Ottawa 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 northeastern corner of 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 ...
of
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 30,285. 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
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
.
The county was named for the
Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma
The Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma is one of four federally recognized Native American tribes of Odawa people in the United States. Its Algonquian-speaking ancestors had migrated gradually from the Atlantic coast and Great Lakes areas, reaching what a ...
.
It is also the location of the federally recognized
Modoc Nation and the
Quapaw Nation, which is based in
Quapaw
The Quapaw ( , Quapaw language, Quapaw: ) or Arkansas, officially the Quapaw Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes in the United States, U.S. federally recognized tribe comprising about 6,000 citizens. Also known as the Ogáxpa or � ...
. 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
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 ...
and
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
. 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
In mining, tailings or tails are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction (gangue) of an ore. Tailings are different from overburden, which is the waste rock or other material ...
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.).
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
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 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
The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...
,
Shawnee
The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language.
Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...
,
Quapaw
The Quapaw ( , Quapaw language, Quapaw: ) or Arkansas, officially the Quapaw Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes in the United States, U.S. federally recognized tribe comprising about 6,000 citizens. Also known as the Ogáxpa or � ...
,
Peoria,
Kaskaskia
The Kaskaskia were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation, also called the Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in ...
,
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
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.
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 Modoc War, or the Modoc Campaign (also known as the Lava Beds War), was an armed conflict between the Native Americans in the United States, Native American Modoc people and the United States Army in northeastern California and southeastern ...
. The 153 members were settled at the Quapaw Agency. After regaining federally recognized status in 1978 as the
Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma
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.Self, Burl EModoc.''Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia ...
, 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
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 ...
, a center of lead and zinc mining through the first half of the 20th century. Unrestricted mining resulted in severe
environmental degradation
Environment most often refers to:
__NOTOC__
* Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...
, and mining centers such as
Picher, Oklahoma
Picher is a ghost town and former city in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 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 district, Tri ...
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
Lead poisoning, also known as plumbism and saturnism, is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, memory problems, infertility, numbness and paresthesia, t ...
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 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 (2.8%) is water.
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.
Adjacent counties
*
Cherokee County, Kansas (north)
*
Newton County, Missouri
Newton County is a County (United States), county located in the southwest portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 58,648. Its county seat is Neosho, Missouri, Neosho. The coun ...
(east)
*
McDonald County, Missouri (southeast)
*
Delaware County (south)
*
Craig County (west)
Demographics
As of the
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 ...
of 2020, there were 30,285 people, 12,984 households, and 9,114 families residing 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 . There were 14,842 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 68.9%
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 ...
, 1.2%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 20.3%
Native American, 0.7%
Asian, 0.9%
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 ...
, 1.54% from
other races, and 8.0% from two or more races. 5.9% 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 14,100 households, out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% 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, 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
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 $14,478. About 13.00% of families and 16.60% 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 23.80% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
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
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's 2024 53 point win over
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
being the most lopsided margin of victory in the county's electoral history.
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
Mining is the extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agricultural processes, or feasibly created artificially in a la ...
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.
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.
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.
Communities
City
*
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
(county seat)
Towns
*
Afton
*
Fairland
*
North Miami
*
Peoria
*
Quapaw
The Quapaw ( , Quapaw language, Quapaw: ) or Arkansas, officially the Quapaw Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes in the United States, U.S. federally recognized tribe comprising about 6,000 citizens. Also known as the Ogáxpa or � ...
*
Wyandotte
*
Commerce
Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...
Census-designated places
*
Dotyville
*
Narcissa
Unincorporated communities
*
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
Ghost towns
*
Cardin
*
Douthat
*
Hockerville
*
Picher
*
Zincville
Education
School districts include:
[ ]
Text list
2010 map
2010 text list
/ref>
* Afton Public Schools
* Commerce Public Schools
Commerce School Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Commerce, Oklahoma.
The district includes Commerce, North Miami, and a section of Miami.
In 2009 the Picher-Cardin Public Schools
Picher-Cardin Public Schools was a scho ...
* Fairland Public Schools
* Miami Public Schools
* Quapaw Public Schools
Quapaw Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Quapaw, Oklahoma. Its area includes, in addition to Quapaw, Cardin, Peoria, Picher, and Hockerville.
It includes an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school.
David C ...
* Welch Public Schools
* Wyandotte Public Schools
* Turkey Ford Public School (elementary only)
Picher-Cardin Public Schools
Picher-Cardin Public Schools was a school district headquartered in Picher, Oklahoma.
The district operated an elementary school, a junior high school, and a high school. In later periods it was organized only into an elementary school and a hig ...
was in operation until 2009.
NRHP sites
The following sites are in Ottawa 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 ...
:
* Cities Service Station, Afton
* Coleman Theatre, Miami
* George L. Coleman Sr. House, Miami
* Commerce Building/Hancock Building, Miami
* Dobson Family House, Miami
* Horse Creek Bridge, Afton
* John Patrick McNaughton Barn, Quapaw
* Miami Downtown Historic District, Miami
* Miami Marathon Oil Company Service Station, Miami
* Miami Original Nine-Foot Section of Route 66 Roadbed, Miami
* Modoc Mission Church and Cemetery
Modoc Mission Church and Cemetery is a historic mission church and cemetery in Miami, Oklahoma.
It was built in 1892 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The listing included four contributing buildings. With
Refe ...
, Miami
* Narcissa D-X Gas Station, Miami
* Nine Tribes Tower, Miami
* Ottawa County Courthouse, Miami
* Peoria Indian School, Miami
* Peoria Tribal Cemetery, Miami
* Riviera Courts--Motel, Miami
* Tri-State Zinc and Lead Ore Producers Association Office, Picher
* Isaiah Walker House, Wyandotte
See also
* Quapaw Indian Agency
References
External links
*
Ottawa County Map
Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
{{Coord, 36.84, -94.81, type:adm2nd_region:US-OK_source:UScensus1990, display=title
1907 establishments in Oklahoma
Populated places established in 1907
Ozarks