Oklahoma Counties
Oklahoma County map
Click Image to Enlarge

Oklahoma Counties

There are seventy-seven counties in Oklahoma. Oklahoma originally had seven counties when it was first organized as the Oklahoma Territory. These counties were designated numerically, first through seventh. New counties added after this were designated by letters of the alphabet. The first seven counties were later renamed. The Oklahoma Constitutional Convention named all of the counties that were formed when Oklahoma entered statehood in 1907. Only two counties have been formed since then
 

Sequoyah County, Oklahoma

Sequoyah County Education, Geography, and History

Sequoyah County, Oklahoma Courthouse

Sequoyah County is a county located in the state of Oklahoma. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 42,391. The county seat is Sallisaw. Sequoyah County was created in 1907 when Oklahoma became a state. It was named after Sequoyah, who created the Cherokee syllabary.

Sequoyah County is part of the Fort Smith, AR-OK Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Sequoyah County Name

Named for the Indian who invented the Cherokee alphabet.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Sequoyah County History

Archaeological sites within the borders of the present county date to the Archaic Period (6000 BC to 1 AD). A slightly smaller number of sites date to the Plains Village Period (1000 to 1500 AD).

French traders came to this area in the 1700s, but Spain claimed the area until 1800, when France asserted control. The Louisiana Purchase passed control to the United States. The area was actually inhabited by the Osage Nation until 1816, when Lovely's Purchase occurred, allowing Western Cherokees to settle there before their compulsory removal. The area was then known as Lovely County, Arkansas Territory. However, the Cherokee were removed from Arkansas in 1829 and came to the present Sequoyah County. Sequoyah was among those who moved at the time, building a cabin that still stands. Dwight Mission was also moved to a site on Sallisaw Creek. It also still stands.

The Cherokee Nation established their first capital at a place they called Tahlonteskee (Tahlontuskey), near the present town of Gore, Oklahoma. Tahlonteskee remained the capital until 1839, when it was superseded by Talequah. It continued as a meeting place for "Old Settlers."

Oklahoma History Center
In extreme eastern Oklahoma, Sequoyah County is named for the Sequoyah District of the Cherokee Nation and for Sequoyah (George Guess), who invented a syllabary (alphabet) that brought literacy to the Cherokee in the early nineteenth century. The county abuts Arkansas and Fort Smith, prominent in frontier and Indian history, on the east, and borders Adair and Cherokee counties on the north, Muskogee County on the west, Haskell County on the southwest, and Le Flore County on the south. At the turn of the twenty-first century Sequoyah County's incorporated towns included Gans, Gore, Marble City, Moffett, Muldrow, Paradise Hill, Roland, Sallisaw (county seat), and Vian.

Sequoyah County straddles the Ozark Plateau in the north and Ouachita Mountains region in the south. The Arkansas River forms the southern border and reduces land to bayous, sloughs, and "bottoms." The county also shares characteristics of the Prairie Plains. Other waterways include the Illinois River, Lee's Creek, and Robert S. Kerr Lake. Local features include the Cookson Hills to the northwest and Moffett, Paw Paw, and Redland bottoms to the south. The county includes 714.88 square miles of land and water...SEQUOYAH COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 714 square miles (1,850 km2), of which 673 square miles (1,740 km2) is land and 41 square miles (110 km2) (5.7%) is water.

The county is divided between the Ozark Plateau in the north and the Ouachita Mountains in the south. The Cookson Hills are in the northwest part of the county. The Arkansas River forms the southern border. Other major waterways are the Illinois River and Robert S. Kerr Reservoir.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

  • Cherokee County & Adair County (north)
  • Crawford County, Arkansas (east)
  • Sebastian County, Arkansas (southeast)
  • Le Flore County (south)
  • Haskell County (southwest)
  • Muskogee County (west)

Education



Compare More Colleges and Universities
Find the Right School

Find more schools to match to your needs.


County Resources
US Counties
Click Image to Enlarge