Alfalfa County, Oklahoma

Alfalfa County, Oklahoma
Location in the state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location in the U.S.
Founded	1907
Named for	William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray, ninth Governor of Oklahoma.
Seat	Cherokee
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	881 sq mi (2,283 km²) 867 sq mi (2,245 km²) 15 sq mi (38 km²),
PopulationEst.  - (2012)  - Density	5,666 6.4/sq mi (2/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Alfalfa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population is 5,642. Its county seat is Cherokee. Alfalfa County was formed in 1907 from Woods County. The county is named after William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray, the president of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention and ninth governor of Oklahoma.

History

Indigenous peoples inhabited and hunted in this area for thousands of years. By 1750, the Osage had become a dominant tribe in the area. About one third belonged to the band led by Chief Black Dog (Manka - Chonka). Before 1800 they made the Black Dog Trail starting east of Baxter Springs, Kansas and going northwest to their summer hunting grounds at the Great Salt Plains in present-day Alfalfa County. The Osage stopped at the springs for its healing properties on their way to hunting at the plains, which attracted migratory birds and varieties of wildlife. The Osage name for this fork of the Arkansas River was Nescatunga (big salt water), what European-Americans later called the Salt Fork. The Osage cleared the trail of brush and large rocks, and made ramps at the fords. Wide enough for eight men riding horses abreast, the trail was the first improved road in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 881 square miles (2,280 km²), of which 867 square miles (2,250 km²) is land and 15 square miles (39 km²) (1.68%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 64
• State Highway 8
• State Highway 8B
• State Highway 11
• State Highway 38
• State Highway 45
• State Highway 58

Adjacent counties

• Harper County, Kansas (northeast)
• Grant County (east)
• Garfield County (southeast)
• Major County (south)
• Woods County (west)
• Barber County, Kansas (northwest)

National protected area

• Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	18,138		—
1920	16,253		−10.4%
1930	15,228		−6.3%
1940	14,129		−7.2%
1950	10,699		−24.3%
1960	8,445		−21.1%
1970	7,224		−14.5%
1980	7,077		−2.0%
1990	6,416		−9.3%
2000	6,105		−4.8%
2010	5,642		−7.6%
U.S. Decennial Census

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

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,105 people, 2,199 households, and 1,482 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 2,832 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.42% White, 4.19% Black or African American, 2.74% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.38% from other races, and 2.11% from two or more races. 2.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 96.7% spoke English and 2.1% Spanish as their first language.

There were 2,199 households out of which 26.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.30% were married couples living together, 5.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.60% were non-families. 31.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county, the population was spread out with 19.40% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 20.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 131.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 142.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,259, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $24,067 versus $17,944 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,704. About 11.80% of families and 13.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2013
Party		Number of Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	905	29.66%
	Republican	1,881	61.65%
	Unaffiliated	265	8.69%
Total		3,051	100%

Politics

Presidential election results

Year	Republican	Democrat
2012	84.7% 1,539	15.3% 278
2008	83.1% 2,023	16.9% 411
2004	82.4% 2,201	17.6% 470
2000	75.2% 1,886	23.3% 583

Cities and towns

Aline Amorita Burlington Byron

Carmen Cherokee Goltry Helena

Ingersoll Jet Lambert

NRHP sites

Main article: National Register of Historic Places listings in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma

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

Alfalfa County Courthouse, Cherokee Aline IOOF Lodge No. 263, Aline Carmen IOOF Home, Carmen Carmen IOOF Lodge No. 84, Carmen Cherokee Armory, Cherokee Cherokee Friends Church, Cherokee

Cherokee IOOF Lodge No. 219, Cherokee Farmers' Exchange Elevator, Goltry Farmers' Federation Elevator, Cherokee Hotel Cherokee, Cherokee Ingersoll Tile Elevator, Ingersoll Sod House, Cleo Springs

External links

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Alfalfa County
• Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory