Bryan County, Oklahoma

Bryan County
County
Bryan County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°58′N 96°15′W / 33.97°N 96.25°W / 33.97; -96.25
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
Founded	1907
Seat	Durant
Largest city	Durant
Area
• Total	944 sq mi (2,440 km2)
• Land	904 sq mi (2,340 km2)
• Water	39 sq mi (100 km2)  4.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	46,067
• Density	49/sq mi (19/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Bryan County is a county in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,067.^[1] Its county seat is Durant.^[2] It is the only county in the United States named for Democratic politician William Jennings Bryan.

Bryan County comprises the Durant, OK micropolitan statistical area, which is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth and the Texoma region, TX-OK combined statistical area. The city of Durant has the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Bryan County consists of 10 Townships: Albany, Bennington, Bokchito, Brown, Caddo, Calera, Colbert, Kemp, Matoy, and Speairs.^[3]

The area now known as Bryan County was occupied by the Choctaw tribe in 1831–2. After the tribe reestablished its government in the Indian Territory, it included much of the area within Blue County, a part of the Pushmataha District of the Choctaw Nation.^[4]

In 1845, the tribe opened Armstrong Academy for boys near the community of Bokchito. The academy served as Chahta Tamaha, the Choctaw capital, during the Civil War.

Bloomfield Academy, a school for Chickasaw girls, was opened in 1852, just south of the present town of Achille.^[5]

Prior to the Chickasaw removal to Indian Territory, the Chickasaw tribe bought part of the Choctaw allocation. The western quarter of today's Bryan County was made part of the Chickasaw District in 1837. When the two tribes formally separated into two distinct nations in 1855, the Chickasaw District became the Chickasaw Nation.^[5]

During the late 1850s, the Butterfield Overland Mail and Stage route followed the older Texas Road across the present county. General Albert Pike established Fort McCulloch for the Confederate Army near the present town of Kenefic on the Blue River. Although no Civil War battles occurred in the vicinity, the fort was garrisoned by more than a thousand Indian troops whose leaders were allied with the Confederates.^[5]

After the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway (Katy) built a north–south line through this area in 1872, several new towns were created. One such town was Colbert, which became the seat of Blue County and the largest town in the Choctaw Nation. The St. Louis, San Francisco and New Orleans Railroad, later bought by the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway (Frisco), built an east–west line in 1903.^[5]

Just prior to statehood, when all tribal governments were dissolved, Blue County was extinguished. Bryan County was officially established on November 16, 1907, and Durant was designated as the county seat.^[5]

The Bridge War, also called the Red River Bridge War or the Toll Bridge War, was a 1931 bloodless boundary conflict between the U.S. states of Oklahoma and Texas over an existing toll bridge and a new free bridge crossing the Red River between Grayson County, Texas and Bryan County, Oklahoma.

Bryan County is in southeastern Oklahoma, in a 10-county area designated as Choctaw Country for tourism purposes by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation.^[6] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 944 square miles (2,440 km²), of which 904 square miles (2,340 km²) is land and 39 square miles (100 km²) (4.2%) is water.^[7]

The county is in the Coastal Plains physiographic region, and is drained mostly by the Blue River. The Washita River originally drained much of the western part of the county, but now empties into Lake Texoma, which forms much of the southern boundary of the county.^[5] The county is a major part of the Texoma region.

• Atoka County (north)
• Choctaw County (east)
• Lamar County, Texas (southeast)
• Fannin County, Texas (south)
• Grayson County, Texas (southwest)
• Marshall County (west)
• Johnston County (northwest)

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	29,854		—
1920	40,700		36.3%
1930	32,277		−20.7%
1940	38,138		18.2%
1950	28,999		−24.0%
1960	24,252		−16.4%
1970	25,552		5.4%
1980	30,535		19.5%
1990	32,089		5.1%
2000	36,534		13.9%
2010	42,416		16.1%
2020	46,067		8.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010[12]

As of the census of 2000, there were 36,534 people, 14,422 households, and 9,936 families residing in the county.^[13] The population density was 40 people per square mile (15 people/km²). There were 16,715 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.02% White, 1.42% Black or African American, 12.16% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from other races, and 4.84% from two or more races; 2.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.4% were of American, 10.1% Irish, 8.1% German and 6.7% English ancestry. By 2020, its population grew to 46,067.^[1]

