I understand there were seven original counties when Oklahoma was organized. Beaver county (actually all the panhandle) was one of them. I also think each was assigned a number or letter. Can someone tell me what the letter designation, if there was one, for Beaver County was?

Roger

Check page 257 of athe Story of Oklahoma by Ms Muriel H. Wright - when you see that little short and fat woman tell her I said hi.

The Oklahoma Panhandle was originally known as “No Man’s Land” because it was not a part of any state or territory. Prior to 1850, it was part of Texas, but because no new slave states could be organized when Texas was admitted to the Union, Texas surrendered all claim to lands north of the Mason-Dixon Line (36 degrees, 30 minutes north.) Though surveyed in 1881, the region was occupied mostly by stockmen until 1886 when the Sec. of Interior decided the land was public land and open to settlement. In March, 1887, delegates meeting in council at Beaver City organized the Territory of Cimarron, and divided into five counties named: Benton, Beaver, Palo Duro, Optima, and Sunset. A council met and passed laws, but the statutes were not approved by the Federal Government. Things rocked along like this until the 1890 passage of the Organic Act, when No Man’s Land became a part of the Oklahoma Territory. The Act provided the Oklahoma lands be divided into six counties and the Panhandle lands into one county. The Panhandle was named: Beaver. (The rest were: Logan, Oklahoma, Cleveland, Canadian, Kingfisher, and Payne.) The Cherokee Outlet was not a part of this act. Source: Wright, “Our Oklahoma,” CR1939 and Buchanan and Dale, “A History of Oklahoma,” CR1924

I think the lettering system was for the Cherokee Strip opening. I say this because the justices for the Oklahoma Territory court system were chosen by county numbers, and a later revision mentions the letter assignments, most of which are in the old Strip or Outlet:
“Chief Justice Green was assigned to ...Guthrie, in County No. 1, (now Logan County) and Stillwater in County No. 6, (now Payne County), as the places for holding court therein. The Second Judicial District embracing the counties of Canadian, Kingfisher and Beaver, then numbered 4, 5 and 7, together, with all that part of the "Cherokee Outet" lying west of the range line between ranges 3 and 4 West of the Indian Meridian, and all the Cheyenne and Arapahoe, Wichita, Kiowa, Comanche and Apache Indian country, Judge Seay was assigned to said district, with Beaver, in County No. 7, (now Beaver County), El Reno, in County No. 4, (now Canadian County), and Kingfisher, in County No. 5, (now Kingfisher County), as the places for holding court therein. The Third Judicial District embracing the counties of Oklahoma and Cleveland, then numbered 2 and 3, together with the lands occupied by the Pottawatomie Tribe of Indians, and all that part of the lands occupied by the Iowa, Kickapoo, and Sac and Fox tribes of Indians lying south of the township line between townships 14 and 15 North of ranges 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 East of the Indian Meridian. Judge Clark was assigned to said district, with Norman, in County No. 3, (now Cleveland County), and Oklahoma City, in County No. 2 (now Oklahoma County), as the places for holding court therein.” ...On February 3, 1894, redistricted as follows: The First Judicial District embracing Logan, Payne, Lincoln and "Q" (now Pawnee) Counties, with Judge Dale assigned thereto; the Second Judicial District embracing Canadian, Kingfisher, Blaine, Washita and "O" (now Garfield) Counties, with Judge Burford assigned thereto; the Third Judicial District embracing Oklahoma, Cleveland and Pottawatomie Counties, with Judge Scott assigned thereto; the Fourth Judicial District embracing "P" (now Noble), "K" (now Kay), "L" (now Grant), and "M" (now Woods), Counties, with Judge Bierer assigned thereto; the Fifth Judicial District embracing "N" (now Woodward), "D" (now Dewey), "G" (now Custer), Day, Roger Mills and Beaver Counties, with Judge McAtee assigned thereto. All that portion of the Osage Indian Reservation lying south of the township line between townships 25 and 26 North, was attached to "Q" (now Pawnee) County, and that portion of said reservation lying north of said line, together with the Kaw or Kansas Indian Reservation, was attached to Kay County, and the Ponca, Otoe and Missouri Indian Reservations were attached to "P" (now Noble) County for judicial purposes. (Source: Chronicles of Oklahoma, June, 1935)

Thanks, Mike. I'll go with "County No. 7." I must have been confusing the numbering with the judicial districts.

Roger