Garfield County, Oklahoma

Garfield County
County
Garfield County Courthouse in Enid (2011)
Garfield County Courthouse in Enid (2011)
Map of Oklahoma highlighting Garfield County
Location within the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Map of the United States highlighting Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°23′N 97°47′W / 36.38°N 97.78°W / 36.38; -97.78
Country United States
State Oklahoma
Founded1893
Named forJames A. Garfield
SeatEnid
Largest cityEnid
Area
 • Total
1,060 sq mi (2,700 km2)
 • Land1,058 sq mi (2,740 km2)
 • Water1.6 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
62,846 Increase
 • Density59/sq mi (23/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitewww.garfieldok.com

Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,846.[1] Enid is the county seat and largest city within Garfield County.[2] The county is named after President James A. Garfield.[3] Garfield County comprises the Enid, OK metropolitan statistical area.[4]

Prior to the Land Run of 1893, Garfield County was named O County and was part of the Cherokee Outlet, occupied by the Cherokee people following the Treaty of New Echota and the Cherokee trail of tears.[5] Historically, the area was a hunting ground for the Wichita, Osage, and Kiowa tribes.

The Chisholm Trail, stage coach lines, mail routes, and railroads passed through stations at Buffalo Springs and Skeleton, today known as Bison and Enid.[6][7] Railroad development in the county began four years prior to the land opening. Enid became a central hub within the county.[8] Historical railroads included Enid and Tonkawa Railway, Enid and Anadarko Railway, Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railway, Enid Central Railway and the Denver, Enid and Gulf Railroad.

  1. ^ "Garfield County, Oklahoma". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 134.
  4. ^ "Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). Office of Management and Budget. July 15, 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 21, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  5. ^ Turner, Alvin O. Cherokee Outlet Opening, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.
  6. ^ Fulbright, Jim, Hell on Rails: Oklahoma Towns at War with the Rock Island Railroad Archived October 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Wild West Magazine, December 2007
  7. ^ Dortch, Steven D. The Chisholm Trail, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009, Accessed April 4, 2015.
  8. ^ Wilson, Linda D. Garfield County, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.