Editing Alfalfa County, Oklahoma

{{short description|County in Oklahoma, United States}}
{{Distinguish|Alfalfa, Oklahoma}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
|county               = Alfalfa County
|state                = Oklahoma
|seal                 = 
|founded year         = 1907
|founded date         = 
|seat wl              = Cherokee
|largest city wl      = Helena
|area_total_sq_mi     = 881
|area_land_sq_mi      = 866
|area_water_sq_mi     = 15
|area percentage      = 1.7%
|population_as_of     = 2020
|population_total     = 5699
|density_sq_mi        = 6.5
|time zone            = Central
|district             = 3rd
|footnotes            = 
|named for            = [[William H. Murray|William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray]]
|ex image             = ALFALFA COUNTY COURTHOUSE.jpg
|ex image cap         = Alfalfa County Courthouse in [[Cherokee, Oklahoma|Cherokee]] in 2007
|website              = https://alfalfa.okcounties.org/
}}

'''Alfalfa County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the U.S. state of [[Oklahoma]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 5,699.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alfalfa County, Oklahoma|url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Alfalfa_County,_Oklahoma?g=050XX00US40003|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 9, 2023}}</ref>  The [[county seat]] is [[Cherokee, Oklahoma|Cherokee]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref>

Alfalfa County was formed at statehood in 1907 from [[Woods County, Oklahoma|Woods County]]. The county is named after both the [[alfalfa]] crops grown there and [[William H. Murray|William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray]], the president of the [[Oklahoma Constitution]]al [[Convention (meeting)|Convention]] and ninth [[governor of Oklahoma]]. He was instrumental creating the county from the original, much larger Woods County.<ref name=EOHC-AlfalfaCo>[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=AL007 Dianna Everett, "Alfalfa County," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.] Accessed January 19, 2016.</ref><ref name=OPN>{{cite book|last1=Shirk|first1=George H.|title=Oklahoma Place Names|date=March 15, 1987|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0806120287|page=6|edition=Revised}}<!--|access-date=January 19, 2016--></ref>

==History==

===Early history===
[[Indigenous peoples]] inhabited and hunted in this area for thousands of years. By 1750, the [[Osage Nation|Osage]] had become a dominant tribe in the area. About one third belonged to the band led by Chief [[Black Dog (Osage chief)|Black Dog]] (''Manka - Chonka''). Before 1800 they made the Black Dog Trail starting east of [[Baxter Springs, Kansas]] and heading southwest to their summer hunting grounds at the [[Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge|Great Salt Plains]] in present-day Alfalfa County.<ref>[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=BL002 Burl E. Self, "Black Dog (1780-1848)", ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''], accessed November 5, 2009</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title = Full text of "Wah Kon Tah The Osage And White Man S Road"| access-date = January 14, 2012| url = https://archive.org/stream/wahkontahtheosag012195mbp/wahkontahtheosag012195mbp_djvu.txt}}</ref> The Osage stopped at the springs, which attracted migratory birds and varieties of wildlife, for its healing properties on their way to hunting on the plains. The Osage name for this fork of the Arkansas River was ''Nescatunga'' (big salt water), what European-Americans later called the [[Salt Fork Arkansas River|Salt Fork]].<ref name="USACE1">[https://www.swt.usace.army.mil/Locations/Tulsa-District-Lakes/Oklahoma/Great-Salt-Plains-Lake/History/ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, "History of the Great Salt Plains Lake"] Accessed June 22, 2016</ref> The Osage cleared the trail of brush and large rocks, and made ramps at the fords. Wide enough for eight men riding horses abreast, the trail was the first improved road in Kansas and Oklahoma.<ref>[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=OS001 Louis F. Burns, "Osage", ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''], accessed November 5, 2009</ref>

===Pre-statehood===
The treaties of 1828 and 1835 placed what would later become Alfalfa County within the [[Cherokee Outlet]], which was owned by the [[Cherokee Nation]]. Ranching became the primary economic activity from 1870 to 1890; cattle companies that belonged to the Cherokee Strip Live Stock Association leased grazing land from the Cherokee. Prominent rancher, [[Andrew Drumm Institute|Major Andrew Drumm]] operated the "U Ranch" here as early as 1870. Its headquarters were southeast of [[Driftwood, Oklahoma|Driftwood]] on the [[Medicine Lodge River|Medicine Lodge]] and [[Salt Fork of the Arkansas River|Salt Fork]] rivers.<ref name="EOHC-AlfalfaCo"/>

