Kay County is in north-central
Oklahoma. Although the
county seat is
Newkirk, the largest city is
Ponca City. Other cities include
Blackwell and
Tonkawa.
Interstate 35 is the most major road going through the county, although
US Highway 60 and
US Highway 177 also traverse the county.
The major natural attraction in Kay County is Kaw Lake, formed by Kaw Dam on the Arkansas River. Human attractions include the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch, the Pioneer Women statue, the Standing Bear statue, and the Marland Mansion.
Prior to joining Oklahoma, Kay County was part of the Cherokee Strip, parts of it assigned to the Nez Perces, Kansas, Ponca, and Tonkawa tribes. As Oklahoma Territory was being carved from Native American lands, counties were construted and given single letter names. Kay County's name came from, amusingly, the letter "K" assigned to it.