Beaver County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,049. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

. The name was given because of the presence of many beaver dams on the Beaver River, which runs through the area.''Chronicles of Oklahoma''. "Origin of County Names in Oklahoma." v. 2, N, 1. March 1924. Retrieved May 26, 201

It is located in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

History

The land where Beaver County is located has been under several jurisdictions. At one time, it was part of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and then

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

before Texas became a state of the United States. Then in the

Compromise of 1850 The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five separate bills passed by the United States Congress in September 1850 that temporarily defused tensions between slave and free states during the years leading up to the American Civil War. Designe ...

, Texas ceded the land that would eventually become the Oklahoma panhandle to the United States government.Turner, Kenneth
"No Man's Land,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', 2009. Accessed March 28, 2015. The area was known as " No Man's Land" because it belonged to no state or territorial government. From 1886 to 1890, it was a separate organized territory known as Cimarron Territory.Hodges, V. Pauline
"Beaver County,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', 2009. Accessed March 28, 2015. After becoming part of the

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as ...

in 1890, Beaver County (first called Seventh County) covered the entire Oklahoma Panhandle. At statehood in 1907, Cimarron County was taken from the western one-third, while Texas County was taken from the middle, leaving Beaver County only in the east. Its borders are now at 100°W (east), 37°N (north), 36.5°N (south), and approximately 100.8°W (west).

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in Oklahoma by area. Just north of the town of Beaver is the Beaver Dunes Park.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 64 * U.S. Highway 83 * U.S. Highway 270 * U.S. Highway 412 * State Highway 3 * State Highway 23

Adjacent counties

Meade County, Kansas Meade County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Meade. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 4,055. The county was created in 1873 and named in honor of George Meade, a Union ge ...

(north) *

Clark County, Kansas Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Ashland. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 1,991. The county was named after Charles Clarke. History Clark County, Ka ...

(northeast) * Harper County (east) * Ellis County (southeast) *

Lipscomb County, Texas Lipscomb County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,059. Its county seat is Lipscomb. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1887. It is named for Judge Abner Smith Lipscom ...

(south) *

Ochiltree County, Texas Ochiltree County ( ) is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 10,015. The county seat is Perryton. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1889. and is named for W ...

(southwest) * Texas County (west) *

Seward County, Kansas Seward County is a county of the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Liberal. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 21,964. The county was formed on March 20, 1873, and named after William Seward, a polit ...

(northwest)

Demographics

As of the 2010

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, there were a total of 5,636 people, 2,192 households, and 1,614 families in the county.U.S. Census website
United States Census Bureau. (accessed September 4, 2013) The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 2,719 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.71%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.29%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.25% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 3.76% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. 10.76% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 2,245 households, out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.30% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.80% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,715, and the median income for a family was $41,542. Males had a median income of $31,013 versus $20,162 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $17,905. About 8.80% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.80% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Although at one time competitive, Beaver has become strongly Republican in presidential elections. The last Democratic candidate to win the county was

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

in 1948. In every election since 2000, the Republican presidential candidate has received over 85% of the county's vote. It is part of Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district and as such is represented by Frank Lucas. In the

Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's ...

it is part of the 61st district and is represented by Republican Kenton Patzkowsky.

Economy

Beaver County's economy has largely been based on agriculture since the turn of the 20th century. At first, the major crop was broomcorn, but that was overtaken by wheat in the 1920s. Railroads connected the county to agricultural markets and stimulated an influx of new farmers. Beginning in 1912, the Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway built a line from Woodward through Gate to Forgan. The Beaver, Meade and Englewood Railroad completed a spur in 1915 from Beaver to Forgan, which was extended westward in 1925–1927 to Hooker. New towns arose along the rail lines or old ones relocated along them.

Communities

Towns

(county seat) * Forgan *

Gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...

* Knowles

Census-designated places

* Little Ponderosa * Turpin

Other unincorporated communities

* Alpine *

Antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...

* Balko * Beatrice * Benton * Bluegrass * Boyd * Bryan's Corner * Caleyville * Clear lake * Elmwood * Floris * Golden *

Gray Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...

* LaKemp * Lockwood * Logan * Madison * Mocane * Neutral City * Rothwell * Slapout * Sod Town * Sophia *

Sunset Sunset (or sundown) is the disappearance of the Sun at the end of the Sun path, below the horizon of the Earth (or any other astronomical object in the Solar System) due to its Earth's rotation, rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth, it ...

* Surprise

Ghost towns

Cline Cline may refer to: Science * Cline (biology), a measurable gradient in a single trait in a species across its geographical range * Cline (hydrology), a fluid layer with a property that varies * Cline (mathematics) or generalised circle, a ci ...

Recreation

The Beaver River WMA provides wildlife, hunting, fishing, boating, and swimming recreation.

Cemeteries

Meridian Cemetery

Meridian Cemetery is a cemetery that is located at in Beaver County. There are many unmarked graves and many lost graves. Originally known as Cline Cemetery, established sometime in 1893 or 1894, named after the City of

, which is now a ghost town, was sold to Meridian Cemetery Association in 1908. It was land originally owned by Phillip Huret, Jr. and consists of two acres of land. In 1908, it was sold for $150 to the Meridian Cemetery Association.

NRHP sites

The following sites in Beaver County are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

References

External links

* Hodges, V. Pauline
"Beaver County,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', 2009. Accessed March 18, 2015.
Beaver County Government site

McCasland Digital Collection of Early Oklahoma and Indian Territory Maps
{{authority control 1890 establishments in Oklahoma Territory Populated places established in 1890 Oklahoma Panhandle