Murray County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,488. This is a 6.9 percent increase from 12,623 at the 2000 census. The county seat is Sulphur. The county was named for William H. Murray, a member and president of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention and later a Governor of Oklahoma.
| Name: | Murray County |
|---|---|
| FIPS code: | 40-099 |
| State: | Oklahoma |
| Founded: | 1907 |
| Seat: | Sulphur |
| Largest city: | Sulphur |
| Total Area: | 425 sq mi (1,100 km²) |
| Land Area: | 416 sq mi (1,080 km²) |
| Total Population: | 13,488 |
| Population Density: | 32/sq mi (12/km²) |
| Website: | www.visitmurraycountyok.com |
Murray County location map. Where is Murray County?
History
The area now occupied by Murray County was part of the land granted to the Choctaw Nation by the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1820. The Chickasaw received part of the land under the Treaty of Doaksville in 1838. The area became part of the Chickasaw Nation in 1855. There was an extended conflict before the U.S. Civil War between the Plains Indians and the newly arrived Choctaws and Chickasaws. The U.S. Army built Fort Towson (1824); Fort Washita (1842) and Fort Arbuckle (1851) to protect the Chickasaws. After the conflict between the tribes was settled, various bands of outlaws moved in and continued to create law enforcement problems.
Sulphur began developing in the 1880s around the springs for which it was named. The springs encouraged the building of bathhouses and spas. Several were established by the time that a post office was established in 1898. The Sulphur Springs Railway (acquired by the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway in 1907) arrived there in 1902, and the 1904 establishment of Platt National Park, with headquarters at Sulphur, spurred the expansion of services for health-seekers. Other visitors were drawn to the park and to nearby Turner Falls, making Sulphur one of the state’s earliest recreational centers.
Until statehood, the area of the present-day county was a part of Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation. Murray County was created when the Chickasaw Nation was disestablished immediately before Oklahoma statehood. Sulphur was declared as the county seat.
Murray County Road Map
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 425 square miles (1,100 km), of which 416 square miles (1,080 km) is land and 8.6 square miles (22 km) (2.0%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Oklahoma by land area and second-smallest by total area. The county’s northern section lies in the Sandstone Hills physiographic region and is suitable for farming, while the southern portion is in the Arbuckle Mountains region, which is dominated by rolling hills and rock outcrops. The Washita River drains the county. Chickasaw National Recreation Area (CNRA) lies in the county. Lake of the Arbuckles, part of CNRA, was completed on Rock Creek in 1966.
Major highways
- Interstate 35
- U.S. Highway 77
- U.S. Highway 177
- Chickasaw Turnpike
- State Highway 1
- State Highway 7
- State Highway 110
Protected areas
- Turner Falls State Park
- Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Adjacent counties
- Pontotoc County (northeast)
- Johnston County (southeast)
- Carter County (southwest)
- Garvin County (northwest)
Murray County Topographic Map
Murray County Satellite Map
Murray County Outline Map
