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 western part 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, its population was 3,442, making it the fourth-least populous county in Oklahoma. 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
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...
. The county was created in 1891.
Roger Mills county is located above the petroleum-rich Panhandle-Hugoton Field, making it one of the leading sources of oil, natural gas, and helium. The county also overlies part of the
Ogallala Aquifer
The Ogallala Aquifer () is a shallow water table aquifer surrounded by sand, silt, clay, and gravel located beneath the Great Plains in the United States.
As one of the world's largest aquifers, it underlies an area of approximately in po ...
.Wilson, Linda D "Roger Mills County,' ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 5, 2015.
History
Roger Mills County takes its name from Roger Q. Mills, an officer in the Confederate States Army during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
and later senator from
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 ...
. The town of
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...
in Roger Mills County is the location of the Battle of Washita River (also called Battle of the Washita; Washita Battlefield and the Washita Massacre), where
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars.
Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...
village on the
Washita River
The Washita River () is a river in the U.S. states of Texas and Oklahoma. The river is long and terminates at its confluence with the Red River of the South, Red River, which is now part of Lake Texoma () on the TexasOklahoma border.
Geogra ...
on November 26, 1868.
The area covered by Roger Mills County had been part of the Cheyenne Arapaho reservation until after
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 ...
was created and County E was formed. County E was renamed Day County. Day County was abolished and Roger Mills County was created at statehood on November 16, 1907. The county's western boundary with Texas was moved eastward when the Supreme Court ruled that the 100th Meridian was farther east than originally supposed.
During the 1970s, Roger Mills County and the surrounding area were the site of
natural gas
Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
and oil development in the Panhandle- Hugoton Gas Field, the largest-volume gas field in the United States, and the world's largest known source of
helium
Helium (from ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, inert gas, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. Its boiling point is ...
. Between 1973 and 1993, the field produced over 8 trillion cubic feet (230,000,000 m3) of natural gas.
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 (0.5%) are covered by water. The
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .Strong City as it crosses the county from west to east. The historically significant Antelope Hills lie in the northeastern part of the county.
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site protects and interprets the site of the Southern Cheyenne village of Chief Black Kettle where the Battle of Washita occurred. The site is located about west of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, near Cheyenne, ...
Demographics
As of the 2000
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 ...
, 3,436 people, 1,428 households, and 988 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 1,749 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.76% White, 0.29% African American, 5.47% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.52% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. About 2.65% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
Of the 1,428 households, 29.4% had children under 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were not families. About 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the age distribution was 23.8% under 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,078, and for a family was $35,921. Males had a median income of $22,224 versus $19,821 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 $16,821. About 11.50% of families and 16.30% 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 20.40% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those 65 or over.
Economy
The county economy has depended on agriculture, which has benefitted because it lies above the
Ogallala Aquifer
The Ogallala Aquifer () is a shallow water table aquifer surrounded by sand, silt, clay, and gravel located beneath the Great Plains in the United States.
As one of the world's largest aquifers, it underlies an area of approximately in po ...
. Principal crops have included kaffir corn, broomcorn, wheat, cotton, corn, and
alfalfa
Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...
. Farms have been consolidating throughout the period since the Great Depression. In 1930, the 2,353 farms averaged 278.3 acres each. By 2000, the remaining 680 farms averaged 1,015.54 acres each.
Petroleum and natural gas production has become an important contributor since discovery of the Panhandle-Hugoton Field.
In 2010, Roger Mills County had a per capita income of $28,427 per resident compared to the United States per capita income of $27,334. The county had the highest per capita income of any in Oklahoma and was the only Oklahoma county in which the per capita income exceeded the national per capita income.
Politics
Roger Mills County is heavily Republican, like most of rural western Oklahoma. It has voted for the Republican candidate in every presidential election since 1980, and in all but three elections since 1952.
Communities
Towns
*
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
)
*
Grimes
Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her lyrics often touch on science fiction and feminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elabora ...