Kingfisher County, Oklahoma

Kingfisher County, Oklahoma
Location in the state of Oklahoma

History[edit]

Limited archaeological surveys may have discovered evidence of pre-contact peoples, including Paleo-Indian and Archaic (6000 BC – 1 AD) groups that used the area for hunting and foraging. The historic Osage, Cheyenne, and Comanche tribes traversed the prairie grasslands of this area.

Before the county’s creation, The Chisholm Trail’s many routes crossed the area. A stage road which paralleled the trail had important stops at Dover Station, King Fisher Station and Baker Station.

The area was given to the Creek Nation by the federal government after their forced removal from Georgia. At the end of the American Civil War, the Creeks were forced to cede the land back to the federal government for siding with the Confederacy. It became part of the Unassigned Lands, and the area was opened to non-Indian settlement in the land run on April 22, 1889.^[4] Several towns, including Kingfisher, Oklahoma developed soon after the land run.^[4]

Originally this area was called County 5, when the Organic Act of May 2, 1890 created Oklahoma Territory. At an August 5, 1890 election, the voters of County 5 overwhelmingly voted for the name “Kingfisher” over “Hennessey” and “Harrison”. The origin of the name is unclear. The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture mentions three different possibilities. The first is that the name memorialized a local rancher, David King Fisher. The second version is that King and Fisher were two different settlers, whose names were combined for the county and town. The third explanation was that the name was for a rancher named John Fisher and for whom Uncle Jack Creek was named. ^[5]

Geography[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 906 square miles (2,346.5 km²), of which 903 square miles (2,338.8 km²) is land and 3 square miles (7.8 km²) (0.33%) is water.^[6] The principal waterway is the Cimarron River, which runs from northwest to east through the county.^[5]

Major highways[edit]

•  U.S. Highway 81
•  State Highway 3
•  State Highway 33
•  State Highway 51
•  State Highway 132

Adjacent counties[edit]

• Garfield County (north)
• Logan County (east)
• Canadian County (south)
• Blaine County (west)
• Major County (northwest)
• Oklahoma County (extreme southeast)

Demographics[edit]

Age pyramid for Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, based on census 2000 data.

As of the census^[8] of 2000, there were 13,926 people, 5,247 households, and 3,893 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 5,879 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.09% White, 1.59% Black or African American, 3.02% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.34% from other races, and 2.74% from two or more races. 6.90% of the population were Hispanicor Latino of any race.

There were 5,247 households out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.20% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,676, and the median income for a family was $43,242. Males had a median income of $30,918 versus $19,819 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,167. About 8.50% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.30% of those under age 18 and 6.50% of those age 65 or over.

Politics[edit]

Communities[edit]

NRHP sites[edit]

The following sites in Kingfisher County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Burrus Mills Elevator C, Kingfisher
• Dow Grain Company Elevator, Okarche
• Farmers and Merchants National Bank, Hennessey
• Farmers Co-op Elevator, Hennessey
• Kiel-Dover Farmers Elevator, Dover
• Kingfisher Armory, Kingfisher
• Kingfisher College, Kingfisher
• Kingfisher Post Office, Kingfisher
• Seay Mansion, Kingfisher

References[edit]

1. Jump up^ Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Kingfisher County Retrieved 2/22/2011
2. ^ Jump up to:^a b “State & County QuickFacts”. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
3. Jump up^ “Find a County”. National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
4. ^ Jump up to:^a b Oklahoma Territory’s First Land Run (accessed May 15, 2013)
5. ^ Jump up to:^a b Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Kingfisher County Retrieved 2/22/2011
6. Jump up^ “US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990”. United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
7. Jump up^ “U.S. Decennial Census”. Census.gov. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
8. Jump up^ “American FactFinder”. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
9. Jump up^ http://www.ok.gov/elections/documents/reg_0112.pdf
10. Jump up^ “Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections”. Retrieved 2011-06-11.

[show] v t e  State of Oklahoma

Coordinates: 35.94°N 97.94°W