Ottawa County, Oklahoma

Last updated

Ottawa County
County
Modoc Mission Church.jpg
Modoc Mission Church (2010)
Map of Oklahoma highlighting Ottawa County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma in United States.svg
Oklahoma's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°50′N94°49′W / 36.84°N 94.81°W / 36.84; -94.81
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Oklahoma.svg  Oklahoma
Founded1907
Named for Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma
Seat Miami
Largest cityMiami
Area
 • Total485 sq mi (1,260 km2)
 • Land471 sq mi (1,220 km2)
 • Water14 sq mi (40 km2)  2.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total30,285
 • Density62/sq mi (24/km2)
Congressional district 2nd
Website ottawa.okcounties.org

Ottawa County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,285. [1] Its county seat is Miami. [2] The county was named for the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma. [3] It is also the location of the federally recognized Modoc Nation and the Quapaw Nation, which is based in Quapaw.

Contents

Ottawa County comprises the Miami, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Joplin-Miami, MO-OK Combined Statistical Area. The county borders both Kansas and Missouri.

The county was an important lead and zinc mining region during the early 1900s, and in 1983 the Tar Creek Superfund site was inaugurated to clean up tailings and prevent groundwater and waterway contamination with leachates.

History

Archaeological studies indicate this area was inhabited for thousands of years by succeeding cultures of prehistoric indigenous peoples. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture, at the start of the 20th century, there were eight known Archaic sites (6000 B. C. to 1 A. D.), sixteen Woodland sites (1 A. D. to 1000 A.D.), and six Plains Village sites (1000 to 1500 A. D.). [3]

The Osage Nation had moved into the area from Missouri and Kansas by the 19th century, under pressure from European-American encroachment on their lands. They ceded this land to the Federal Government in exchange for another area farther west in Indian Territory. In 1828, the Western Cherokee, the first group of this nation to relocate west of the Mississippi River, ceded their land in Western Arkansas to the Federal Government in exchange for some of the land just vacated by the Osage.

In 1831, the Federal Government reacquired part of what would eventually become Ottawa County in order to forcibly relocate several other tribal nations that had been systematically displaced from the Midwest under its Indian Removal program. These included two tribes of Iroquois, Shawnee, Quapaw, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Miami, Ottawa and Wyandotte. The Neosho Agency administered the affairs of these tribes from 1837 until 1871. In that year, it was renamed as the Quapaw Agency, serving only the tribes in Indian Territory. [3]

The Modoc band led by Captain Jack in northern California was exiled and relocated here in 1873, after being taken as prisoner following their defeat in the Modoc War. The 153 members were settled at the Quapaw Agency. After regaining federally recognized status in 1978 as the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, they were given land of their own under federal trust in this county. Native Americans make up nearly 17% of the population in the county.

This county is part of the Tri-State district, a center of lead and zinc mining through the first half of the 20th century. Unrestricted mining resulted in severe environmental degradation, and mining centers such as Picher, Oklahoma in the county were included within the Tar Creek Superfund Site in 1980. In 1996 the government found that 34% of the children of Picher had lead poisoning due to groundwater, air and dust effects. Environmental remediation was conducted, but the state and federal government have since closed Picher as a city and relocated nearly all its residents since the early 21st century.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 485 square miles (1,260 km2), of which 471 square miles (1,220 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36 km2) (2.8%) is water. [4] It is the fourth-smallest county in Oklahoma by area. The eastern part of the county lies in the Ozark Plains, while the western is in the Neosho Lowlands. [3]

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1910 15,713—
1920 41,108161.6%
1930 38,542−6.2%
1940 35,849−7.0%
1950 32,218−10.1%
1960 28,301−12.2%
1970 29,8005.3%
1980 32,87010.3%
1990 30,561−7.0%
2000 33,1948.6%
2010 31,848−4.1%
2020 30,285−4.9%
2021 (est.)30,3400.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [5]
1790-1960 [6] 1900-1990 [7]
1990-2000 [8] 2010-2019 [9]
Age pyramid for Ottawa County, Oklahoma, based on census 2000 data. USA Ottawa County, Oklahoma age pyramid.svg
Age pyramid for Ottawa County, Oklahoma, based on census 2000 data.

As of the census [10] of 2020, there were 33,194 people, 12,984 households, and 9,114 families residing in the county. The population density was 175/km2 (450/sq mi). There were 14,842 housing units at an average density of 12/km2 (31/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 68.9% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 20.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.9% Pacific Islander, 1.54% from other races, and 8.0% from two or more races. 5.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,100 households, out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.70% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,507, and the median income for a family was $32,368. Males had a median income of $25,725 versus $18,879 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,478. About 13.00% of families and 16.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.80% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023 [11]
PartyNumber of VotersPercentage
Democratic 5,20429.60%
Republican 8,85650.36%
Others3,52520.05%
Total17,585100%

Prior to 2008, Ottawa County was a swing county in presidential elections, backing the national winner in all but three presidential elections from 1912 to 2004. It has since become a Republican stronghold similar to the rest of the state, with Donald Trump's 2020 51.2 point win over Joe Biden being the most lopsided margin of victory in the county's electoral history.

