Osage County ( ) is the largest county by area in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Created in 1907 when Oklahoma was admitted as a state, the county is named for and is home to the federally recognized Osage Nation. The county is coextensive with the Osage Nation Reservation, established by treaty in the 19th century when the Osage relocated there from Kansas. The county seat is in Pawhuska, one of the first three towns established in the county. The total population of the county as of 2020 was 45,818.

History

During the 17th century, the Osage and other Dhegihan Siouan tribes were displaced westward from the Ohio Country following the Beaver Wars. The Osage became established as a powerful nation in the areas of present-day Missouri and Arkansas between the Missouri and Red rivers, as well as extending to the west. By 1760, they had increased their range to include the present Osage County. Historically one of the most powerful Great Plains tribes, their numbers were reduced by infectious disease and warfare after encounter with Europeans.

In 1825, they ceded their claim to the land in present-day Oklahoma to the United States government, which included it in a "perpetual outlet to the west given to the Cherokee Nation by the Treaty of New Echota" in 1835. This treaty was to accomplish Cherokee removal to the Indian Territory. During the American Civil War, on December 26, 1861, a band of pro-Union Creek and Seminole fought with a Confederate Army unit at the Battle of Chustenahlah on Bird Creek, near the present town of Skiatook.

In 1875, the US designated their land as the Osage Reservation. Because the tribe owned the land directly, they retained more control over their affairs than did tribes whose land was held "in trust" by the United States government. At that time, there were 2,229 registered Osage members.

By 1920, the Osage were receiving lucrative revenues from royalties and were counted as the richest people in the country. During the 1920s, Osage County was the site of the infamous Osage Indian murders. Because of the great wealth being generated by oil, an estimated 60 tribal members were killed as whites tried to gain their headrights, royalties or land. The FBI believed that several white husbands of Osage women had committed or ordered murders of their wives. It is the largest county in Oklahoma by area. Most of the county is in the Osage Plains, and consists of open prairie. The eastern part of the county contains the Osage Hills, an extension of the Flint Hills in Kansas. Holmes Peak is the highest point in the Tulsa Metropolitan area, with an elevation of , though it ranks only as the 379th highest point in the state.

Gray Horse Creek, Drum Creek and Salt Creek all drain the southwestern part of the county and flow into the Arkansas River, which is part of the county's southern and western boundaries. Eastern Osage County drains into Caney River, Bird Creek, Hominy Creek, and Delaware Creek. All of these streams flow into the Verdigris River. In 2015, the Osage subleased the renamed Wah-Sha-She Park to the Hulah Lake Osage Association (HLOA), a non-profit group which took on the task of maintaining the park through volunteer efforts. As of 2020 HLOA still had the park open, supported by campground fees.

It is the most populous and the second-largest county geographically (after Corson County, South Dakota) of the six U.S. counties that lie entirely within an Indian reservation. (The six counties in descending order of area are Corson; Osage; Oglala Lakota and Todd in South Dakota; Sioux in North Dakota; and Mahnomen in Minnesota.) Three other counties, Thurston in Nebraska; and Dewey and Ziebach in South Dakota, lie entirely in parts of two separate Indian reservations. A total of nine US counties lie entirely within reservation territory. Dewey County is slightly larger in area than Osage.

Adjacent counties

  • Cowley County, Kansas (northwest)
  • Chautauqua County, Kansas (north)
  • Washington County (east)
  • Tulsa County (southeast)
  • Pawnee County (southwest)
  • Kay County (west)
  • Noble County (west)

Demographics

2021 estimates

According to 2021 census estimates, its median household income was $54,036 and the county had a poverty rate of 12.3%.

