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County: Dewey
General Profile | Demographics and Housing | Labor Force | Transportation | Education | Economy and Taxes | Development | Government
Part of the original Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation, Dewey County was designated by Treaty of 1867 and opened to settlement by the Land Run of April 19, 1892. The county was named for Admiral George Dewey. Taloga, an Indian word meaning "beautiful valley," is the county seat.
Divided from east to west by both the North and South Canadian rivers, the construction of bridges was important to the growth of the county and did not occur until later years. The development of transportation was slow and began with the construction of the Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railroad (later known as the KATY) in 1910. The KATY followed the old Western or Dodge Cattle Trail which cut through the county in the 1870s to the railhead at Dodge City. On the east side of Dewey County, the old Orient Railroad remains as the Burlington Ohio today.
Sparsely populated, the land is used for agriculture and cattle raising with some horse ranches and many oil and gas wells. People of note who have lived in Dewey County are former Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Pat Irwin, TV climatologist Gary England, and prohibitionist Carry Nation.
For additional information, contact the Dewey County Historical Society in Taloga or call the county clerk's office at 580/328-5361. County narrative provided courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (www.odl.state.ok.us) from the "2002-2004 Oklahoma Almanac."
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Contact Information
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Population Totals
