Woodward county, formed in 1893 from the Cherokee Outlet (or "Land Run"), is located in northwestern Oklahoma with the town of Woodward serving as the county seat.
Major waterways and recreational areas include the North Canadian River, which flows from the northwest to the southeast, Fort Supply Lake in the northwest portion of the county and the Cimarron River which forms the northeast county line with Woods County. In addition, Alabaster Caverns State Park in the northeast and Boiling Springs State Park just east of Woodward provide visitors with a wide variety of recreational opportunties from fishing and camping to cave exploration.
County attractions include the Plains Indians & Pioneers Museum, also in Woodward. In addition, history buffs will want to make day trips to some of the county's ghost towns including Cedardale, 12 miles south of Quinlan, an unicorporated community 20 miles northeast of Woodward.
The county population on July 1, 1999, was 18,588, a decrease of 388 over the 1990 census.