[[Image:Cherokee Outlet 1885.jpg|right|280px|thumb|The Cherokee Outlet (1885)]]
[[Image:Oklahoma Land Rush.jpg|right|280px|thumb|An Oklahoma Land Rush (1889)]]

[[Woods County, Oklahoma|Woods County]] was created in September 1893 at the same time as the opening of the Cherokee Outlet with the [[Land Run of 1893|Cherokee Strip Land Run]]. As population increased and Cherokee land titles were extinguished, the legislature authorized the creation of Alfalfa County in 1907, as part of statehood.<ref name="EOHC-AlfalfaCo"/>  The county was named after [[William H. Murray|William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray]], who served as the president of the [[Oklahoma Constitution]]al [[Convention (meeting)|Convention]] and would later be elected as the ninth [[governor of Oklahoma]].<ref name=EOHC-AlfalfaCo/><ref name="OPN"/><ref name="County Names">{{cite web|title=ORIGIN OF COUNTY NAMES IN OKLAHOMA, Vol. 2, No. 1, March 1924|url=http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v002/v002p075.html|website=Oklahoma Historical Society's Chronicles of Oklahoma|publisher=Oklahoma State University|access-date=May 9, 2016|page=75|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814135738/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v002/v002p075.html|archive-date=August 14, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> He promoted creation of this county.

===Statehood years onward===
The city of [[Cherokee, Oklahoma|Cherokee]] was designated as the county seat after being chosen by voters in an election held in January 1909. Other towns receiving votes for the honor were [[Carmen, Oklahoma|Carmen]], [[Ingersoll, Oklahoma|Ingersoll]], and [[Jet, Oklahoma|Jet]].<ref name="EOHC-AlfalfaCo"/>

Alfalfa County's population was primarily of European-American ancestry. European immigrants and their children were numerous in the early 1900s. [[Germans from Russia]] (ethnic Germans who immigrated to American from Russia), many of whom were [[Mennonites]], settled near [[Ingersoll, Oklahoma|Ingersoll]], [[Driftwood, Oklahoma|Driftwood]], Cherokee, and [[Goltry, Oklahoma|Goltry]]. Early censuses also reveal a considerable number of Bohemians from the Austro-Hungary Empire. At the turn of the twenty-first century, nearly 17 percent of county residents claimed German ancestry on the census.<ref name="EOHC-AlfalfaCo"/>  One Mennonite church (in Goltry) remained {{As of|2006|lc=y}}.<ref name=GAMEO>{{cite web|last1=Bergen|first1=JW|title=Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online - Alfalfa County (Oklahoma, USA)|url=http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Alfalfa_County_(Oklahoma,_USA)|website=Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online|publisher=GAMEO|access-date=January 27, 2016}}</ref>

Early railroad construction, from the Choctaw Northern line (1901), the [[Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway|Kansas City, Mexico and Orient]] (1901), the [[Arkansas Valley and Western Railway|Arkansas Valley and Western]] (1904), and the [[Denver, Enid and Gulf Railroad|Denver, Enid and Gulf Railroad Company]] (1904), contributed greatly to the county's early prosperity and caused many small towns to flourish. They would compete as wheat-shipping points and [[agribusiness]] centers for many years thereafter.<ref name="EOHC-AlfalfaCo"/>  However, by 2000 only one rail line, the [[BNSF Railway|Burlington Northern Santa Fe]], served the county.<ref name="EOHC-AlfalfaCo"/>

Petroleum exploration and production has been a contributor to Alfalfa County's economy since the time of statehood. Agricultural pursuits, including wheat farming and livestock raising, were major contributors to Alfalfa County's economy during the twentieth century. Small-scale agriculture in its early years supported dozens of towns and dispersed rural communities, many of which no longer exist as a result of transportation and economic changes. After construction of railroads, those towns bypassed by rail service, such as Carroll, Carwile, Keith, and Timberlake, did not prosper for long.

