Hitchcock County, Sequoyah
Encyclopedia
Hitchcock County was a proposed political subdivision created by the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention. The convention, meeting in Muskogee, Indian Territory in 1905, established the political and administrative layout of a prospective U.S. state it called the State of Sequoyah
.
Sequoyah was an attempt by the Five Civilized Tribes
and others in the Indian Territory
—who did not wish to be incorporated into an American state—to establish full statehood for the territory. Although their attempt to achieve statehood was unsuccessful, many of their deliberations in establishing proposed counties proved useful to the framers of Oklahoma, who met just two years later for the purpose of establishing the State of Oklahoma.
The boundaries of modern-day Choctaw
, Pushmataha
and McCurtain
counties in Oklahoma are derived largely from the work of the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention.
Hitchcock County, with Hugo
as its county seat
, was proposed, in general, to take the place of Kiamitia County
(Kiamichi County), Choctaw Nation
, which would be abolished with the advent of Sequoyah statehood. The county was named in honor of Ethan Allen Hitchcock (1835-1909), the federal Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes, formerly the American minister (ambassador
) to the Russian Empire
.
Hitchcock County was created and sized appropriate to the economic heft of Hugo merchants, whose trade territory was to be included, more or less whole, in the new county. The usefulness of these arrangements did not escape the attention of Oklahoma’s framers, who in 1907 borrowed, largely intact, the concept and proposed boundaries of Hitchcock County for Choctaw County, Oklahoma
.
The recorded minutes of the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention’s committee on counties have been lost, so no additional information on the proposed Hitchcock County is available.
State of Sequoyah
The State of Sequoyah was the proposed name for a state to be established in the eastern part of present-day Oklahoma. In 1905, faced by proposals to end their tribal governments, Native Americans of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory proposed such a state as a means to retain some...
.
Sequoyah was an attempt by the Five Civilized Tribes
Five Civilized Tribes
The Five Civilized Tribes were the five Native American nations—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—that were considered civilized by Anglo-European settlers during the colonial and early federal period because they adopted many of the colonists' customs and had generally good...
and others in the Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
—who did not wish to be incorporated into an American state—to establish full statehood for the territory. Although their attempt to achieve statehood was unsuccessful, many of their deliberations in establishing proposed counties proved useful to the framers of Oklahoma, who met just two years later for the purpose of establishing the State of Oklahoma.
The boundaries of modern-day Choctaw
Choctaw County, Oklahoma
Choctaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 15,342. Its county seat is Hugo.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
, Pushmataha
Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
-Administrative History:* Ca. 1000-1500: Caddoan Mississippian civilization at Spiro Mounds* 1492-1718: Spain* 1718-1763: France* 1763-1800: Spain* 1800-1803: France* 1803–present: United States...
and McCurtain
McCurtain County, Oklahoma
McCurtain County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 33,151. Its county seat is Idabel.-Geography:...
counties in Oklahoma are derived largely from the work of the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention.
Hitchcock County, with Hugo
Hugo, Oklahoma
Hugo is a city in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, bordering Texas. Hugo is the county seat for Choctaw County and has a population of 5,395 as of 2009 estimates. The city serves as winter quarters for some circus performers...
as its county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
, was proposed, in general, to take the place of Kiamitia County
Kiamitia County
Kiamitia County, also known as Kiamichi County, was a political subdivision of the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory. The county formed part of the nation’s Pushmataha District, or Third District, one of three administrative super-regions....
(Kiamichi County), Choctaw Nation
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a semi-autonomous Native American homeland comprising twelve tribal districts. The Choctaw Nation maintains a special relationship with both the United States and Oklahoma governments...
, which would be abolished with the advent of Sequoyah statehood. The county was named in honor of Ethan Allen Hitchcock (1835-1909), the federal Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes, formerly the American minister (ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
) to the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
Hitchcock County was created and sized appropriate to the economic heft of Hugo merchants, whose trade territory was to be included, more or less whole, in the new county. The usefulness of these arrangements did not escape the attention of Oklahoma’s framers, who in 1907 borrowed, largely intact, the concept and proposed boundaries of Hitchcock County for Choctaw County, Oklahoma
Choctaw County, Oklahoma
Choctaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 15,342. Its county seat is Hugo.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
.
The recorded minutes of the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention’s committee on counties have been lost, so no additional information on the proposed Hitchcock County is available.