Bryan County is a county in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,067. Its county seat is Durant. It is the only county in the United States named for Democratic politician William Jennings Bryan.

Bryan County comprises the Durant, OK micropolitan statistical area, which is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth and the Texoma region, TX-OK combined statistical area. The city of Durant has the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Bryan County consists of 10 Townships: Albany, Bennington, Bokchito, Brown, Caddo, Calera, Colbert, Kemp, Matoy, and Speairs.

History

thumb|250px|Map of Bryan County, 1909

The area now known as Bryan County was occupied by the Choctaw tribe in 1831–2. After the tribe reestablished its government in the Indian Territory, it included much of the area within Blue County, a part of the Pushmataha District of the Choctaw Nation.

In 1845, the tribe opened Armstrong Academy for boys near the community of Bokchito. The academy served as Chahta Tamaha, the Choctaw capital, during the Civil War.

Bloomfield Academy, a school for Chickasaw girls, was opened in 1852, just south of the present town of Achille.

Prior to the Chickasaw removal to Indian Territory, the Chickasaw tribe bought part of the Choctaw allocation. The western quarter of today's Bryan County was made part of the Chickasaw District in 1837. When the two tribes formally separated into two distinct nations in 1855, the Chickasaw District became the Chickasaw Nation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.2%) is water.

The county is in the Coastal Plains physiographic region, and is drained mostly by the Blue River. The Washita River originally drained much of the western part of the county, but now empties into Lake Texoma, which forms much of the southern boundary of the county.

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| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790-1960 1900-1990<br />1990-2000 2010

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 46,067. Of the residents, 23.4% were under the age of 18 and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 36.9 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.8 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 67.3% White, 1.6% Black or African American, 14.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 3.0% from some other race, and 12.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.4% of the population. The population density was . There were 16,715 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 80.02% White, 1.42% Black or African American, 12.16% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from other races, and 4.84% from two or more races; 2.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.4% were of American, 10.1% Irish, 8.1% German and 6.7% English ancestry.

In 2000, there were 14,422 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.80% under the age of 18, 11.70% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

According to the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $27,888, and the median income for a family was $33,984. Males had a median income of $26,831 versus $20,087 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,217. About 14.00% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.40% of those under age 18 and 17.00% 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 | 7,171

| align = center | 28.11%

|-

|

| Republican

| align = center | 13,829

| align = center | 54.21%

|-

|

| Others

| align = center | 4,508

| align = center | 17.67%

|-

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 25,508

! align = center | 100%

|}

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Economy

Agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, and distribution are bedrocks of the county's economy. Tourism attractions include Lake Texoma, Lake Durant, the Choctaw Casino Resort, Choctaw Casino Bingo and Fort Washita.

Major employers in the region include the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the headquarters of the J.C. Potter meat processing facility, Durant's Historic Central Business District and Retail District, a Cardinal Glass Industries manufacturing facility, AllianceHealth Durant, a Big Lots distribution center, the headquarters of First United Bank and First Texoma National Bank, Indian Nation Wholesale, and Wal-Mart.

Communities

City

  • Durant (county seat)

Towns

  • Achille
  • Armstrong
  • Bennington
  • Bokchito
  • Caddo
  • Calera
  • Colbert
  • Hendrix
  • Kemp
  • Kenefic
  • Mead
  • Silo

Census-designated places

  • Albany
  • Blue
  • Cartwright
  • Platter
  • Sand Point
  • Utica

Other unincorporated communities

  • Allison
  • Banty
  • Brown
  • Cade
  • Cobb
  • Kiersey
  • Romia
  • Roberta
  • Yarnaby
  • Yuba

NRHP sites

The following sites in Bryan county are on the National Register of Historic Places.

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  • Bloomfield Academy Site, Achille vicinity
  • Armstrong Academy Site, Bokchito vicinity
  • Caddo Community Building, Caddo
  • Colbert's Ferry Site, Colbert vicinity
  • Durant Downtown Historic District, Durant
  • Bryan County Courthouse, Durant
  • Robert E. Lee School, Durant
  • Oklahoma Presbyterian College, Durant

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  • Robert Lee Williams Public Library, Durant
  • J. L. Wilson Building, Durant
  • Carriage Point (Fisher's Station), Durant
  • Roberta School Campus, Durant
  • State Highway No. 78 Bridge at the Red River, Karma vicinity
  • Fort McCulloch, Kenefic vicinity
  • Nail's Station, Kenefic vicinity
  • Fort Washita, Nida vicinity

|}

References

Further reading

  • Bryan County Heritage Association. The History of Bryan County Oklahoma. National ShareGraphics, 1983. 596.
  • Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Bryan County
  • Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory