Le Flore

Formed November 16, 1907 (49^th county)

Le Flore County (48,131), Poteau (8,803)                

The Classical Revival courthouse, built in 1926, stands out along United States Highways 59/271.  Although the county was formed on November 16, 1907, this is the only permanent courthouse in the county thus Poteau has been the only county seat.  Le Flore County was carved from the Choctaw Nation as the 49^th county.  The building sits on United States Highway 59 (Broadway) at Beard Avenue.  T. E. Bassham and Carnell Wheeler were the architects.  The building was enlarged in 2006.  Le Flore County is named for a Native American family of French descent.  Poteau derives its name from the Poteau River, which is French for “post.” 

Le Flore County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Five District Court Judges serve Le Flore, Haskell, and Latimer counties.  The county is situated in far eastern Oklahoma on the border with Arkansas.  Fort Smith, Arkansas is to the northeast.  The county center is 17.6 miles South of Poteau nearer Heavener.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Sequoyah County and Arkansas and McCurtain, Pushmataha, Latimer, and Haskell counties. 

The area of the county is 1586 square miles.  It is 6 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 16 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 30.3 persons per square mile making it 37 out of 77 in the state.  Le Flore County has 56.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 59 comes from the north, Sequoyah County, and goes into Arkansas.  United States Highway 259 begins in the county and exits south into McCurtain County.  United States Highway 270 enters from Arkansas, east, and exits into Latimer County, west.  United States Highway 271 passes from Arkansas on the northeast into Pushmataha County on the southwest.  The county is tall and narrow with a jagged western border.  The Arkansas River forms the northern border.  Poteau is in the northern half of the county.  Poteau is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 18.3% of the county population.  The county is pronounced LE FLUER.  The county seat is pronounced POT-OE.  This county is in the Fort Smith Metropolitan Statistical Area.