Sequoyah

Formed November 16, 1907 (69^th county)

Sequoyah County (39,280), Sallisaw (8,515)

The 1913 pink brick Classical Revival courthouse is located two blocks south of United States Highway 59 at East Chickasaw and South Oak streets.  United States Highway 64, heading west after its intersection with United States Highway 59, is two blocks north of the location.  The building’s designers were Joe I. Davis and Willard R. Stone.  The 1913 courthouse was remodeled in 1961 and has been the only courthouse since the formation of Sequoyah County on November 16, 1907 thus Sallisaw is the only county seat.  The county was the 69^th county.  The county was originally part of Arkansas and then part of the Cherokee Nation.  The county was named for the famous Cherokee linguist Sequoyah.  Sallisaw is French for “salt meat” and is the name of a local creek. 

Sequoyah County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Five District Court Judges serve Sequoyah, Adair, Cherokee, Muskogee, and Wagoner counties.  The county is in far east Oklahoma on the border with Arkansas.  The county center is 4 miles North-Northeast of Sallisaw.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Adair County and Arkansas and Le Flore, Haskell, Muskogee, and Cherokee counties. 

The area of the county is 674 square miles.  It is 55 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 26 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 58.3 persons per square mile making it 19 out of 77 in the state.  Sequoyah County has 45.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 crosses the county east to west from Arkansas to Muskogee County.  United States Highway 59 goes north to south, Adair County to Le Flore County.  United States Highway 64 parallels Interstate Highway 40 from Arkansas to Muskogee County.  An upside down bowl of popcorn best describes the shape for the county.  The Arkansas River is the southern border.  Sallisaw is located near the county center.  Sallisaw is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 21.7% of the county population.  The county is pronounced SE-KWO-YA.  The county seat is pronounced SAL-LI-SA.  This county is in the Fort Smith Metropolitan Statistical Area.