Harmon County, Oklahoma
| Harmon County, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
Harmon County Courthouse in January 2015
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|
 Location in the U.S. state of Oklahoma |
|
 Oklahoma's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1909 |
| Seat | Hollis |
| Largest city | Hollis |
| Area | |
| • Total | 539 sq mi (1,396 km2) |
| • Land | 537 sq mi (1,391 km2) |
| • Water | 1.5 sq mi (4 km2), 0.3% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2013) | 2,869 |
| • Density | 5.4/sq mi (2/km²) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Harmon County is a county located in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,922, making it the second-least populous county in Oklahoma, behind only Cimarron County. It has lost population in every census since the first in 1910, except 1930. The county seat is Hollis.
Following an election on May 22, 1909, Harmon County was created by proclamation of Governor Lee Cruce on June 2. Carved from adjacent Greer County, the new county was named in honor of Judson Harmon, who was Governor of Ohio at the time. The area now covered by Harmon County had been a part of Texas until the U. S. Supreme Court awarded it to Oklahoma Territory in 1896.
Another election held September 1, 1909, confirmed Hollis as the county seat. There were two other contestants: the towns of Harmon and Rosser. County offices operated in rented space until a courthouse was built in Hollis in 1926. In 1930, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the boundary between Texas and Oklahoma was actually 3,800 feet (1,200 m) farther east than originally believed. It returned the disputed land to Texas, reducing the county's area to its present size.
A railroad built from Altus, Oklahoma to the Texas state line came to Hollis and Gould in 1910. The line was built by the Altus, Wichita Falls and Hollis Railway (later acquired by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 539 square miles (1,400 km2), of which 537 square miles (1,390 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.3%) is water. It lies in the Gypsum Hills physiographic region, and is drained by the Red River and its tributaries, the Salt and Elm forks of the Red River and Lebos and Turkey creeks.
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