Ottawa County

The extreme northeastern county of Oklahoma, bordering Kansas and Missouri, is named for the Ottawa Indians. But Ottawa comes from the Algonquian term adawe, meaning to “buy and sell.” This county has been the home to members of a greater number of Indian tribes than any other county in the United States. With 71 percent of the total land area in farms, as much as 60 percent of the county’s agricultural income is from livestock and dairy products, and the rest from such crops as wheat, corn, grain sorghums, soybeans and grass. The early existence of a vast lead and zinc field is evident from huge mountains of chat still present in the northern part of the county.

Northeastern Oklahoma A & M College is located at Miami, the county seat. Industries in the county include clothing, furniture, boat, metal and leather manufacturing, mushroom cultivation and concrete and block production.

For additional information, contact the Ottawa County Historical Society or call the county clerk's office at 918-542-3332. County narrative provided courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries from the 2002-2004 Oklahoma Almanac.

 
Population Totals
  2000 Census 2010 Census 
Ottawa 33,194 31,848
Median Age: 37.3 38.9
Median Household Income: $27,507 $35,483

Colleges and Universities
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College

County Government
County Seat- Miami
Court Clerk- Cassie Key, D, Miami
Clerk- Reba G. Sill, D, Miami
Sheriff- Terry Durburow, D, Miami
Treasurer- Beth Sly, D, Commerce
Assessor- Linda S. Kelly, D, Quapaw
Election Board Secretary- Verna Ferris, D, Miami

Commissioners:
District 1- John F. Clarke, D, Quapaw
District 2- Gary Wyrick, D, Wyandotte
District 3- Russell Earls, D, Fairland