In 2000, there were 14,422 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.80% under the age of 18, 11.70% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

According to the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $27,888, and the median income for a family was $33,984. Males had a median income of $26,831 versus $20,087 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,217. About 14.00% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.40% of those under age 18 and 17.00% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of May 31, 2023[14]
Party		Number of Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	7,171	28.11%
	Republican	13,829	54.21%
	Others	4,508	17.67%
Total		25,508	100%

United States presidential election results for Bryan County, Oklahoma^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	13,999	78.59%	3,569	20.04%	244	1.37%
2020	12,344	77.27%	3,323	20.80%	309	1.93%
2016	10,478	75.83%	2,804	20.29%	536	3.88%
2012	9,520	72.12%	3,681	27.88%	0	0.00%
2008	9,307	67.77%	4,426	32.23%	0	0.00%
2004	8,615	59.99%	5,745	40.01%	0	0.00%
2000	6,084	51.80%	5,554	47.28%	108	0.92%
1996	3,943	34.79%	5,962	52.60%	1,430	12.62%
1992	3,452	25.63%	6,259	46.47%	3,757	27.90%
1988	4,615	40.13%	6,849	59.55%	37	0.32%
1984	6,246	53.07%	5,475	46.52%	48	0.41%
1980	3,980	37.61%	6,410	60.57%	192	1.81%
1976	2,848	27.67%	7,410	71.99%	35	0.34%
1972	5,397	61.91%	3,144	36.06%	177	2.03%
1968	2,727	33.24%	3,214	39.17%	2,264	27.59%
1964	2,652	30.89%	5,934	69.11%	0	0.00%
1960	3,845	46.48%	4,428	53.52%	0	0.00%
1956	2,939	33.91%	5,729	66.09%	0	0.00%
1952	3,340	33.14%	6,739	66.86%	0	0.00%
1948	1,366	14.99%	7,748	85.01%	0	0.00%
1944	1,677	18.90%	7,180	80.91%	17	0.19%
1940	2,190	19.36%	9,095	80.42%	25	0.22%
1936	1,362	14.35%	8,106	85.43%	20	0.21%
1932	825	9.70%	7,681	90.30%	0	0.00%
1928	3,014	43.37%	3,885	55.90%	51	0.73%
1924	1,780	25.17%	4,593	64.95%	699	9.88%
1920	3,127	38.83%	4,502	55.90%	424	5.27%
1916	1,267	25.30%	2,974	59.40%	766	15.30%
1912	711	18.49%	2,278	59.25%	856	22.26%

Agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, and distribution are bedrocks of the county's economy. Tourism attractions include Lake Texoma, Lake Durant, the Choctaw Casino Resort, Choctaw Casino Bingo and Fort Washita.

Major employers in the region include the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the headquarters of the J.C. Potter meat processing facility, Durant's Historic Central Business District and Retail District, a Cardinal Glass Industries manufacturing facility, AllianceHealth Durant,^[16] a Big Lots distribution center, the headquarters of First United Bank and First Texoma National Bank, Indian Nation Wholesale, and Wal-Mart.

• Durant (county seat)

The following sites in Bryan county are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bloomfield Academy Site, Achille vicinity Armstrong Academy Site, Bokchito vicinity Caddo Community Building, Caddo Colbert's Ferry Site, Colbert vicinity Durant Downtown Historic District, Durant Bryan County Courthouse, Durant Robert E. Lee School, Durant Oklahoma Presbyterian College, Durant

Robert Lee Williams Public Library, Durant J. L. Wilson Building, Durant Carriage Point (Fisher's Station), Durant Roberta School Campus, Durant State Highway No. 78 Bridge at the Red River, Karma vicinity Fort McCulloch, Kenefic vicinity Nail's Station, Kenefic vicinity Fort Washita, Nida vicinity

• Bryan County Heritage Association. The History of Bryan County Oklahoma. National ShareGraphics, 1983. 596.

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Bryan County
• Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory

33°58′N 96°15′W / 33.97°N 96.25°W / 33.97; -96.25