Noble County, Oklahoma

Noble County, Oklahoma
Noble County Courthouse
Location in the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location in the U.S.
Founded	1893
Seat	Perry
Largest city	Perry
Area
• Total	743 sq mi (1,924 km2)
• Land	732 sq mi (1,896 km2)
• Water	11 sq mi (28 km2), 1.4%
Population (est.)
• (2013)	11,446
• Density	16/sq mi (6/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.noblecountyok.com

Noble County is located in the north central part of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 11,561. Its county seat is Perry. It was part of the Cherokee Outlet in Indian Territory until Oklahoma Territory was created in 1890, and the present county land was designated as County P. After the U. S. government opened the area to non-Indian settlement in 1893, it was renamed Noble County for John Willock Noble, then the Secretary of the Interior.

Timothy McVeigh was arrested in Noble County in 1995 after the Oklahoma City bombing. The act killed 168 people. Subsequently, McVeigh was tried, convicted and executed for the crime. The arresting officer was later elected sheriff of Noble County.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the area now occupied by Noble County was used as a hunting ground by the Osage Indians. In 1835, a treaty with the Cherokees made it part of the so-called Cherokee Outlet. During the time of Cherokee ownership, white cattlemen who belonged to the Cherokee Strip Live Stock Association leased grazing land from the tribe. Later, reservations were created in the northeastern part of the county for the Otoe and Ponca tribes. These reservations existed until 1904, when the lands were allotted and added to Noble County.

The Cherokee Outlet became part of Oklahoma Territory at the time of the Oklahoma Organic Act, and was divided into counties. After the 1893 opening of the Cherokee Outlet for settlement by non-Indians, the land was divided into counties. One county, originally designated as County P, was renamed in honor of John W. Noble, interior secretary in 1893. The town of Perry was laid out in August 1893 as the county seat and land-office town

Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was arrested in Noble County April 19, 1995 heading north bound on Interstate 35. McVeigh was stopped for not having a car tag on his car. He was minutes from being released when the Noble County Sheriff's Department was notified to hold McVeigh. McVeigh was tried and convicted for the bombing attack that killed 168 persons and injured many more. He was executed in 2001. McVeigh's arresting officer, Charlie Hanger, was elected Noble County Sheriff in 2004.