The racial makeup of the county was 60.9% White, 10.6% Black or African American, 14.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 1.6% from some other race, and 12.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.1% of the population. there were 47,472 people, 18,205 households, and 12,972 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 21,143 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 66% White, 11.4% Black or African American, 14.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, less than 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 7.1% from two or more races. Almost 3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of 2010, there were 18,205 households, out of which 32.6% included children under the age of 18, 54.2% were married couples living together, 12% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.7% were non-families. Individuals living alone accounted for 24.8% of households and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.39 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were more than 100 males.

|-

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Number of Voters

! Percentage

|-

|

| Republican

| align = center | 15,686

| align = center | 54.85%

|-

|

| Democratic

| align = center | 8,084

| align = center | 28.26%

|-

|

| Independent/Others

| align = center | 4,828

| align = center | 16.88%

|-

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 28,598

! align = center | 100%

|}

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Communities

Cities

  • Barnsdall
  • Bartlesville (part)
  • Hominy
  • Pawhuska
  • Ponca City (part)
  • Sand Springs (part)
  • Skiatook (part)
  • Shidler
  • Tulsa (part)

Towns

  • Avant
  • Burbank
  • Fairfax
  • Foraker
  • Grainola
  • Osage
  • Prue
  • Webb City
  • Wynona

Census-designated places

  • Bowring
  • McCord
  • Nelagoney
  • Pershing
  • Whippoorwill

Other unincorporated communities

  • Carter Nine
  • Gray Horse
  • Rock
  • Webb City
  • Wolco

Education

School districts include:

K-12:

  • Barnsdall Public Schools
  • Bartlesville Public Schools
  • Caney Valley Public Schools
  • Cleveland Public Schools
  • Dewey Public Schools
  • Hominy Public Schools
  • Pawhuska Public Schools
  • Ponca City Public Schools
  • Prue Public Schools
  • Sand Springs Public Schools
  • Shidler Public Schools
  • Skiatook Public Schools
  • Sperry Public Schools
  • Tulsa Public Schools
  • Woodland Public Schools
  • Wynona Public Schools

Elementary only:

  • Anderson Public School
  • Avant Public School
  • Bowring Public School
  • McCord Public School
  • Osage Hills Public School

Former districts:

  • Burbank School District 20 - ended in 2002

Private schools (from the perspective of the State of Oklahoma and the National Center for Education Statistics):

  • Daposka Ahnkodapi Elementary School

NRHP sites

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

  • Bank of Bigheart, Barnsdall
  • Bank of Burbank, Burbank
  • Bank of Hominy, Hominy
  • Barnsdall Main Street Well Site, Barnsdall
  • Blacksmith's House, Pawhuska
  • Chapman-Barnard Ranch Headquarters, Pawhuska
  • Chief Ne-Kah-Wah-She-Tun-Kah Grave and Statue, Fairfax
  • Pawhuska City Hall, Pawhuska
  • Fred and Adeline Drummond House, Hominy
  • First National Bank and Masonic Lodge, Fairfax
  • Hominy Armory, Hominy
  • Hominy Osage Round House, Hominy
  • Hominy School, Hominy
  • Immaculate Conception Church, Pawhuska
  • Lincoln Colored School, Fairfax
  • Marland Filling Station, Hominy
  • Osage Agency, Pawhuska
  • Osage Bank of Fairfax, Fairfax
  • Osage County Courthouse, Pawhuska
  • Pawhuska Armory, Pawhuska
  • Pawhuska Downtown Historic District, Pawhuska
  • Wolverine Oil Company Drayage Barn, Avant
  • Osage Nation Museum, Pawhuska

Osage County is the setting of Oklahoma native Tracy Letts's play August: Osage County (2007), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award in 2008, and the 2013 movie adaptation of the same name which stars Meryl Streep.

Filming took place in rural Osage County, including Pawhuska, Barnsdall and Bartlesville.

Killers of the Flower Moon, the 2023 film directed by Martin Scorsese, centers on a series of Oklahoma murders in the Osage Nation during the 1920s. Parts of the movie were filmed on location in Osage County.

Highways

  • L.L. Tisdale Parkway
  • Gilcrease Expressway
  • U.S. 412
  • U.S. 60
  • Oklahoma State Highway 99
  • Oklahoma State Highway 20
  • Oklahoma State Highway 18
  • Oklahoma State Highway 11
  • Oklahoma State Highway 10
  • Oklahoma State Highway 123
  • Oklahoma State Highway 97

See also

  • August: Osage County (play)
  • Osage Indian Murders

References

  • 2030 Osage County Comprehensive Plan Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  • Osage County Sheriff's Office