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43-567: Counties within (or partially within) its circulation area include Alfalfa , Blaine , Garfield , Grant , Kingfisher , Logan , Major , Noble , Woods , and Woodward . The Enid area is also home to Vance Air Force Base ; the News & Eagle also produces the base's weekly newspaper . The Enid Eagle began publication on September 22, 1893. The paper was first published as the Enid Weekly Eagle by C.E. Hunter from 1893 to 1899. It

86-423: A Boy Scout digging for crystals uncovered a collection of 7.5-inch vials containing chemical agents such as mustard gas , lewisite , chloropicrin , and phosgene . The vials were part of World War II -era military chemical agent identification sets. The burial of vials was standard procedure for removing them from service at that time. No record of a disposal site was reported at the salt plains. Crystal digging

129-490: A competing newspaper at the time, the Tribune-Democrat . Isenberg then published articles denigrating Patterson. On June 26, 1895, a fight broke out between the two. E. C. Williams, City Marshal of Enid, attempted to break up the fight. Ultimately, Williams and Patterson shot each other. Isenberg fled to Kingfisher, and after a brief return to Enid, eventually moved to California. The paper continued to be published as

172-447: Is 2.5 miles (4 km) long and ends at Highway 11. The dirt road passes by ponds and fields where crops for wildlife are cultivated. White-tailed deer and other wildlife are common. A trail of 0.25 miles (400 m) leads to Casey Marsh Tower, where waterfowl are abundant and bald eagles can be seen in fall and winter. Hiking : The Sandpiper Trail begins near the nature center and refuge office and leads 0.35 miles (600 m) to

215-501: Is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma . As of the 2020 census , the population was 5,699. The county seat is Cherokee . Alfalfa County was formed at statehood in 1907 from Woods County . The county is named after both the alfalfa crops grown there and William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray , the president of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention and ninth governor of Oklahoma . He

258-488: Is also a major producer of crude oil, with total output of 3,395,396 barrels in 2012, which was fifth among Oklahoma counties. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 881 square miles (2,280 km ), of which 866 square miles (2,240 km ) is land and 15 square miles (39 km ) (1.7%) is water. The Great Salt Plains Lake , as well as the associated Great Salt Plains State Park and Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge lie within

301-555: Is an important rookery in the Great Salt Plains Lake. The island was originally 25 acres (100,000 m ), but has eroded to about 6 acres (20,000 m ). It hosts more than 30,000 birds during breeding season. Over 30 species nest in the colony , including the white-faced ibis , great blue herons , and most notably, the tricolored heron . According to Historian Louis F. Burns, the Osage Indians used

344-725: Is part of the United States system of national wildlife refuges . It is located in Alfalfa County in northern Oklahoma , north of Jet (pop. 230), along Great Salt Plains Lake , which is formed by a dam on the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River . The refuge was established March 26, 1930, by executive order of President Herbert Hoover , and contains 32,080 acres (130 km ) of protected land as habitat to about 312 species of birds and 30 species of mammals. It

387-484: Is permitted only for children under 14 and mobility-handicapped persons and is catch-and-release. Salt Plains Lake is noted for large channel and other catfish. Other game fish include striped bass , largemouth bass , crappie , white bass , panfish, and walleye . State laws apply for bag limits and seasons, and the use of boats in the river and creeks is prohibited. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of

430-619: The Enid Morning News from 1908 to 1916, the Enid Daily News from 1916 to 1923. In February 1923, the papers were combined to form the Enid Publishing Company. Former Enid Mayor and Oklahoma Congressman Milton C. Garber served as editor and president. William M. Taylor, vice president and business manager, owned the paper along with Will and Edmund Frantz. The Taylor and Garber families were crucial to

473-539: The Enid Morning News ) began on December 11, 1893, under the management of editor J.L. Isenberg. Isenberg had a reputation for being an opinionated Democrat and his paper reflected his opinions. This ultimately led to a showdown between Isenberg and R. W. Patterson, Registrar of the United States Land Office. Isenberg had expected preferential treatment concerning the purchases of advertisements, as they were both Democrats, but Patterson instead favored