Restructuring of the railroad industry in the late 20th century resulted in abandonment of other lines, and towns such as Ingersoll and Driftwood, for example, had declining populations that made it difficult to sustain educational and city services. Ingersoll (founded 1901) peaked in 1910 with 253 inhabitants and Driftwood (founded 1898) in 1930 with 71. By 1980, neither of these towns was still incorporated. [[Aline, Oklahoma|Aline]], [[Amorita, Oklahoma|Amorita]], [[Burlington, Oklahoma|Burlington]], [[Byron, Oklahoma|Byron]], Carmen, Cherokee, Goltry, [[Helena, Oklahoma|Helena]], Jet, and [[Lambert, Oklahoma|Lambert]] remained incorporated as of 2000.<ref name="EOHC-AlfalfaCo"/>

==Economy==
The largely rural economy is based on agricultural and energy production. Agriculture has altered to be based in industrial-scale farms and production. The county is the second-largest producer of [[winter wheat]] in Oklahoma. The [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] estimated the county's winter wheat production at 5,957,000 bushels for 2015.<ref name="USDA-ww">{{cite web|title=Oklahoma Winter Wheat County Estimates|
url=https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Oklahoma/Publications/County_Estimates/2015/ok_wheat_ce_2015.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609235231/https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Oklahoma/Publications/County_Estimates/2015/ok_wheat_ce_2015.pdf |archive-date=June 9, 2016 |url-status=live|website=National Agricultural Statistics Service - Southern Plains Regional Field Office|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=May 16, 2016|date=December 11, 2015}}</ref>  The USDA also listed the county as the state's seventh-largest producer of [[sorghum]] in 2015, at 702,000 bushels.<ref name="USDA-srgm">{{cite web|title=Oklahoma Grain Sorghum County Estimates|
url=https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Oklahoma/Publications/County_Estimates/2016/ok_ce_sorghum_2016.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609232710/https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Oklahoma/Publications/County_Estimates/2016/ok_ce_sorghum_2016.pdf |archive-date=June 9, 2016 |url-status=live|website=National Agricultural Statistics Service - Southern Plains Regional Field Office|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=May 16, 2016|date=March 2, 2016}}</ref>

Alfalfa County remains a major producer of [[petroleum]] and [[natural gas]]. In 2012, it was second (surpassed only by neighboring Woods County) in production of natural gas for Oklahoma counties, with an output of 419,606,514 Mcf (thousand cubic feet). It is also a major producer of crude oil, with total output of 3,395,396 barrels in 2012, which was fifth among Oklahoma counties.<ref name="OCC">{{cite web|last1=Lawter|first1=Jason|title=STATISTICAL DEPARTMENT 2012|url=http://www.occeweb.com/og/ogmonthytd.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229204828/http://www.occeweb.com/og/ogmonthytd.pdf |archive-date=December 29, 2010 |url-status=live|website=www.occeweb.com|publisher=OKLAHOMA CORPORATION COMMISSION - OIL AND GAS CONSERVATION DIVISION|access-date=May 16, 2016|date=2012}}</ref><ref name="NPR1">{{cite web|last1=Wertz|first1=Joe|title=Map: Where Natural Gas is Produced in Oklahoma|date=December 14, 2012|url=https://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/maps/map-where-natural-gas-is-produced-in-oklahoma/|website=Oklahoma - Economy, Energy, Natural Resources: Policy to People|publisher=StateImpact|access-date=May 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630131654/https://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/maps/map-where-natural-gas-is-produced-in-oklahoma/|archive-date=June 30, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="NPR2">{{cite web|last1=Wertz|first1=Joe|title=Map: Where Oklahoma Oil is Produced|date=December 7, 2012|url=https://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/maps/map-where-oklahoma-oil-is-produced/|website=Oklahoma - Economy, Energy, Natural Resources: Policy to People|publisher=StateImpact|access-date=May 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630131707/https://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/maps/map-where-oklahoma-oil-is-produced/|archive-date=June 30, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|881|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|866|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|15|sqmi}} (1.7%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_40.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=February 18, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>  The [[Great Salt Plains Lake]], as well as the associated [[Great Salt Plains State Park]] and [[Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge]] lie within the county, approximately 12 miles east of Cherokee.<ref name="USACE2">[https://www.swt.usace.army.mil/Locations/Tulsa-District-Lakes/Oklahoma/Great-Salt-Plains-Lake/ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, "Welcome to Great Salt Plains Lake."] Accessed May 12, 2016</ref>  The major waterways in the county are the [[Salt Fork of the Arkansas River]] and the [[Medicine Lodge River]].<ref name="odot-1992-map">{{cite map|publisher=Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Planning Division|title=General Highway Map - Alfalfa County, Oklahoma|edition=1992|url=http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/hqdiv/p-r-div/maps/2003county/alfalfa.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/hqdiv/p-r-div/maps/2003county/alfalfa.pdf |archive-date=October 10, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:USACE Great Salt Plains Dam.jpg|right|280px|thumb|Aerial view to the northwest of the Great Salt Plains Lake Dam on the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River in Alfalfa County, OK. The dam was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.]]

