Okfuskee

Formed November 16, 1907 (60^th county)

Okfuskee County (11,314), Okemah (3,076)

The masonry Classical Revival courthouse of Okfuskee County was built in 1926.  It is the only courthouse for the county and Okemah has been the only county seat.  The county is an original one formed on November 16, 1907 as the 60^th county.  Okfuskee County was formed from the Creek Nation.  The structure is located at Third and Atlanta, one block north of Oklahoma State Highway 56 and three blocks west of United States Highway 62.  Layton, Hicks, and Forsyth are the building designers.  A Creek town in Alabama provided the source of the county’s name.  Okemah is named for Creek Chief, Okemah meaning “Big Chief.” 

Okfuskee County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Eleven District Court Judges serve Okfuskee, Creek, and Okmulgee counties and a court clerk serves Okfuskee County (judicial.)  The county is east of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and southwest of Tulsa, Oklahoma in the central part of the state.  The county center is .8 miles Northeast of Okemah.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Creek, Okmulgee, McIntosh, Hughes, Seminole, Pottawatomie, and Lincoln counties. 

The area of the county is 625 square miles.  It is 61 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 52 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 18.1 persons per square mile making it 47 out of 77 in the state.  Okfuskee County has 51.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 enters from the east, Okmulgee County, and exits to the west, Seminole County.  United States Highway 62 comes in joined with Interstate Highway 40 from Okmulgee County, splits at Okemah, and goes west into Lincoln County.  United States Highway 75 also enters joined with Interstate Highway 40 and United States Highway 62 from Okmulgee County, splits, and heads south into Hughes County.  The county shape is a lightning bolt pointing northwest-southeast.  The Deep Fork of the Canadian River crosses the northern part of the county.  The North Canadian River crosses the southern part.  Okemah is in the south center of the county.  Okemah is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 27.2% of the county population.  The county is pronounced OEK-FUES-KEE.  The county seat is pronounced OE-KEE-MA.