Washita

Formed May 2, 1890 (10^th county)

Washita County (10,922), Cordell (2,772)

Bright red stairs lead to the classic red brick Beaux Arts courthouse on the town square on East Main at Market Street.  United States Highway 183 passes one block to the east of the site.  It was built in 1910 from the design of Layton, Wemyss, Smith & Hawk.  This courthouse and one built in 1902 have been in Cordell.  Cloud Chief was the first county seat following the May 2, 1890 county organization and Cordell took over in 1900.  The county was an original county (10^th county) and called County H.  Washita County is named for the Washita River, which means “big hunt” in Choctaw.  Postal worker, Wayne W. Cordell, is the source for the county seat’s name.  Cordell can be shown as New Cordell as the no longer existing original Cordell was a few miles away.  Washita County is the birthplace of 1 Oklahoma Governor, David L. Walters. 

Washita County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Washita, Beckham, Custer, Ellis, and Roger Mills counties and a court clerk serves Washita County (judicial.)  The county is in western Oklahoma west of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and northwest of Lawton, Oklahoma.  The county center is 3 miles Northwest of Cordell.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Custer, Caddo, Kiowa, and Beckham counties. 

The area of the county is 1004 square miles.  It is 19 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 54 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 10.9 persons per square mile making it 57 out of 77 in the state.  Washita County has 68.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 crosses the northwest corner from Custer County, north, to Beckham County, west.  United States Highway 183 goes north to south from Custer County to Kiowa County.  The county is a rectangle with Cordell near the center.  Cordell (New Cordell) is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 25.4% of the county population.  The Washita River crosses north to south through the county.  The county is pronounced WA-SHI-TA.  The county seat is pronounced KOER-DEL.