Kiamitia County

rdf:langString Kiamitia County

rdf:langString Kiamitia County, also known as Kiamichi County, was a political subdivision of the Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. The county formed part of the nation's Pushmataha District, or Third District, one of three administrative super-regions. Kiamitia County was formed in 1850 by the General Council of the Choctaw Nation. It was one of 19 counties established. The county took its name from the Kiamichi River. Historians debate the origin and correct spelling of this word, but most have concluded that it was derived from the French word kamichi, meaning "horned-screamer," a species of water bird. They say it was named by French explorers during the 1700s. The county seat of Kiamitia County was Goodland. The original Choctaw settlement of Goodland was four miles north of present-day Hugo, Oklahoma. A United States Post Office operated at Goodland, Indian Territory from August 21, 1871, to February 28, 1902. The community centered at the county seat no longer exists. Modern Goodland is located three miles south of Hugo. A post office called "Goodland, Oklahoma," located in the building of the Goodland Indian Orphanage, operated there from April 5, 1915, to July 31, 1944.