United States presidential election results for Ottawa County, Oklahoma [12]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 8,54574.71%2,68623.48%2071.81%
2016 7,63171.38%2,58424.17%4754.44%
2012 6,46664.82%3,50935.18%00.00%
2008 6,90561.80%4,26838.20%00.00%
2004 7,44359.41%5,08640.59%00.00%
2000 5,62549.29%5,64749.49%1391.22%
1996 4,12735.87%5,84450.80%1,53313.33%
1992 4,14131.35%6,30447.73%2,76420.93%
1988 5,02642.85%6,65856.77%450.38%
1984 7,66656.76%5,78142.81%580.43%
1980 6,36249.25%6,14347.55%4143.20%
1976 4,98539.83%7,44659.50%840.67%
1972 8,34868.63%3,65730.07%1581.30%
1968 5,00044.48%4,82042.88%1,42112.64%
1964 4,09035.02%7,58964.98%00.00%
1960 6,52053.33%5,70546.67%00.00%
1956 6,73054.05%5,72145.95%00.00%
1952 7,21151.87%6,69248.13%00.00%
1948 4,30437.27%7,24362.73%00.00%
1944 5,05646.19%5,87653.69%130.12%
1940 5,73842.05%7,87357.69%350.26%
1936 4,69737.84%7,65861.70%570.46%
1932 3,21028.19%8,17571.81%00.00%
1928 8,14464.03%4,48835.28%880.69%
1924 5,19750.08%4,52243.58%6586.34%
1920 5,27054.80%3,97441.33%3723.87%
1916 1,64243.85%1,87550.07%2286.09%
1912 1,31545.82%1,38448.22%1715.96%

Economy

Mining economy

Lead and zinc mining has been important to the county economy since 1890, and Quapaw lands have been exploited for mining, first by lease. They were restricted in terms of receiving royalties and were generally excluded by discrimination from mining jobs. By 1910, the local mining industry was controlled by a few large corporations, including Commerce Mining and Royalty Company, the Eagle-Picher Company, the Childers Mining Company, the LaClede Lead and Zinc Company, and the American Lead and Zinc Company. [3]

In 1926, at the region's peak of production, Ottawa County was the largest source of lead and zinc in the world. By the 1960s most of the mines had closed, leaving mine shafts, sinkholes, chat piles, and other dangers for future cleanup. Such areas have been designated as part of the Tar Creek Superfund Site by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Tripoli, primarily used as an abrasive, was found near Peoria in 1912, and was mined into the twenty-first century. [3]

Contemporary tourism

Today, Ottawa County, together with nearby Delaware County to the south, have a large impact on tourism in Oklahoma. Said counties combined are the third-largest tourism destination in the state, following only the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas. [13]

Communities


Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Education

School districts include: [14]

Picher-Cardin Public Schools was in operation until 2009. [15]

NRHP sites

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

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treece, Kansas</span> Ghost town in Cherokee County, Kansas

Treece is a ghost town in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States, and part of the historic Tri-State Mining District. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 138. As of May 2012 the city was abandoned and most buildings and other facilities demolished due to pervasive problems with lead pollution resulting from past mining. Two people who had refused an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) buyout remained in 2012, then one died in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afton, Oklahoma</span> Town in Oklahoma, United States

Afton is a town in northeast Oklahoma in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,049 as of the 2010 census, with population growth stemming from the near abandonment of nearby towns of Cardin and Picher because of ground contamination sites by local mining quarries. The town may have been named for the Scottish River Afton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardin, Oklahoma</span> Ghost Town in Oklahoma, United States

Cardin is a ghost town in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 150 at the 2000 census, but plummeted to 3 at the 2010 census in April 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commerce, Oklahoma</span> City in Oklahoma, United States

Commerce is a city in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,473 at the 2010 census, down 6.5 percent from the figure of 2,645 in 2000, and lower than the 2,555 residents it had in 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami, Oklahoma</span> City in Oklahoma, United States

Miami is a city in and county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peoria, Oklahoma</span> Town in Oklahoma, United States

Peoria is a town in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named for the Peoria people, a tribe of Native Americans who were removed to Indian Territory from east of the Mississippi River during the 19th century. The territory had been occupied by the Quapaw people, who sold some of their land to the Peoria. The population was 131 at the 2010 U. S. Census, down from 141 at the 2000 census. The long decline of mining meant that jobs moved elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Picher, Oklahoma</span> Ghost town in Oklahoma, United States

Picher is a ghost town and former city in Ottawa County, northeastern Oklahoma, United States. It was a major national center of lead and zinc mining for more than 100 years in the heart of the Tri-State Mining District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quapaw, Oklahoma</span> Town in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and capital of the Quapaw Nation

