Love County is a county on the southern border of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,423. Its county seat is Marietta. The county was created at statehood in 1907 and named for Overton Love, a prominent Chickasaw farmer, entrepreneur and politician.
For tourism purposes, the Oklahoma Department of Tourism includes Love County in ‘Chickasaw Country’. Love County is also part of the Texoma region.
| Name: | Love County |
|---|---|
| FIPS code: | 40-085 |
| State: | Oklahoma |
| Founded: | 1907 |
| Named for: | Overton Love, a judge of the Chickasaw Nation |
| Seat: | Marietta |
| Largest city: | Marietta |
| Total Area: | 532 sq mi (1,380 km²) |
| Land Area: | 514 sq mi (1,330 km²) |
| Total Population: | 9,423 |
| Population Density: | 18/sq mi (7/km²) |
| Time zone: | UTC−6 (Central) |
| Summer Time Zone (DST): | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Website: | love.okcounties.org |
Love County location map. Where is Love County?
History
The Louisiana Purchase, effected in 1803, included all of the present state of Oklahoma except the Panhandle. Explorers and traders began travelling extensively through the area, intending to find trade routes to Santa Fe. The Quapaw were the principal Native Americans living south of the Canadian River. The Quapaws ceded their land to the American government in 1818, and were replaced by the Choctaws in the early 1830s. The Chickasaws were assigned land in the middle of Choctaw territory during 1837–8.
Overton Love was one of the earliest Chickasaws who settled in present-day Love County. He was twenty years old when he arrived in Indian Territory from Mississippi in 1843. His settlement became known as Love’s Valley (about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of the present town of Marietta). He later became one of the largest Chickasaw landowners and cattle raisers in the area, working 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) of Red River Bottomland. Eventually, he became a member of both houses of the Chickasaw National Council, a county and district judge, and a member of the Dawes Commission.
Prior to statehood, the area now known as Love County was part of Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory. It had three incorporated towns: Marietta (the county seat, founded in 1887), Leon (established 1883) and Thackerville (established 1882). It also contained two unincorporated postal areas: Burneyville (post office established 1879) and Overbrook (post office established 1887). The settlement of Courtney at the mouth of Mud Creek was settled ca. 1872 by Henry D. Courtney.
Love County Road Map
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 532 square miles (1,380 km), of which 514 square miles (1,330 km) is land and 18 square miles (47 km) (3.5%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Oklahoma by land area.
Love County is within the Red River Plains physiographic region, with a rolling to hilly topography. The Red River and its tributaries Simon Creek, Walnut Bayou, Hickory Creek and Mud Creek drain the county. Lake Murray is on the northeastern border and Lake Texoma is on the southern border.
Adjacent counties
- Carter County (north)
- Marshall County (east)
- Cooke County, Texas (south)
- Montague County, Texas (southwest)
- Jefferson County (northwest)
Love County Topographic Map
Love County Satellite Map
Love County Outline Map
