[3] This area was used by indigenous tribes that included the Comanche, Kiowa, Apache, Cheyenne, and Arapaho.

In 1820, an expedition led by Stephen Long passed through the area while exploring the Canadian River all the way to Fort Smith, Arkansas.

The battle was notable because it resulted in killing the Comanche chief, Iron Jacket, father of Peta Nocona and grandfather of Quanah Parker.

[3] After the Civil War, roads and railroads turned the Ellis County area into a transportation corridor.

An election for location of the county seat in June 1908, resulted in a runoff between the towns of Shattuck and Arnett.

[3] On April 9, 1947, an F5 tornado, the sixth deadliest ever recorded in the United States, tore through Ellis County.

Other waterways are Little Robe, Commission and Hackberry Creeks, tributaries of the Canadian River, which forms the southern boundary of the county.

Packsaddle Wildlife Management Area is in the south central part of the county, along the Canadian River.

A major player locally was the Dominion Cattle Company, part of the Cherokee Strip Livestock Association.

Although grazing leases ended with the land run, ranching and cattle feeding remained important.

In 1961 the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation created the 160 acres (65 ha) Lake Lloyd Vincent by impounding Coon Creek in the WMA for boating, fishing, and swimming recreation.