McClain County is a county located in south central Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,662. Its county seat is Purcell. The county was named for Charles M. McClain, an Oklahoma constitutional convention attendee.
McClain County is part of the Oklahoma City, OK metropolitan statistical area.
History
The Chickasaw tribe began moving into this area in 1837, when the land had already been assigned to the Choctaws by the U.S. government. In 1855, the area became part of the Chickasaw Nation, after the two tribes officially separated. The present McClain County became part of Pontotoc County, Chickasaw Nation and remained so until Oklahoma attained statehood. Few Chickasaws lived here because of hostilities with western tribes (e.g., Kiowa). Major Richard Mason established Camp Holmes (also called Camp Mason) in 1835, near the present city of Lexington, while negotiating a treaty between the western tribes and the newly arrived Choctaws. Federal troops abandoned the camp in August 1835, after the Treaty of Camp Holmes was signed. The county lies largely in the Red Bed Plains region of the Osage Plains. The western part of the county is hilly and covered with black jack oak trees, while the eastern part is level lowlands. The South Canadian River forms the northern border, The Washita River flows through the southwestern corner, and is fed by several McClain County creeks.
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| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790-1960 1900-1990<br />1990-2000 2010-2019
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 41,662. Of the residents, 26.1% were under the age of 18 and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.2 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.4 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 75.9% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 6.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 3.6% from some other race, and 12.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.9% of the population.
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! colspan = 2 | Party
! Number of Voters
! Percentage
|-
|
| Republican
| align = center | 17,631
| align = center | 64.84%
|-
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| Democratic
| align = center | 5,240
| align = center | 19.27%
|-
|
| Libertarian
| align = center | 229
| align = center | 0.84%
|-
|
| Unaffiliated
| align = center | 4,090
| align = center | 15.04%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align = center | 27,190
! align = center | 100%
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Economy
The county economy has been based primarily on agriculture and cattle raising. Each town had its own cotton gin early in the 1900s. Purcell had a flour mill. Otherwise, there was little industrial activity. Many county residents commute to work in the Oklahoma City area. Mid-America Area Vo-Tech opened in 1971 to provide vocational education to students. Duke Energy North America built a power plant (which it sold to NRG Energy, Inc., that year) near Newcastle in 2001. The Chickasaw Nation operated a gaming casino at Newcastle.
- Alex Public Schools
- Asher Public Schools
- Blanchard Public Schools
- Bridge Creek Public Schools
- Dibble Public Schools
- Lindsay Public Schools
- Maysville Public Schools
- Newcastle Public Schools
- Norman Public Schools
- Paoli Public Schools
- Purcell Public Schools
- Stratford Public Schools
- Washington Public Schools
- Wayne Public Schools
Libraries
Pioneer Library System operates branch libraries in nine cities in Cleveland, McClain and Pottawatomie counties. The Purcell Public Library at 919 N. 9th Street in Purcell is the only library in McClain County that is part of the Pioneer System.
Transportation
Major highways
The busiest highway in the county is Interstate 35, which enters the county on the north at Goldsby on the McCall Bridge. It then parallels the Canadian River through the county seat, Purcell. It eventually turns southward and leaves the county at its border with Garvin County.
Another important interstate highway is Interstate 44, which runs through the northwestern part of the county. The H.E. Bailey Turnpike Norman Spur connects this highway to the US-62/US-277/SH-9 intersection.
SH-9 enters McClain County via the McCall bridge, duplexed with I-35, and immediately turns due west, running along the northern edge of Goldsby until its intersection with U.S. Highway 62/U.S. Highway 277, south of Newcastle, Oklahoma. From this intersection the three highways continue southwest towards Blanchard and further on to Chickasha in Grady County.
- 20px Interstate 35
- 20px Interstate 44
- 20px H.E. Bailey Turnpike
- 20px U.S. Highway 62
- 20px U.S. Highway 77
- 20px U.S. Highway 177
- 20px U.S. Highway 277
- 20px State Highway 4
- 20px State Highway 9
- 20px State Highway 39
- 20px State Highway 59
- 20px State Highway 74
- 20px State Highway 76
County roads
Like many counties, McClain County contains an extensive network of county-maintained roads. They form a grid with parallel roads generally placed 1 mile apart.
To dispel confusion and assist the small cities introducing new 9-1-1 systems, the county road system was recently renamed and signed throughout the county. East–west roads are numbered, with 100th Street located along the southern edge of the county, and the numbers gradually increasing toward the northern tip of the county. North–south streets are named, generally indicating the name of the road in the Oklahoma City grid that the county road best aligns with. (e.g. Pennsylvania Avenue would, if extended northward, eventually connect with the street of the same name in Oklahoma City.)
Controversy
Contaminated water supply
In 2010, the EPA ordered local water utilities to begin the first nationwide tests for hexavalent chromium 6 (AKA The Erin Brockovich Chemical). From 2013 to 2015, utilities took more than 60,000 samples of drinking water and found chromium-6 in more than 75 percent of them. The Purcell water supply tested positive for an average of 11.53ppb, 577 times the original recommendation from the scientists at the respected and influential California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment of 0.02ppb.
Communities
Cities
- Blanchard (also in Grady County)
- Newcastle
- Purcell (county seat; small part in Cleveland County)
Towns
- Byars
- Cole
- Dibble
- Goldsby
- Maysville (also in Garvin County)
- Rosedale
- Washington
- Wayne
Unincorporated communities
- Criner
- Payne
- Woody Chapel
Local landmarks
The following sites in McClain County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
- Hotel Love, Purcell
- McClain County Courthouse, Purcell
- James C. Nance Memorial Bridge (U.S. Highway 77/State Highway 39 Bridge over the Canadian River), Purcell/Lexington