Greer County, Oklahoma

After a dispute over the 1819 Adams-Onís Treaty and the related 1828 Treaty of Limits, the governments of both the United States and the state of Texas claimed ownership of some in what was then operated as Greer County, Texas. The county was named for former Texas lieutenant governor, John A. Greer. Litigation followed, and in the case of United States v. State of Texas , with a ruling issued on March 16, the Supreme Court, having original jurisdiction over the case, decided in favor of the United States. The county was assigned to the Oklahoma Territory on May 4, 1896. When Oklahoma was admitted as a state, Greer County was established according to its current boundaries; the remaining former county area was organized as Harmon, Jackson, and part of Beckham counties. The town of Mangum, designated as the county seat in 1886 when it was part of Texas, continued as the seat of Greer County, Oklahoma. Originally developed for agriculture, the rural county had its peak of population in 1930. Mechanization of agriculture reduced the need for farm labor, and the population has declined as people migrated to cities for work. Among the county attractions is Quartz Mountain State Park (known from 2002 to 2020 as Quartz Mountain Nature Park), near the community of Lone Wolf. ==Geography==

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. Western Greer County lies in the Gypsum Hills, while the eastern one-third is in the Red Bed Plains physiographic region. The county is drained by the North Fork Red River, Elm Fork Red River, and Salt Fork Red River. Major highways • U.S. Highway 283 • State Highway 6 • State Highway 9 • State Highway 34 • State Highway 44 Adjacent counties • Beckham County (north) • Kiowa County (east) • Jackson County (south) • Harmon County (west) ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 5,491. Of the residents, 20.9% were under the age of 18 and 18.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 40.8 years. For every 100 females there were 124.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 134.3 males. The racial makeup of the county was 77.9% White, 6.6% Black or African American, 3.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, 3.6% from some other race, and 8.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 12.1% of the population. of 2000, there were 6,061 people, 2,237 households, and 1,442 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 2,788 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 81.46% White, 8.78% Black or African American, 2.47% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.99% from other races, and 3.02% from two or more races. 7.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 2,237 households, out of which 25.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.50% were non-families. 33.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.87. In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.00% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 20.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 123.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 129.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,793, and the median income for a family was $30,702. Males had a median income of $24,318 versus $18,641 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,053. About 15.00% of families and 19.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.40% of those under age 18 and 14.80% of those age 65 or over. ==Politics==

The county's economy has been based on farming and raising livestock. In 1907, the main crops were cotton, corn, oats, wheat and alfalfa. Livestock raised includes cattle, horses, mules, swine, sheep and goats. The Oklahoma State Reformatory is located in Granite in the county and provides some jobs. ==Communities==

Cities • Mangum (county seat) Towns • Granite • Willow Unincorporated communities • Brinkman • Reed ==Education==

School districts include: • Blair Public Schools • Duke Public Schools • Erick Public Schools • Granite Public Schools • Hollis Public Schools • Lone Wolf Public Schools • Mangum Public Schools • Merritt Public Schools • Navajo Public Schools • Sayre Public Schools ==Notable people==

• Edward Everett Dale (1879–1972), historian; professor at the University of Oklahoma • William T. Ponder (1891–1947), World War I flying ace • Victor E. Wickersham (1906–1988), U.S. politician; member of the U.S. House of Representatives ==See also==