Blaine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,735. Its county seat is Watonga. Part of the Cheyenne-Arapaho land opening in 1892, the county had gained rail lines by the early 1900s and highways by the 1930s. According to one account, the designation "C" remained until the first public elections in 1892. When the time came to choose another name for the county, there seemed to be roughly equal support for two military heroes: "Sheridan" and "Custer". Before voting began, the chair gave a stirring speech proposing Blaine, who had recently died and was a local favorite. The majority of voters swung behind Blaine's name, which was ultimately chosen for County C. The area was settled by Creek and Seminole, whom the federal government relocated to the area in the 1820s and 1830s.

A post office was established in the county seat of Watonga, the same year as the land run. The Enid and Anadarko Railway and the Blackwell, Enid, and Southwestern Railroad ran lines through the county from 1901 to 1903. The town was home to "the oldest bank in Blaine County."

In 1904, Blaine County was the birthplace of voice actor Clarence Nash, the original voice of Disney's Donald Duck. The county's population was 17,227 in 1907, rising to 17,960 in 1910. U.S. Highways 270 and 281 were constructed through Blaine County. The northeastern half of the county is located on the western edge of the Red Bed Plains while the southwestern half lies in the Gypsum Hills.

The county seat of Watonga hosts an annual cheese festival in October, celebrating the city's cheese factory.

Major highways

  • 23px U.S. Highway 270
  • 23px U.S. Highway 281
  • 20px State Highway 3
  • 20px State Highway 8
  • 20px State Highway 51
  • 20px State Highway 58

Adjacent counties

  • Major County (north)
  • Kingfisher County (east)
  • Canadian County (southeast)
  • Caddo County (south)
  • Custer County (southwest)
  • Dewey County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 8,735. Of the residents, 25.0% were under the age of 18 and 20.8% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.9 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 74.0% White, 3.0% Black or African American, 7.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 4.5% from some other race, and 10.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 11.3% of the population. Although population decreases are typical of rural Oklahoma countries, much of Blaine County's drop was attributed to the 2010 closure of a prison that had been the county's largest employer.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,976 people, 4,159 households, and 2,865 families residing in the county, nearly half of them located in the county seat of Watonga. The population density of the county was . There were 5,208 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 76.29% white, 8.70% Native American, 6.65% Black or African American, 0.71% Asian, 0.81% Pacific Islander, 2.86% from other races, and 3.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino individuals of any race made up 6.62% of the population.

There were 4,159 households, out of which 30.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them. Slightly more than half (56.20%) were married couples living together, nearly a third (29%) were made up of individuals, 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older, and 8.6% were run by a female with no husband present. The average household size was 2.50, and the average family size was 3.08.

The county's median age in 2000 was 38 years, with almost a third (28.6%) of the population aged 25 to 44. Individuals under the age of 18 made up 24% of the population, individuals aged 45 to 64 made up 21.4% of the population, individuals aged 65 or older made up 16.8% of the population, and individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 made up 9.1% of the population. There were slightly more males than females, with 119.3 males for every 100 females and 125 adult males (18 or older) for every 100 female adults.

The county's median income for a household in 2000 was $28,356, and the median income for a family was $34,565. Males had a median income of $26,284 versus $18,619 for females. The county's per capita income was $13,546. About 12.8 percent of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

{| class=wikitable

! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of May 31, 2023

|-

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Number of Voters

! Percentage

|-

|

| Democratic

| align = center | 1,176

| align = center | 22.15%

|-

|

| Republican

| align = center | 3,390

| align = center | 63.85%

|-

|

| Others

| align = center | 743

| align = center | 14.00%

|-

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 5,309

! align = center | 100%

|}

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Economy

Southard, located in central Blaine County, is the site of one of the purest gypsum deposits in the United States and is home to the U.S. Gypsum Company, the largest industrial plant in the county.

  • Canton Public Schools
  • Cimarron Public Schools
  • Fairview Public Schools
  • Geary Public Schools
  • Hinton Public Schools
  • Hydro-Eakly Public Schools
  • Lomega Public Schools
  • Okeene Public Schools
  • Thomas-Fay-Custer Unified Schools
  • Watonga Public Schools

NRHP sites

The following sites in Blaine County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

{|

|----- valign="top"

|

  • Acre Family Barn
  • Blaine County Courthouse, Watonga
  • Cantonment, Canton
  • Jesse Chisholm Grave Site, Geary
  • Cronkhite Ranch House, Watonga
  • Thompson Benton Ferguson House, Watonga
  • Gillespie Building, Geary
  • Noble Hotel, Watonga
  • Okeene Flour Mill, Okeene

|

  • Old Plant Office Building, U.S. Gypsum Co., Southard
  • Old Salt Works, Southard
  • Public Water Trough, Geary
  • Shinn Family Barn, Okeene
  • Sooner Co-op Association Elevator (West), Okeene
  • United States Post Office Watonga
  • J. H. Wagner House, Watonga
  • Watonga Armory, Watonga

|}

References

  • Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Blaine County
  • Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory