Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation facts for kids

Pickens County was a special area within the Chickasaw Nation in a place called Indian Territory. This was before Oklahoma became a state in 1907. Pickens County was one of four main areas that made up the Chickasaw Nation. After Oklahoma became a state, the land that was Pickens County was split up into several different counties that still exist today.

History of Pickens County

The Chickasaw people were moved from their homes in the southeastern United States in the 1830s. This event is known as the Indian removal. They were first assigned to live within the Choctaw Nation. In 1855, the Chickasaw Nation became its own separate group. The way the Chickasaw Nation was divided into areas like counties was based on older Choctaw laws.

How the Counties Were Formed

Before the Chickasaws separated from the Choctaw Nation in 1855, the Choctaws had their land divided into four main areas for government and legal purposes. Even though Chickasaws could live anywhere in the Choctaw Nation, most of them lived in the western part, which was called the Chickasaw District.

In 1850, the Choctaw Nation changed its rules to allow each of its four districts to be divided into smaller counties. The Chickasaw District was split into four counties:

• Panola County (southeast)
• Wichita County (southwest)
• Caddo County (northwest)
• Perry County (northeast)

Wichita County was renamed Pickens County in 1854 by the Choctaw Nation's main council.

Who Was Pickens County Named After?

Pickens County was named after Edmund Pickens. He was a Chickasaw leader also known as Okchantubby. He helped make the important agreement in 1854 that allowed the Chickasaw people to separate from the Choctaw Nation and create their own nation. He also played a key role in making a treaty with the Confederate States of America in 1861.

Government and County Seat

The community of Oakland, which is near Madill, was chosen as the main town, or "county seat," for Pickens County.

A new set of rules, called a constitution, was made on August 30, 1856. This set up the new Chickasaw government and its counties: Panola, Pickens, Pontotoc, and Tishomingo. On October 5, 1859, a law from the Chickasaw Senate officially set their boundaries.

The county government mainly handled legal matters. Voters chose a county judge and a sheriff, who served for two years. Constables, or deputies, helped the sheriff keep order. They were especially needed in Pickens County because it was a very large area.

Changes Before Statehood

A U.S. federal law called the Curtis Act of 1898 was passed to prepare the Five Civilized Tribes (including the Chickasaw) for Oklahoma becoming a state. After 1906, this law took away most of the Chickasaw government's important powers. Even though the Chickasaw rules were still technically in place, the U.S. federal government took over most of the control.

Geography of Pickens County

Pickens County was located in the southwestern part of the Chickasaw Nation. It was between the Washita River and the Red River of the South. The Washita River formed its eastern and northern borders. Its western border was the very edge of the Chickasaw Nation. Pickens County was unusually large and spread out.

What Cities Were in Pickens County?

Today, the land that was Pickens County includes cities like Ardmore, Duncan, Madill, Marietta, and Sulphur. It even stretched almost as far as Chickasha.

Some of the biggest streams that flowed through the county were Rush Creek, Wild Horse Creek, and Caddo Creek. The Arbuckle Mountains were also in the county. These mountains made it hard to travel and trade goods in the middle of the county.

Early Challenges and Forts

Because Pickens County was on the western edge of the lands of the Five Civilized Tribes, it faced threats from outside groups in its early years. Groups like the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache lived on reservations to the west. Their actions caused the U.S. Army to strengthen its defenses in the area.

In 1850, a spot on the Washita River was chosen for Fort Arbuckle. Later, after Fort Sill was built to the west in 1869, Fort Arbuckle was no longer important for defense and the Army left it in 1870.

Transportation and Trails

Even though Pickens County was large, it never had a well-planned system of roads. Instead, trails connected the different settlements. A stagecoach route ran through the county from east to west, connecting Fort Arbuckle with Fort Sill.

The famous Chisholm Trail also ran through the western part of Pickens County. It passed through settlements like Fleetwood, Duncan Store (now Duncan), and Parr. This trail was first used by Native American hunting groups. After 1867, cowboys driving cattle north used it, and their herds made the trail wider. Only one railroad, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad, went through the county, passing north-to-south through Ardmore and Marietta.

The Initial Point

An important geographic spot was set up in Pickens County in 1870. Surveyors from the General Land Office established Initial Point. This point was the starting place from which all land in Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory (and later the state of Oklahoma, except for its Panhandle) would be measured and described. This site was west of Davis, Indian Territory (now Davis, Oklahoma). It is considered one of the important "initial points" in the United States.

Oklahoma Statehood and Pickens County

As Oklahoma was getting ready to become a state, leaders gathered for the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention. They realized that the Chickasaw Nation's counties were not set up for a modern state. Three of the four Chickasaw counties were very large and spread out, probably because not many people lived there yet. For example, Pontotoc County stretched across the land in a long arc. Pickens County had similar challenges, reaching from the Chickasha area in the northwest to Madill in the southeast.

After Oklahoma became a state, many new settlers arrived from the United States. This allowed the region to be divided into smaller counties. But first, the old Chickasaw counties had to be officially ended.

Plans for New Counties

The people who planned for a proposed State of Sequoyah in 1905 also saw this problem. They suggested a county structure that would get rid of the Chickasaw counties. Pickens County was planned to be divided mainly into new counties like Bonaparte, Byrd, Curtis, Garvin, Gilbert, Guy, Harris, Jefferson, McLish, Overton, and Washington.

Many of these ideas were used two years later by the people who created Oklahoma's counties. They adopted some of these plans for the future counties of Carter, Garvin, Grady, Jefferson, Love, Marshall, Murray, and Stephens. Pickens County officially stopped existing when Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907.