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516-495: The Great Salt Plains in present-day Alfalfa County. The Osage stopped at the springs, which attracted migratory birds and varieties of wildlife, for its healing properties on their way to hunting on the plains. The Osage name for this fork of the Arkansas River was Nescatunga (big salt water), what European-Americans later called the Salt Fork . The Osage cleared the trail of brush and large rocks, and made ramps at

559-422: The 2,022 households, 23.4 percent included children under the age of 18 and slightly more than half (56.3%) included married couples living together. Non-family households accounted for 34.1% of households. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.81. The median income for a household in the county was $ 42,730, and the median income for a family was $ 56,444. The per capita income for

602-807: The Austro-Hungary Empire. At the turn of the twenty-first century, nearly 17 percent of county residents claimed German ancestry on the census. One Mennonite church (in Goltry) remained as of 2006 . Early railroad construction, from the Choctaw Northern line (1901), the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient (1901), the Arkansas Valley and Western (1904), and the Denver, Enid and Gulf Railroad Company (1904), contributed greatly to

645-809: The Cherokee Nation with ownership of the Cherokee Outlet but declared that the saline areas were to be accessible to use by other tribes. In drafting the treaty the United States Government withheld the Salt Plains area with the provision that, "The right is reserved to the United States to allow other tribes of red men to get salt on the Great Salt Plains in common with the Cherokee Tribe." In 2007,

688-652: The Cherokee. Prominent rancher, Major Andrew Drumm operated the "U Ranch" here as early as 1870. Its headquarters were southeast of Driftwood on the Medicine Lodge and Salt Fork rivers. Woods County was created in September 1893 at the same time as the opening of the Cherokee Outlet with the Cherokee Strip Land Run . As population increased and Cherokee land titles were extinguished,

731-638: The Osages performed a feat no other American Indians duplicated," writes Burns. "They stopped the west-ward expansion of the Euro-American peoples and simultaneously tripled the size of their own domain." George Champlin Sibley was appointed head trader at the Indian Factory at Fort Osage, Missouri, when it opened in 1808. While at Fort Osage, Sibley quickly engaged in creating relationships with

774-638: The county was $ 24,080. About 7 percent of families and 11 percent of the population were below the poverty line , including 7.4 percent of those age 65 or over. Of 3,142 counties in the United States in 2014, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation ranked Alfalfa County 840 in the average life expectancy at birth of male residents and 1,999 in the average life expectancy of female residents. Males in Alfalfa County lived an average of 77.2 years and females lived an average of 79.6 years compared to

817-593: The county's early prosperity and caused many small towns to flourish. They would compete as wheat-shipping points and agribusiness centers for many years thereafter. However, by 2000 only one rail line, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe , served the county. Petroleum exploration and production has been a contributor to Alfalfa County's economy since the time of statehood. Agricultural pursuits, including wheat farming and livestock raising, were major contributors to Alfalfa County's economy during

860-440: The county's winter wheat production at 5,957,000 bushels for 2015. The USDA also listed the county as the state's seventh-largest producer of sorghum in 2015, at 702,000 bushels. Alfalfa County remains a major producer of petroleum and natural gas . In 2012, it was second (surpassed only by neighboring Woods County) in production of natural gas for Oklahoma counties, with an output of 419,606,514 Mcf (thousand cubic feet). It

903-552: The county, approximately 12 miles east of Cherokee. The major waterways in the county are the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River and the Medicine Lodge River . It is part of the Red Bed plains. As of the 2010 census , Alfalfa County had a population of 5,642 people, down from 6,105 people in 2000. Most of the population (89.1%) self-identified as white . Black or African American individuals made up 4.7% of

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946-428: The edge of the salt flats and a birding observation platform. The Eagle Roost Nature Trail is a 1.25-mile (2.0 km) loop also beginning near the nature center. The trail goes through wooded and open areas, beneath towering cottonwood trees , past marshes and ponds, and to a shore and waterfowl watching area on Sand Creek Bay. Selenite crystals : A designated area of the 11,000 acres (45 km ) of salt flats at