Quapaw, officially the Town of Quapaw, is a town in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, which serves as the capital of the Quapaw Nation. Located about 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Miami, it is part of the Joplin, Missouri metropolitan area. Incorporated in 1917, Quapaw's population was 811 in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyandotte, Oklahoma</span> Town in Oklahoma, United States

Wyandotte is a town in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 333 at the 2010 census, a decline of 8.26 percent from the figure of 363 recorded in 2000. The town is the tribal headquarters of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma, for which the town was named.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peoria people</span> Native American ethnicity

The Peoria are a Native American people. They are enrolled in the federally recognized Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma headquartered in Miami, Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modoc Nation</span>

The Modoc Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Modoc people, located in Ottawa County in the northeast corner of Oklahoma and Modoc and Siskiyou counties in northeast California. The smallest tribe in the state, they are descendants of Captain Jack's band of Modoc people, removed in 1873 after the Modoc Wars from their traditional territory in northern California and southern Oregon. They were exiled to the Quapaw Agency in Indian Territory, where they were colocated with the Shawnee people from east of the Mississippi River.

The Quapaw Indian Agency was a territory that included parts of the present-day Oklahoma counties of Ottawa and Delaware. Established in the late 1830s as part of lands allocated to the Cherokee Nation, this area was later leased by the federal government and known as the Leased District. The area that became known as the Quapaw Agency Lands contained 220,000 acres and was located in the northeastern corner of Oklahoma where that state adjoins Missouri and Kansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joplin, Missouri, metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan statistical area in the United States

The Joplin, Missouri, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of Jasper and Newton counties in southwest Missouri, anchored by the city of Joplin. The estimated 2020 population of the Joplin, MO (MSA) is 181,460.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tar Creek Superfund site</span>

Tar Creek Superfund site is a United States Superfund site, declared in 1983, located in the cities of Picher, Douthat and Cardin, Ottawa County, in northeastern Oklahoma. From 1900 to the 1960s lead mining and zinc mining companies left behind huge open chat piles that were heavily contaminated by these metals, cadmium, and others. Metals from the mining waste leached into the soil, and seeped into groundwater, ponds, and lakes. Because of the contamination, Picher children have suffered elevated lead, zinc and manganese levels, resulting in learning disabilities and a variety of other health problems. The EPA declared Picher to be one of the most toxic areas in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tri-State district</span> Historic U.S. lead-zinc mines

The Tri-State district was a historic lead-zinc mining district located in present-day southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma. The district produced lead and zinc for over 100 years. Production began in the 1850s and 1860s in the Joplin - Granby area of Jasper and Newton counties of southwest Missouri. Production was particularly high during the World War I era and continued after World War II, but with declining activity. As jobs left the area, the communities declined in population.

Douthat is a ghost town in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. Douthat is 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Picher. Douthat once had a post office, which opened on March 17, 1917. The community was named after Zahn A. Douthat, the owner of the townsite. Douthat is now abandoned and part of the Tar Creek Superfund site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Area</span> Statistical entity

Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Area is a statistical entity identified and delineated by federally recognized American Indian tribes in Oklahoma as part of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 Census and ongoing American Community Survey. Many of these areas are also designated Tribal Jurisdictional Areas, areas within which tribes will provide government services and assert other forms of government authority. They differ from standard reservations, such as the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, in that allotment was broken up and as a consequence their residents are a mix of native and non-native people, with only tribal members subject to the tribal government. At least five of these areas, those of the so-called five civilized tribes of Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole, which cover 43% of the area of the state, are recognized as reservations by federal treaty, and thus not subject to state law or jurisdiction for tribal members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hockerville, Oklahoma</span> Ghost town in Oklahoma, United States

Hockerville is a ghost town in northern Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The community was located just south of the Kansas-Oklahoma border between Picher to the west and Baxter Springs, Kansas, to the northeast.

Quapaw Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Quapaw, Oklahoma. Its area includes, in addition to Quapaw, Cardin, Peoria, Picher, and Hockerville.

The Miami Mineral Belt Railroad (MMBR) served the Miami and Picher lead mining areas in that portion of the Tri-state mining district located in far northeastern Oklahoma. It was closely associated with the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) for its entire history, and was eventually absorbed into the Frisco.

References

  1. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ottawa County | The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture". Oklahoma Historical Society | OHS. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  5. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  9. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Oklahoma Registration Statistics by County" (PDF). OK.gov. January 15, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  12. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Ottawa, Delaware counties generates $519 million combined in visitor spending as 'welcome mat' for Oklahoma". Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller, Tulsa World, October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  14. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Ottawa County, OK" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022. - Text list - 2010 map, 2010 text list
  15. ↑ Gillham, Omer; Stogsdill, Sheila (May 17, 2009). "Picher school says farewell to last 11". The Oklahoman . Retrieved March 29, 2021.

36°50′N94°49′W / 36.84°N 94.81°W / 36.84; -94.81

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.