McCurtain county, created in 1907 from Choctaw lands, is located in extreme southeastern Oklahoma with Idabel serving as the county seat.
The county contains the southern section of the Ouachita National Forest in which one will find Broken Bow Lake, Beavers Bend State Park, Hochatown State Park and the McCurtain County Wilderness area. In addition, Pine Creek Lake is situated near the western county line while the Red River forms the southern boundary.
Among the interesting historical sites are the Rouleau Hotel in Idabel, the Garvin Rock Church and the Grobin Davis Mound Group near Wright City.
The county population on July 1, 1999, was 34,795, an increase of 1,362 over the 1990 census.