It is part of the [[Red Beds of Texas and Oklahoma|Red Bed]] plains.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}

===Major highways===
* [[File:US 64.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 64 in Oklahoma|U.S. Highway 64]]
* [[File:Oklahoma State Highway 8.svg|20px]] [[State Highway 8 (Oklahoma)|State Highway 8]]
* [[File:Oklahoma State Highway 8B.svg|20px]] [[State Highway 8B (Oklahoma)|State Highway 8B]]
* [[File:Oklahoma State Highway 11.svg|20px]] [[State Highway 11 (Oklahoma)|State Highway 11]]
* [[File:Oklahoma State Highway 38.svg|20px]] [[State Highway 38 (Oklahoma)|State Highway 38]]
* [[File:Oklahoma State Highway 45.svg|20px]] [[State Highway 45 (Oklahoma)|State Highway 45]]
* [[File:Oklahoma State Highway 58.svg|20px]] [[State Highway 58 (Oklahoma)|State Highway 58]]<ref name="odot-1992-map"/>

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Harper County, Kansas]] (northeast)
* [[Grant County, Oklahoma|Grant County]] (east)
* [[Garfield County, Oklahoma|Garfield County]] (southeast)
* [[Major County, Oklahoma|Major County]] (south)
* [[Woods County, Oklahoma|Woods County]] (west)
* [[Barber County, Kansas]] (northwest)

===National protected area===
* [[Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge]]

===State Park===
* [[Great Salt Plains State Park]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 18138
|1920= 16253
|1930= 15228
|1940= 14129
|1950= 10699
|1960= 8445
|1970= 7224
|1980= 7077
|1990= 6416
|2000= 6105
|2010= 5642
|2020= 5699
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=U.S. Decennial Census |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=February 18, 2015  }}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=February 18, 2015}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ok190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=February 18, 2015}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=February 18, 2015}}</ref> 2010<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/alfalfacountyoklahoma/PST045219|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 11, 2020}}</ref>
}}
{{Stack|[[File:USA Alfalfa County, Oklahoma age pyramid.svg|right|150px|thumb|Age pyramid for Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, based on census 2000 data.]]}}

As of the 2010 [[census]], Alfalfa County had a population of 5,642 people, down from 6,105 people in 2000. Most of the population (89.1%) self-identified as [[Race (United States Census)|white]]. [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]] individuals made up 4.7% of the population and [[Race (United States Census)|Native Americans]] made up 2.9% of the population. Less than 1% of the population was [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]].

The median age of the population was 46 years and 18% of the county's population was under the age of 18. Individuals 65 years of age or older accounted for 20.2% of the population.

There were a total of 2,022 households and 1,333 families in the county in 2010. There were 2,763 housing units. Of the 2,022 households, 23.4 percent included children under the age of 18 and slightly more than half (56.3%) included [[Marriage|married couples]] living together. Non-family households accounted for 34.1% of households. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.81.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,730, and the median income for a family was $56,444. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $24,080. About 7 percent of families and 11 percent of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 7.4 percent of those age 65 or over.

==Life expectancy and health==
Of 3,142 counties in the United States in 2014, the [[Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation]] ranked Alfalfa County 840 in the average life expectancy at birth of male residents and 1,999 in the average life expectancy of female residents. Males in Alfalfa County lived an average of 77.2 years and females lived an average of 79.6 years compared to the national average for life expectancy of 76.7 for males and 81.5 for females. In 2014, Alfalfa Country was one of only two counties in Oklahoma (the other being [[Logan County, Oklahoma|Logan County]]) in which males had a longer life expectancy than the national average. However, women had a shorter life expectancy than the national average.<ref name="Alfalfa County">{{cite web |title=County Profiles: Alfalfa County, Oklahoma |url=http://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/files/county_profiles/US/2015/County_Report_Alfalfa_County_Oklahoma.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/http://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/files/county_profiles/US/2015/County_Report_Alfalfa_County_Oklahoma.pdf |archive-date=October 10, 2022 |url-status=live 
 |website=Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation |publisher=University of Washington |access-date=December 27, 2020}}</ref> In the 1980-2014 period, the average life expectancy in Alfalfa County for females increased by 1.1 years while male longevity increased by 3.5 years compared to the national average for the same period of an increased life expectancy of 4.0 years for women and 6.7 years for men.<ref>{{cite web |title=US Health Map |url=https://vizhub.healthdata.org/subnational/usa |website=Institute of Health Metrics and Evaulation |publisher=University of Washington |access-date=December 28, 2020}}</ref>