989-714: The fords. Wide enough for eight men riding horses abreast, the trail was the first improved road in Kansas and Oklahoma. The treaties of 1828 and 1835 placed what would later become Alfalfa County within the Cherokee Outlet , which was owned by the Cherokee Nation . Ranching became the primary economic activity from 1870 to 1890; cattle companies that belonged to the Cherokee Strip Live Stock Association leased grazing land from

1032-438: The honor were Carmen , Ingersoll , and Jet . Alfalfa County's population was primarily of European-American ancestry. European immigrants and their children were numerous in the early 1900s. Germans from Russia (ethnic Germans who immigrated to American from Russia), many of whom were Mennonites , settled near Ingersoll , Driftwood , Cherokee, and Goltry . Early censuses also reveal a considerable number of Bohemians from

1075-543: The legislature authorized the creation of Alfalfa County in 1907, as part of statehood. The county was named after William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray , who served as the president of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention and would later be elected as the ninth governor of Oklahoma . He promoted creation of this county. The city of Cherokee was designated as the county seat after being chosen by voters in an election held in January 1909. Other towns receiving votes for

1118-541: The national average for life expectancy of 76.7 for males and 81.5 for females. In 2014, Alfalfa Country was one of only two counties in Oklahoma (the other being Logan County ) in which males had a longer life expectancy than the national average. However, women had a shorter life expectancy than the national average. In the 1980-2014 period, the average life expectancy in Alfalfa County for females increased by 1.1 years while male longevity increased by 3.5 years compared to

1161-735: The national average for the same period of an increased life expectancy of 4.0 years for women and 6.7 years for men. In 2020, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranked Alfalfa country as first among 77 counties in Oklahoma in "health outcomes," as measured by length and quality of life. The following sites in Alfalfa County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places : 36°44′N 98°19′W  /  36.73°N 98.32°W  / 36.73; -98.32 Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge The Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge

1204-619: The neighboring Osage tribes . In May 1811 Sibley's expedition left Fort Osage to examine the hunting grounds of the Osage. In 1811 his expedition was said to be the first white men to visit the plains. Sibley's expedition, leaving from Fort Osage, Missouri was guided by an Osage Indian named Sans Orielle. Sibley named the area the Grand Saline. Sibley cut short his expedition when informed by reports that bands of Comanche were nearby. Sibley returned to Fort Osage on July 11, 1811 and reported that

1247-415: The population and Native Americans made up 2.9% of the population. Less than 1% of the population was Asian . The median age of the population was 46 years and 18% of the county's population was under the age of 18. Individuals 65 years of age or older accounted for 20.2% of the population. There were a total of 2,022 households and 1,333 families in the county in 2010. There were 2,763 housing units. Of

1290-499: The publishing company's operation for three generations with the involvement of John W. Taylor, Steve Taylor, Milton Garber, Jr., and Todd Garber. The Thomson Corporation acquired the News & Eagle in 1988, and sold it to Hollinger International in 1996. Hollinger sold off most of its small papers in 1999, the Enid News & Eagle went to Community Newspaper Holdings . Alfalfa County, Oklahoma Alfalfa County

1333-423: The refuge has gypsum concentrations high enough to grow selenite , a crystalline form of gypsum. The selenite crystals found there have an hourglass-shaped sand inclusion that is not known to occur in selenite crystals found elsewhere in the world. Digging for crystals is allowed, but only from April 1 through October 15 to protect this vital Whooping Crane habitat. Hunting : About 1,250 acres (5 km ) of

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1376-608: The refuge is home to endangered least terns , threatened snowy plovers , threatened bald eagles , and peregrine falcons . Large populations of American white pelicans migrate through between August and September, staying on the Great Salt Plains Reservoir. Great Salt Plains is one of the most important habitats for shorebirds in the Western Hemisphere. Ralstin Island (closed to the public)

1419-450: The refuge north of Highway 11 are open for hunting. State laws apply, except deer may be hunted by permit only. Hunting is permitted for pheasant , northern bobwhite quail, mourning dove , ducks , geese , and sandhill cranes . Fishing : According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the extreme drought of 2011 and 2012 has almost ended fishing as a recreational activity at the refuge. These conditions caused very large fish kills in

