In 1892, the Jerome Commission began enrolling the Kiowas, Comanches and Apaches to prepare for the opening of their reservation to settlement by whites. Dennis Flynn, the territorial representative to the U. S. Congress, proposed holding a lottery for opening the reservation. He argued successfully that the lottery would be safer and more orderly than land runs used earlier. Individuals could register at offices in Lawton or El Reno. 165,000 individuals registered for 13,000 160-acre claims. The drawing was held August 6, 1901. After the opening, the area was designated as Kiowa County in Oklahoma Territory. The town of Hobart, named for Vice President Garrett A. Hobart, was designated as county seat. By 1908, residents of the southern part of the county were already agitating for a new county to be formed. In 1910, Governor Charles N. Haskell proclaimed that parts of Kiowa and Comanche Counties would become the new Swanson County. The new county became defunct in 1911, after the Oklahoma Supreme Court voided the change.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county is largely composed of flatlands, although the southern border is covered by the Washita Mountains. The North Fork of the Red River serves as the southern and western boundaries of Jackson County. Water bodies include Altus-Lugert Lake on the and Tom Steed Reservoir on Otter Creek. Other streams in the county are the Washita River and Elk Creek.
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,227 people, 4,208 households, and 2,815 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile. There were 5,304 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 83.54% White, 4.67% Black or African American, 6.31% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.68% from other races, and 2.42% from two or more races. 6.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 4,208 households out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couplesliving together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.10% were non-families. 30.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.92. In the county, the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 20.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,053, and the median income for a family was $34,654. Males had a median income of $25,552 versus $19,497 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,231. About 15.00% of families and 19.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.30% of those under age 18 and 15.70% of those age 65 or over.
