Red River County, Choctaw Nation facts for kids

Red River County was an important area within the Choctaw Nation in a place called Indian Territory. This was before Oklahoma became a state. It was part of a larger area known as the Apukshunnubbee District, which was one of three main administrative regions for the Choctaw people.

History of Red River County

The county's name, Red River County, came directly from its Choctaw name, "Bok Homma Kaunti." In the Choctaw language, bok means "river" and homma means "red." This is a special case where the English name is a direct translation of the Choctaw name.

Red River County was one of the first 19 counties created by the Choctaw Nation's General Council in 1850.

County Borders and Neighbors

Like all Choctaw Nation counties, Red River County's borders were set using easy-to-spot natural landmarks. The Red River formed its southern border. The Little River was its northern border. To the east was Arkansas. Its western border was a line connecting the Little River and the Red River, separating it from Towson County.

Three other counties shared a border with Red River County. These were Bok Tuklo and Eagle County to the north, and Towson County to the west.

Life in Red River County

Red River County was known for its very rich and fertile land. Before the American Civil War, many cotton plantations were located there. After the war, smaller farms were common for many years. The area was never very crowded. Today, much of it is part of the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area, which protects nature.

When Oklahoma became a state, the only town in Red River County was Idabel. Other important settlements included America, Cerrogordo, Garvin, Goodwater, Harrington, Harris, Janis, and Shawneetown.

The county also served as a place for people to vote for members of the National Council. It was also a unit for local government. Important elected officials included the county judge, sheriff, and a ranger. These officials served for two years. The judge oversaw how the county was run. The sheriff collected taxes, watched for people illegally entering the area, and counted the population. The county ranger was in charge of selling lost or stray farm animals.

Oklahoma Statehood and Red River County

As Oklahoma was preparing to become a state, leaders met at the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention. They realized that the Choctaw Nation's counties, though well-planned, might not work well as new state subdivisions. For most Choctaw counties, the county seat was mainly for court and not a big town.

While Red River County was different because of its busy town of Idabel, it still had to be changed. This was needed to fit the new plans for the larger Oklahoma region.

The State of Sequoyah Plan

Leaders who met in 1905 to propose the State of Sequoyah also saw this problem. They wanted to create a new state from Indian Territory. The Sequoyah Constitutional Convention also suggested a new county system that would get rid of the old Choctaw counties. In their plan, Red River County would have become part of a proposed McCurtain County.

Two years later, when Oklahoma's state founders created the new state, they used many ideas from the Sequoyah proposal. They adopted a very similar plan for what would become McCurtain County in Oklahoma. All the land that used to be Red River County, Choctaw Nation, is now part of McCurtain County.

Red River County officially stopped existing when Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907.