Day County, Oklahoma Territory
Day County was one of the original counties of Oklahoma Territory. Day County was in the western part of the territory, along the Texas border. When it was originally established, it was known as E County (several Oklahoma counties carried only letter designations at the time). It was named for Charles Day, the contractor who built the first courthouse in the county. Day County's seat was Grand, Oklahoma, along the banks of the Canadian River, which ran down the middle of the county.[1]
The first county seat was the now-defunct town of Ioland, Oklahoma.[lower-alpha 1] The county commissioners voted to move the seat to Grand, which was closer to the middle of the county, in November, 1893. A courthouse was built there in December, 1893, but burned in 1896, destroying all records. The 1900 U.S. census recorded 2,173 inhabitants in the county.[1]
When Oklahoma was granted statehood in 1907, several county lines were redrawn. Among the changes were Day County being split along the Canadian River. The section of the county north of the river became part of Ellis County, while the area south of the river is now northern Roger Mills County. Also, a narrow strip of land in the northeast of the old county now falls within the boundaries of Woodward County.[1]
Grand, now a defunct town, served as county seat of Roger Mills County until a 1908 election moved that function to the town of Arnett. Grand's townsite is 14 miles (23 km) south of Arnett.[1] Most of the inhabitants moved away by 1914. No remains are visible at the townsite.[3]
Present-day towns formerly part of Day County
Notes
External links
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Day County
- http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v028/v028p399.pdf C. A. Squire, "Old Grand, GhostTown," Chronicles of Oklahoma. Accessed July 2, 2015.
- http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v013/v013p219.html "Old Day County Oklahoma Territory." Chronicles of Oklahoma. Vol. 13, No. 2, 1935. Accessed July 2, 2015.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Everett, Dianna. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. "Day County." Retrieved September 20, 2013.
- ↑ "Ioland (historical) in Ellis County, Oklahoma" OK Hometown Locator Accessed July 2, 2015.
- ↑ C. A. Squire, "Old Grand, GhostTown," Chronicles of Oklahoma." Accessed July 2, 2015.
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