BlockFrom the record
4 National Register listings published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Dewey County, Oklahoma
42 topographic sheets and 8 fire insurance atlases across 3 places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 3 places in this county were surveyed for fire insurance: Leedey, Taloga, Vici, between 1907 and 1931.
- 8 fire insurance atlases survive for the county. Topographic coverage is national; fire insurance survey reached only incorporated places with something worth insuring.
- 169 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 4 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 4 buildings.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 20 populated places in this county; 20 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
4Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewey County Courthouse | building | 1985 | 85000680 | |
 | McAllister House | building | 1997 | 97000196 |
 | Seiling Milling Company | building | 1983 | 83004167 |
 | Vici M-K-T Depot | building | 2007 | 07000911 |
The county from the air
24 shownFlown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. The Survey holds 493 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 24 frames below were taken over the county itself, chosen across the decades of flights (at most four a year from that rectangle), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.
Weather records
9 stationsThe thermometers that kept this county's weather, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.
- PUTNAM 1897 to 1899, hottest 38.9 C, coldest -28.9 C
- TALOGA 1900 to 2017, hottest 45.0 C, coldest -29.4 C
- OAKWOOD 3 SW 1909 to 1975, hottest 47.8 C, coldest -28.9 C
- CAMARGO 1923 to 1975
- TALOGA NEAR 1938 to 1944
- LEEDEY 1941 to 2026
- CAMARGO 4WNW MESONET 2009 to 2026, hottest 45.6 C, coldest -27.8 C
- PUTNAM 3N MESONET 2009 to 2026, hottest 45.0 C, coldest -23.3 C
- TALOGA 0.2 SSE 2018 to 2026
The 1950 census, district by district
27 districtsWho lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.
- 22-1Banner township
- 22-2Boyd township
- 22-3Camargo town
- 22-4Clark township
- 22-5Cleveland township - Outside Camargo town
- 22-6Dawson township
- 22-7Dewey township
- 22-8Grant township - Outside Leedey town
- 22-9Haddon township
- 22-10Harper township
- 22-11Harrison township - Outside Putnam town
- 22-12Johnson township - Outside Vici town
- 22-13Leedey town
- 22-14Lincoln township
- 22-15Little Robe township
- 22-16Marion township
- 22-17Oakwood town
- 22-18Putnam town
- 22-19Seiling city
- 22-20Seiling township - Outside Seiling city
- 22-21Sickle township - Outside Oakwood town
- 22-22Simpson township
- 22-23Taloga town
- 22-24Taloga township - Outside Taloga town
- 22-25Trail township
- 22-26Vici town
- 22-27Webb township
Wildfire, 1996 to 2020
66 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 66 of them, burning about 355,374 acres. 2 started naturally and 3 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 32 |
| Debris and open burning | 16 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 6 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 286,196 acres | Concho Field Office | RHEA |
| 5 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 52,790 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | PUTNAM |
| 31 March 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,530 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | CAMARGO |
| 4 May 2014 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2,657 acres | Concho Field Office | 270 |
| 12 July 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,750 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | WEBB |
| 22 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,600 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | OAKWOOD |
| 8 April 2010 | Debris and open burning | 660 acres | Concho Field Office | MCNEIL |
| 28 February 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 587 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | LENORA |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1950 to 2026
60 of 635 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 635 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 7 injuries and about $1,463,840 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 335 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 232 |
| Tornado | 54 |
| Flash Flood | 8 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 |
| Lightning | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 1980 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 3 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1965 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | 1 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1955 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1950 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 1 hurt, $2,500 | no account filed |
| July 1956 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| May 1982 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Vici | $200,000 | Hail was an oblong stone which measured 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. The large hail caused damage to vehicles along with damage to windows and roofs of homes. Tree limbs were also downed. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rhea | $100,000 | Relayed images courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management show significant thunderstorm wind damage at this location. The roof of a log cabin was blown off along with additional significant roof and siding damage to nearby outbuildings. The event time is estimated from radar observations. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Camargo | $75,000 | The roof was ripped off a grain elevator with the rest of the structure collapsing in on itself. Downed trees and power lines caused a brief closing of Highway 34. Large tree limbs fell onto two vehicles. Several large trees were also uprooted. One tree was split. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Leedey | $50,000 | Relayed images courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management show widespread thunderstorm wind damage in the community of Leedey. This included numerous large trees snapped or uprooted along with roof damage to at least one building. The location is approximate, and the event time is estimated from radar observations. |
| March 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vici | $50,000 | Roof damage at Bank of Vici. Damage was reported to sheds, fences, and roof shingles. Tree limbs were also downed. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vici | $50,000 | A church steeple was blown off. |
| May 2002 | Tornado (F1) | Seiling | $40,000 | This tornado formed approximately 5.5 miles east southeast of Seiling and moved northwestward for 1 mile before dissipating. One-half of a well-constructed, anchored mobile home was ripped off with contents of the home strewn in the yard. The other half of the home was twisted in the direction the tornado traveled. Two large locust trees were also uprooted. |
| September 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Taloga | $30,000 | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vici | $25,000 | The roof of a gas station canopy was blown off in the community of Vici. The location is approximate, and the event time is estimated from radar observations. |
