Delaware 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, its population was 40,397. Its

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 ...

is Jay. The county was named for the Delaware Indians, who had established a village in the area prior to the Cherokees being assigned to relocate to

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

in the 1830s. Delaware County was created in 1907. Prior to becoming Delaware County, a large portion of the area was known as the Delaware District of the Cherokee Nation. Today, Delaware County continues to be recognized by the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...

as the Delaware District.

History

Archaeological studies have shown that at least three different periods of prehistoric people had lived in the area covered by Delaware County. These included 23 Archaic, 17 Woodland, and 63 Eastern Villager sites. Artifacts date back between 1400 and 2000 years from the present. Many of these sites have been submerged since the creation of Grand Lake o' the Cherokees.Stauber, Rose
"Delaware County,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', 2009. Accessed March 25, 2015. Few Native Americans lived in the area until the early 19th century, when the federal government began relocating tribes from the Eastern United States. About 1820, a group of Delaware, who had allied with the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

against the Osage, settled Delaware Town, about two miles south of the present town of Eucha. In 1828, the Western Cherokee moved from Arkansas Territory into the area just south of the present Delaware County. In 1832, the Seneca moved from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

into an area that included the northeastern part of Delaware County. The present-day county was created at statehood in 1907. Initially, Grove, the only incorporated town in the county, was designated as the county seat. However, a large number of county residents wanted a more centrally located seat. This group founded the town of Jay, where they built a wooden courthouse and won an election to move the county seat. A court suit resolved the dispute in favor of the Jay location.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (6.8%) are covered by water. The county lies on the western slope of the

Ozark Plateau The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cov ...

; no oil, gas, or mineral resources of economic consequence are present, but the county has abundant water. Lake Eucha, a man-made reservoir on Spavinaw Creek, completed in 1952, lies primarily within Delaware County. Grand Lake o' the Cherokees, completed in 1940, and Lake Spavinaw, completed in 1924, are partly within Delaware County. The Neosho River and the Elk River drain the northern part of the county, while Flint Creek and the

Illinois River The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...

drain the southern part.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 59 * U.S. Highway 60 * U.S. Highway 412 * State Highway 10 * State Highway 20 * State Highway 25 * State Highway 28

Adjacent counties

* Ottawa County (north) * McDonald County, Missouri northeast) *

Benton County, Arkansas Benton County is a county in the Northwest region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Created as Arkansas' 35th county on September 30, 1836, Benton County contains thirteen incorporated municipalities, including Bentonville, the county seat, and ...

(east) * Adair County (south) * Cherokee County (south) * Mayes County (west) * Craig County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, 41,487 people resided in the county, up from 37,077 people in 2000. Of the 14,838 households, 29.0% had children under living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 8.9 had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were not families. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the age distribution was 24.5% under 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.80 males. As of 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $27,996, and the median income for a family was $33,093. Males had a median income of $25,758 versus $19,345 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 $15,424. About 14.10% of families and 18.30% 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 27.40% of those under age 18 and 11.60% of those age 65 or over. In the 2000 census, 14,838 households and 10,772 families resided in the county. 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 . The 22,290 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 70.22% White, 0.13% African American, 22.31% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.63% from other races, and 6.53% from two or more races. Self-identified Hispanics or Latinos made up 1.75% of the population. About 93.8% spoke English, 3.5%

, and 2.3% Spanish as their first language.

Politics

Communities

Cities

* Grove * Jay

Towns

* Bernice * Colcord *

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

* Oaks * West Siloam Springs

Census-designated places

* Brush Creek * Bull Hollow *

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

* Cayuga * Cleora * Cloud Creek * Copeland * Deer Lick *

Dennis Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is some ...

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

* Dripping Springs * Drowning Creek * Flint Creek * Indianola * Kenwood * Leach * New Eucha * Oak Hill-Piney * Old Eucha * Rocky Ford *

Sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the Ancient Greek () meaning . Species of otherwise unrelated trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', a ...

* Tagg Flats * Twin Oaks * White Water * Zena

Other unincorporated communities

* Chloeta * Eucha

NRHP sites

Delaware County, together with Ottawa County to the north, has 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. These sites are in Delaware 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 ...

: * Bassett Grove Ceremonial Grounds, Grove * Beattie's Prairie, Jay * Corey House/Hotel, Grove * Hildebrand Mill, Siloam Springs * Polson Cemetery, Jay * Saline Courthouse,

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

* Splitlog Church, Grove

Education

Kindergarten-grade 12 school districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Afton Public Schools * Colcord Public Schools * Grove Public Schools * Jay Public Schools * Kansas Public Schools * Ketchum Public Schools * Oaks-Mission Public Schools * Westville Public Schools Elementary school districts include: * Cleora Public School * Kenwood Public School * Leach Public School * Moseley Public School * Turkey Ford Public School

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Delaware County

Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
{{authority control 1907 establishments in Oklahoma Populated places established in 1907