5,089 81.80% 13 0.21%
1932 587 9.07% 5,886 90.93% 0 0.00%
1928 1,915 39.79% 2,877 59.78% 21 0.44%
1924 1,669 32.19% 3,279 63.24% 237 4.57%
1920 1,966 40.23% 2,603 53.26% 318 6.51%
1916 795 24.75% 1,763 54.89% 654 20.36%
1912 704 27.07% 1,059 40.72% 838 32.22%
1908 482 40.07% 565 46.97% 156 12.97%



Economy[]

Agriculture and forestry have dominated the county's economy. The dense forests that originally covered the area were cleared and processed within two decades after statehood. The cleared lands then became subsistence farms. Cotton was the main money crop, until the cotton market collapsed during the Great Depression. Cattle raising, as well as production of swine and poultry, replaced cotton farming in importance. Cotton farms in the Red River valley began raising grains and forage instead.[3]

Natural reseeding and active reforestation projects, both public and private, have replenished much of the harvested forest area. This revitalized the timber industry, which is again important to the county economy.[3]

Limestone, sand and gravel are extracted for extensive local use.[3]

Communities[]

Cities[]

  • Broken Bow
  • Idabel (county seat)

Towns[]

  • Garvin
  • Haworth
  • Millerton
  • Smithville
  • Valliant
  • Wright City

Census-designated place[]

  • Eagletown

Other unincorporated communities[]

  • Battiest
  • Bethel
  • Bokhoma
  • Glover
  • Hochatown
  • Pickens
  • Ringold
  • Rufe
  • Sherwood
  • Tom
  • Watson

Notable people[]

  • Harry Rossoll, creator of Smokey Bear and artist for the Forest Heritage Center diorama exhibits

See also[]

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in McCurtain County, Oklahoma

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/40/40089.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Coleman, Louis. "McCurtain County", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.
  4. ^ "Origin of County Names in Oklahoma". In: Chronicles of Oklahoma. Volume 2, Number 1. March, 1924. Archived August 14, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  5. ^ Morris, John W. Historical Atlas of Oklahoma (Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1986), plate 38.
  6. ^ "National Weather Service".
  7. ^ "Counties & Regions". Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (Travel Promotion Division). https://www.travelok.com/maps. 
  8. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_40.txt. 
  9. ^ "A Look at Oklahoma: A Student's Guide". State of Oklahoma. 2005. http://www.travelok.com/about/StudentGuide.pdf. 
  10. ^ "McCurtain County Wilderness Area." McCurtain County Tourism Authority. 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  11. ^ "Oklahoma Annual Rainfall and Climate Data". CoolWeather.net. http://www.coolweather.net/staterainfall/oklahoma.htm. Retrieved April 8, 2021. 
  12. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  13. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  14. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ok190090.txt. 
  15. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  16. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  17. ^ "Oklahoma Registration Statistics by County". January 15, 2021. https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/elections/voter-registration-statistics/vrstats-county-20210115.pdf. 
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 34°07′N 94°46′W / 34.11, -94.77

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at McCurtain County, Oklahoma. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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