In 2020, the [[Robert Wood Johnson Foundation]] ranked Alfalfa country as first among 77 counties in Oklahoma in "health outcomes," as measured by length and quality of life.<ref>{{cite web |title=2020 Oklahoma Report |url=https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/oklahoma/2020/rankings/alfalfa/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot
|website=Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |access-date=December 27, 2020}}</ref>

==Notable people born in Alfalfa County==
* [[R. Orin Cornett]] (1913 – 2002), physicist, was born in Driftwood. He earned a doctorate of physics and applied mathematics from the [[University of Texas]] in 1940, and invented the communication system for the hearing impaired known as [[Cued Speech]]. He taught at [[Oklahoma Baptist University]], [[Pennsylvania State University]], and [[Harvard University]]. He also served as a vice president at Oklahoma Baptist and as the Vice President of Long Range Planning for [[Gallaudet University]].<ref name="NCSA">{{cite web|title=Dr. R. Orin Cornett Biography|url=http://www.cuedspeech.org/dr-orin-cornett.php|website=NCSA|publisher=National Cued Speech Association|access-date=July 14, 2016|archive-date=August 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821035854/http://www.cuedspeech.org/dr-orin-cornett.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Physics">{{cite web|title=Department of Physics History|url=https://web2.ph.utexas.edu/utphysicshistory/UTexas_Physics_History/Painter_Bldg_Period_1934-72.html|website=University of Texas Physics History|publisher=University of Texas|access-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref>
* [[Beryl Clark]] (1917 – 2000), born in Cherokee. Clark was a [[American football|football]] player with the [[Oklahoma Sooners football|Oklahoma Sooners]] who was selected as a second-team [[Halfback (American football)|halfback]] on the [[1939 College Football All-America Team]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Kimbrough Named To INS All America Team|work=Port Arthur News|date=November 24, 1939}}</ref>  Clark was drafted by the [[Chicago Cardinals]] in the [[1940 NFL draft]] and played for the Cardinals during the 1940 NFL season.<ref>{{cite web|title=Beryl Clark|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Pro-Football-Reference.com|access-date=July 17, 2016|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/ClarBe21.htm}}</ref>
* [[Harold Keith]] (1903 – 1998), born in Lambert.<ref name="nt15">{{cite web|url=http://www.normantranscript.com/news/local_news/norman-library-literary-landmark-ceremony-honors-harold-keith/article_2a27fffc-063e-5b63-b95e-3531aae928a7.html|title=Norman Library literary landmark ceremony honors Harold Keith|publisher=The Norman Transcript|date=May 1, 2015|access-date=July 15, 2016
}}</ref> He earned a master's degree in history and became the [[University of Oklahoma]]'s first sports publicist from 1930 to 1969.<ref name="sporthof">{{cite web|url=http://oksportshof.org/hall-of-fame-members/harold-keith/|title=Hall of Fame Members-Harold Keith|publisher=Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame|access-date=July 31, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150731043821/http://oksportshof.org/hall-of-fame-members/harold-keith/|archive-date=July 31, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>  He was awarded the 1958 [[Newbery Medal]] for his historical novel ''[[Rifles for Watie]]'', which is based on the interviews he did for his Master's thesis.<ref name="nt15"/>  Keith was a 1987 inductee into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (now a part of the [[Jim Thorpe Association]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsok.com/3-oklahomans-to-be-inducted-into-sports-hall/article/2201894|title=3 Oklahomans To Be Inducted Into Sports Hall|publisher=NewsOK.com|date=October 14, 1987}}</ref>
* [[Harold G. Kiner]] (1924 – 1944), was born in Aline. As a private in the US Army during [[World War II]], he received the U. S. military's highest decoration — the [[Medal of Honor]] — for his heroic actions.
* [[Wally Parks|Wallace "Wally" Parks]] (1913 – 2007) was born in Goltry. Parks was founder in 1951, chairman and president of the [[National Hot Rod Association]], better known as NHRA. It helped establish drag racing as a legitimate amateur and professional motorsport. In 1948, he was named editor of ''[[Hot Rod magazine]]''. Parks was inducted into the [[International Motorsports Hall of Fame]] in 1992 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |last=Goldstein|first=Richard|title=Wally Parks, Drag Racing Pioneer, Dies at 94 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE6DF163BF937A35753C1A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 4, 2007}}</ref>

