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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 thenSequoyah County, Oklahoma
Sequoyah County Education, Geography, and History
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 Tahlonteskee remained the capital until 1839, when it was superseded by Talequah.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
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