Craig

Formed November 16, 1907 (37^th county)

Craig County (14,104), Vinita (5,193)

The red and white brick Modern structure, built in 2006, is located at West Delaware and South Scraper.  United States Highway 60 is two blocks east of the park-like setting for the courthouse.  BKL Incorporated provided the designs.  It replaced the 1921 courthouse in the county since the county was organized on November 16, 1907.  The courthouse features a working clock and an Annex.  Vinita has always been the county seat.  Craig County was named for Granville Craig, a prominent Cherokee Native American.  The county was taken from the Cherokee Nation as the 37^th county.  Vinita is named for sculptor Vinnie Ream. 

Craig County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Nine District Court Judges serve Craig, Mayes and Rogers counties and a court clerk serves Craig County (judicial.)  Craig County is in northeast Oklahoma on the border with Kansas.  The county center is 8.3 miles North of Vinita nearer Pyramid Corners.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Kansas and Ottawa, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, and Nowata counties. 

The area of the county is 761 square miles.  It is 43 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 48 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 18.5 persons per square mile making it 45 out of 77 in the state.  Craig County has 47.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 44 crosses the southeast part of the county from Ottawa County, east, to Mayes County, south.  United States Highway 59 crosses the extreme northeast corner from Ottawa County northward into Kansas.  United States Highway 60 comes in from Delaware County (east) and goes into Nowata County (west).  United States Highway 69 enters joined with United States Highway 60 from Delaware County, splits west of Vinita, and exits south into Mayes County.  The county is basically a tall rectangle with the southwest corner cut out.  Vinita is in the southeast part of the county.  Vinita is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 36.8% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced VI-NEE-TA.