==Politics==
{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of May 31, 2023<ref>{{cite web |title=Voter Registration Totals |url=https://stats.okelections.us/ |website=OK Elections Interactive Statistics Beta |access-date=June 25, 2023 |date=May 31, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Number of Voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align = center | 356
| align = center | 12.38%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align = center | 2,290
| align = center | 77.83%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Others
| align = center | 296
| align = center | 10.06%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align = center | 2,942
! align = center | 100%
|}

{{PresHead|place=Alfalfa County, Oklahoma|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 28, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|1,891|236|33|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|1,978|232|52|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|1,933|216|109|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|1,761|322|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|2,023|411|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|2,201|470|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|1,886|583|38|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|1,504|796|363|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|1,567|741|737|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|1,960|1,117|55|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|2,715|866|27|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|2,628|899|115|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|2,113|1,725|59|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|3,208|641|88|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|2,672|865|310|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|2,450|1,730|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|3,332|1,067|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|3,251|1,371|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|4,155|1,118|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|2,765|1,838|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|3,434|1,716|32|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|3,675|2,720|60|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|2,573|3,398|55|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|2,037|3,642|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|4,224|1,086|107|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|2,967|1,558|656|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|3,005|1,350|362|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|1,378|1,390|546|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1912|Republican|1,714|1,179|485|Oklahoma}}
{{PresFoot|1908|Republican|1,738|1,459|186|Oklahoma}}

==Communities==
===City===
* [[Cherokee, Oklahoma|Cherokee]] (county seat)

===Towns===
* [[Aline, Oklahoma|Aline]]
* [[Amorita, Oklahoma|Amorita]]
* [[Burlington, Oklahoma|Burlington]]
* [[Byron, Oklahoma|Byron]]
* [[Carmen, Oklahoma|Carmen]]
* [[Goltry, Oklahoma|Goltry]]
* [[Helena, Oklahoma|Helena]]
* [[Jet, Oklahoma|Jet]]
* [[Lambert, Oklahoma|Lambert]]

===Census-designated place===
* [[Nescatunga, Oklahoma|Nescatunga]]

===Other unincorporated places===
* [[Ashley, Oklahoma|Ashley]]
* [[Driftwood, Oklahoma|Driftwood]]
* [[Ingersoll, Oklahoma|Ingersoll]]
* [[Yewed, Oklahoma|Yewed]]

==NRHP sites==
{{Main|National Register of Historic Places listings in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma}}
The following sites in Alfalfa County are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]:

{|
|----- valign="top"
|
* Alfalfa County Courthouse, Cherokee
* [[Aline IOOF Lodge No. 263]], Aline
* [[Carmen IOOF Home]], Carmen
* [[Carmen IOOF Lodge No. 84]], Carmen
* Cherokee Armory, Cherokee
* [[Cherokee Friends Church]], Cherokee
|
* [[Cherokee IOOF Lodge No. 219]], Cherokee
* Farmers' Exchange Elevator, Goltry
* Farmers' Federation Elevator, Cherokee
* Hotel Cherokee, Cherokee
* [[Ingersoll Tile Elevator]], Ingersoll
* [[Sod House (Cleo Springs, Oklahoma)|Sod House]], [[Cleo Springs, Oklahoma|Cleo Springs]]
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=AL007 Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Alfalfa County]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121024013411/http://www.library.okstate.edu/okmaps/ Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160911210326/http://ceil.rootsweb.ancestry.com/transportation/railroads.html Railroads in Oklahoma in 1915 (including Alfalfa County Rail lines)]

{{Geographic location
| Centre    = Alfalfa County
| Northeast = [[Harper County, Kansas]]
| East      = [[Grant County, Oklahoma|Grant County]]
| Southeast = [[Garfield County, Oklahoma|Garfield County]]
| Southwest = [[Major County, Oklahoma|Major County]]
| West      = [[Woods County, Oklahoma|Woods County]]
| Northwest = [[Barber County, Kansas]]
}}

{{Alfalfa County, Oklahoma}}
{{NRHP in Alfalfa County}}
{{Oklahoma}}

{{Coord|36.73|-98.32|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-OK_source:UScensus1990}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Alfalfa County, Oklahoma| ]]
[[Category:1907 establishments in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1907]]
[[Category:History of the Osage Nation]]
[[Category:Native American trails in the United States]]