Murray county is named in honor of "Alfalfa" Bill Murray, the President of the Constitutional Convention for the new state of Oklahoma and later governor. It is located in south central Oklahoma and was created in 1907 from the corners of Johnston, Pontotoc, Garvin and Carter counties, becoming the third smallest county in the state with Sulphur serving as the county seat.
The main attraction of the county is the Lake of the Arbuckles/Chickasaw National Recreation Area region. In addition, the Arbuckle Mountains occupy the western portion of the county and features 77-foot-high Turner Falls.
Historical sites in the county include the Historic Downtown Sulphur Commercial District and the Murray County Courthouse in Sulphur and the Lowrance Springs Site just outside the city limits.
The county population on July 1, 1999, was 12,477, an increase of 435 over the 1990 census.