The Osage ceded their land claims in 1825, and the Federal Government allowed the Western Cherokee to settle in this area in 1828.

The Civil War caused most of the inhabitants to move away and the post office closed in 1866.

[3] In 1870, Nelson Carr built a grist mill along the Caney River, which he used to grind seed corn.

Other important agricultural crops included potatoes, sorghum and oats, as well as prairie hay and pecans.

Cotton production was attempted in the early 1900s, but the soil proved unsuitable and this crop was soon discontinued.

[3] The first commercial oil well in Oklahoma, designated as Nellie Johnstone Number One, was drilled near Bartlesville in 1897.

Several oil companies set up headquarters in the county, most notably Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville.

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway opened a line from Owen to Owasso, Oklahoma in 1899.

It lies in the Eastern Lowlands physiographic region, and is drained by the Caney River.

[3] As of the 2010 United States census, there were 50,976 people, 21,036 households, and 14,123 families residing in the county.