1462-447: The refuge. Management tools used to enhance the habitat for wildlife include farming, grazing, prescribed burns, construction of ponds, and wetland draining and flooding. The refuge was created to be a resting and breeding ground for migratory waterfowl especially during fall and spring. The entire refuge is designated as critical habitat for the endangered whooping crane , which is mostly seen during fall migration. In addition,

1505-560: The reservoir and restocking has been suspended. Fishing downstream of the dam is still permitted, but is greatly affected by local precipitation and the flow of the Great Salt River. Information that follows indicate the practices in force prior to the 2011 drought, and may no longer apply: Fishing is permitted from April 1 to October 15 on most of the refuge. Closed areas are marked by buoys or signs. Fishing in Bonham Pond

1548-497: The salt deposits would eventually prove commercially profitable. The Great Salt Plains have been the scene of many Indian Councils, both of war and peace. Because animals flocked to the area for the salt, the Great Salt Plains made for excellent hunting and it became obvious that any tribe that controlled the Salt Plains would have to contend with intrusions by other tribes. Therefore the Treaty of New Echota signed in 1835, provided

1591-406: The salt found in the Great Salt Plains to bleach deer-skins and the Great Salt Plains gave the Osages a surplus of salt to trade with other tribes. According to Burns, the Osage were firmly in control of the Great Salt Plains by 1760 and because of a favorable combination of geographical factors, the Osages became the dominant force in mid—America. "In a one hundred twenty-five year period, 1678-1803,

1634-744: The twentieth century. Small-scale agriculture in its early years supported dozens of towns and dispersed rural communities, many of which no longer exist as a result of transportation and economic changes. After construction of railroads, those towns bypassed by rail service, such as Carroll, Carwile, Keith, and Timberlake, did not prosper for long. Restructuring of the railroad industry in the late 20th century resulted in abandonment of other lines, and towns such as Ingersoll and Driftwood, for example, had declining populations that made it difficult to sustain educational and city services. Ingersoll (founded 1901) peaked in 1910 with 253 inhabitants and Driftwood (founded 1898) in 1930 with 71. By 1980, neither of these towns

1677-671: Was designated a national natural landmark in June 1983. The Salt Plains were a favorite hunting ground for American Indians . Bison and other game came to the area to eat the salt and the heavily wooded and well-watered area along the Salt Fork River was like an oasis in the surrounding grassland of the Great Plains . Salt Plains refuge is divided into almost equal areas of nonvegetated salt flat , open water, and vegetated land. Marshes , woods, grasslands , and croplands dot

1720-574: Was followed by the Sun Eagle by W.I. Drummond from 1899 to 1900. From 1900 to 1905, the Enid Eagle was published weekly by Eagle Publishing Company. The Enid Daily Eagle was a weekday-only newspaper by Enid Publishing Company from September 1901 – 1989, with a Saturday edition entitled the Enid News and Eagle , Dec. 12, 1987-Feb. 25, 1989. Its current incarnation has been called the Enid News & Eagle since 1989. The Enid Daily Wave (later

1763-565: Was instrumental creating the county from the original, much larger Woods County. Indigenous peoples inhabited and hunted in this area for thousands of years. By 1750, the Osage had become a dominant tribe in the area. About one third belonged to the band led by Chief Black Dog ( Manka - Chonka ). Before 1800 they made the Black Dog Trail starting east of Baxter Springs, Kansas and heading southwest to their summer hunting grounds at

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1806-404: Was still incorporated. Aline , Amorita , Burlington , Byron , Carmen, Cherokee, Goltry, Helena , Jet, and Lambert remained incorporated as of 2000. The largely rural economy is based on agricultural and energy production. Agriculture has altered to be based in industrial-scale farms and production. The county is the second-largest producer of winter wheat in Oklahoma. The USDA estimated

1849-412: Was suspended from April 2007 until April 2009, while the risk of allowing digging again was evaluated; 171 vials and at least a dozen incendiary devices were removed from the location. The salt plains were also used as a bombing and strafing range during World War II. Remnants of this use are still left on the plains. Driving tour : The Harold F. Miller Auto Tour begins near the nature center. It

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