Northwestern Oklahoma
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Cimarron River
.Northwestern Oklahoma is the geographical region of the state of
Oklahoma Panhandle and a majority of the Cherokee Outlet, stretching to an eastern extent along Interstate 35, and its southern extent along the Canadian River to Noble County. Northwest Oklahoma is also known by its Oklahoma Department of Tourism designation, Red Carpet Country,[1] which is named after the region's red soil and alludes to the metaphor that the panhandle is a "red carpet" into Oklahoma. The region consists of Cimarron, Texas, Beaver, Harper, Woods, Alfalfa, Grant, Kay, Ellis, Woodward, Major, Garfield, Noble, Dewey, Blaine, and Kingfisher
counties.
The area is anchored economically by Enid, which also contains the region's largest commercial airport. Other important cities include Guymon, Ponca City, Woodward, and Alva.
History
Northwestern Oklahoma became part of the
The Compromise of 1850 also established the eastern boundary of New Mexico Territory at the 103rd meridian, thus setting the western boundary of the strip. The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 set the southern border of Kansas Territory as the 37th parallel. This became the northern boundary of No Man's Land.[3]
In 1889, the
Organic Act in 1890 assigned No Man's Land to the new Oklahoma Territory. No Man's Land became Seventh County under the newly organized Oklahoma Territory, land was soon renamed Beaver County.[3] Northwestern Oklahoma took its current form when Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory joined the Union in 1907 as the single U.S. state of Oklahoma
.
Geography
Northwest Oklahoma ranges from dry and flat to an area with mountain ranges and
Cimarron River along Highway 412. Great Salt Plains Lake, one of the largest inland salt lakes in the United States, is located near Alva
.
References
- ^ "Counties & Regions". Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (Travel Promotion Division). Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ "Oklahoma Panhandle: Badmen in No Man's Land". Wild West magazine. 2006-06-12. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
- ^ a b c Turner, Kenneth R. "No Man's Land". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
