Okanogan County, Washington

Okanogan County /ˌoʊkəˈnɒɡən/ is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,120. The county seat is Okanogan, while the largest city is Omak. In area, it is the largest county in the state.

Approximately 20 percent of residents live in the Greater Omak Area. The county forms a portion of the Okanogan Country. The first county seat was Ruby, Washington, which has now been a ghost town for more than 100 years.

Okanogan County was formed out of Stevens County on February 2, 1888. The name derives from the Okanagan language place name ukʷnaqín. The name Okanogan (Okanagan) also refers to the region that encompasses part of southern British Columbia.

History

Several hundreds of years before Europeans arrived, the area that became Okanogan County was home to numerous indigenous peoples that would eventually become part of three Indian reservations referred to as the Northern Okanogans or Sinkaietk, Tokoratums, Kartars and Konkonelps. They spoke in seven types of Interior Salish languages related to the Puget Sound tribes. The Okanogans experienced a favorable climate, having camped in the winter, hunting bears in the spring, catch fish in the summer and hunt deer in fall. The camps consisted of teepee-like longhouses built with hides and bark. A popular destination for this was the Kettle Falls also situated in Washington where the Columbia River dropped over 20 feet (6.1 m). Meanwhile, women gathered several pieces of nuts, roots and berries.