| April 1972 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1969 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1959 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1958 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Tornado (F3) | Seiling | $20,000 | This tornado formed in northern Dewey County, near Cestos, and moved northward, entering Woodward County at 2241 CST. In Dewey County, an old, abandoned farm house, constructed of wood, with broken windows and no doors, was leveled, about 2.5 miles east-southeast of Cestos. Huge cottonwood trees nearby were uprooted. A 15 ft long bus, with no engine, was lofted over a chain-link fence and dropped on its side about 50-75 ft away, and a 1/2 ton pickup trailer bed, detached from the front of the truck, was picked up and carried about 1/2 mile, and crumpled. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seiling | $15,000 | Roof was blown off a house with an outbuilding blown into a separate house. Windows also broken in Seiling. |
| October 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cestos | $15,000 | Ten power poles snapped and trees damaged. Time estimated from radar. Damages estimated. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Vici | $15,000 | This is the continuation of the tornado that began in northeastern Ellis county. The tornado moved across the extreme northwest tip of Dewey county west and northwest of Vici before moving into Woodward County south of Sharon. The only reported damage in Dewey county was downed power lines. Monetary damages were estimated. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vici | $10,000 | An outbuilding was destroyed and damage occurred to street signs, a fence, mobile home siding, and a tin roof in and near Vici. Time estimated by radar. |
| April 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seiling | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed an RV on the north side of Seiling. The time of the wind is estimated. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oakwood | $10,000 | Several power poles were blown down. The power was off around town. Monetary damages were estimated. |
| March 2006 | Tornado (F0) | Putnam | $10,000 | This brief tornado caused minor damage to a metal barn. Portions of the sheet metal roof were torn off. A heavy semi-trailer was also rolled upside down. A boat was wrapped around a tree. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vici | $10,000 | An 80-foot television tower was blown over. |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vici | $10,000 | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oakwood | $8,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seiling | $5,000 | Numerous tree limbs were downed across the town of Seiling. Monetary damages were estimated. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Taloga | $5,000 | An Apco gas station had its awning roof blown off. The awning was found a block away. An auto body shop also sustained roof damage. Trees and large tree limbs were downed. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vici | $4,000 | A sheet metal shed was destroyed. Road signs were downed, and roof shingle damage was sustained to several homes. |
| June 2019 | Tornado (EF1) | Putnam | $3,000 | Storm spotters and chasers observed a tornado develop southeast of Putman. A few tree branches and tree limbs were broken as the tornado moved west and southwest. The tornado crossed into Custer County about a mile west of US-183 where a wooden cross member was broken on a power pole at the county line. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vici | $3,000 | A couple power poles were blown down. Monetary damages were estimated. |
| September 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Hucmac | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Taloga | $2,500 | Power lines were downed, briefly closing Highway 183. |
| September 1992 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| March 1977 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1964 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| July 1964 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1961 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1959 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| May 1951 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cestos | $2,000 | A wooden electric pole was blown over along Highway 60 between Ceiling and Vici. The report was relayed by KWTV-9. Monetary damages were estimated. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | South Portion | $2,000 | Sporadic areas of significant straight-line wind damage accompanied a line of severe thunderstorms that moved through southern Dewey County between 2240-2325 CST. Power poles were downed one mile south of Rhea. |
| February 2000 | Lightning | Oakwood | $2,000 | Lightning struck an oil tank battery igniting a fire. |
| April 2012 | Hail | Vici | $1,500 | The back windshield of an automobile was shattered by the hail. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Taloga | $1,000 | Tree limbs, up to 12 inches in diameter, were downed in town. Road signs were blown down south of town near the cemetery. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seiling | $1,000 | The tops of several trees were blown off. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vici | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vici | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Leedey | $500 | Three inch diameter tree limbs from a live apricot tree were downed. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vici | $500 | Power lines were downed near the Ichem Plant. |
| September 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Putnam | $500 | Power lines were downed. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Seiling | $500 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oakwood | $500 | no account filed |
| August 1977 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250 | no account filed |
| September 1965 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $250 | no account filed |
| May 1959 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250 | no account filed |
Mines and quarries
38 recordedThe Survey's mineral resources record lists 38 workings inside this county. 4 still produce and 34 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 35 |
| Bentonite | 3 |
| Gypsum-Anhydrite | 1 |
| Gypsum-Anhydrite, Sand and Gravel, Construction | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Gypsum-Anhydrite, Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gypsum Pit | Gypsum-Anhydrite | Past Producer | ||
| Bentonite Prospect | Bentonite | Prospect | ||
| Unknown Bentonite Pit | Bentonite, Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Bentonite Pit | Bentonite, Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Every populated place in the county
20Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on. The 3 places that were also surveyed for fire insurance come first, with the number of atlases and photographs held for them.
-
Leedey
Taloga-Leedey census division · 73654 · Leedey quadrangle
9 sheets, 1955 to 1990
Fire insurance: 4 atlases
-
Taloga
Taloga-Leedey census division · 73667 · Taloga quadrangle
8 sheets, 1955 to 1986
Fire insurance: 2 atlases
-
Vici
Vici census division · 73859 · Vici quadrangle
8 sheets, 1955 to 1985
Fire insurance: 2 atlases
-
Parallel
Taloga-Leedey census division · 73659 · On Flanders Creek · Parallel quadrangle
9 sheets, 1955 to 1985
Recorded here
Leedey, Oklahoma
9 topographic sheets and 4 fire insurance atlases, 1916 to 1931
Taloga, Oklahoma
8 topographic sheets and 2 fire insurance atlases, 1907 to 1916
Provenance
- Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
- Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
- Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.