Person, Place, and Thing: Love County

So now it’s once again time to make a random selection for the Person, Place, and Thing series. For the uninitiated, this is my journey through all seventy-seven counties by becoming acquainted with some of their key nouns. starting with a random draw. I’m sure it’s fun to imagine me picking the names of counties out of some gigantic hat, and maybe someday I’ll convert to that analog format. For now though, it’s just me, a numbered list of counties, and a free online random number generator. A click of the mouse gives me No. 43: Love County.

Read past Person, Place, and Thing blogs:

1. Payne County
2. Pottawatomie County

When I think of Love County, my first thought is of course the Red River. The county seat of Marietta is just a few miles from the squiggly body of water that divides us from Texas, and the town of Thackerville (most known as the home of WinStar World Casino) practically sits on the river banks. Growing up we’d visit Marietta occasionally because we had extended family that ran a doughnut shop there. Marietta is also known for its regal white-columned courthouse, which I wrote about for a magazine story not long ago. Let’s see what else Love County has in store for us.

You ever wonder why they call it Love County? Well, it is all because of Overton “Sobe” Love, a Mississippi Chickasaw who was forced to relocate to Oklahoma during the Trails of Tears. At the age of 20, Love settled about six miles east of present-day Marietta. He found immediate success as a ranche and one of the most prominent landowners in the area, but he really made a name for himself as a judge and the Chickasaw representative in the U.S. Congress. Love negotiated the Chickasaw treaty with the United States, enrolled tribal members during the Dawes Commission, and worked to improve Chickasaw credit to the point that it was worth a hundred cents to the dollar.

Love died in 1906, but you can still pay your respects by visiting his gravestone, which can be found in the Loves Valley Cemetery. Fair warning though, it’s off the beaten path, about an eighteen minute drive southeast of Marietta proper. Head south down N3330 Road off State Highway 32 toward the Love Wildlife Management Area (more on that place later). You can find the cemetery’s GPS coordinates online. If you’re hoping to honor Love’s legacy in a less rugged way, he is an inductee in the Chickasaw Hall of Fame. The honor garden for the hall of fame can be found adjacent to the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur—outside of Love County but less than an hour north of Marietta on Interstate 35.

Love County takes its name from the great Overton Love.

I alluded to this place earlier, so let’s introduce it formally. The Love Valley Wildlife Management Area is nearly eight thousand acres of bluestem, Indian grass, and post oak-blackjack timber perfect for hunters and campers. Bordered by the Red River and Lake Texoma, it is a great place to find doves, ducks, and waterfowl of various sorts, as well as deer, hogs, bobcats, and other land animals. In winter months, you might even spot a bald eagle, as the area is a nesting ground for our national symbol. Whether you hope to hunt wildlife with a gun or a camera, or just want to escape into nature, Love County is a great place to be.

The Love Valley WMA is a paradise for hunters, wildlife spotters, and campers. Photo courtesy Oklahoma Deparment of Wildlife Conservation

If you’ve done all this Love County adventuring, you’ve surely worked up an appetite. The area’s most famous eatery is likely Marietta’s McGeehee Catfish Restaurant, where you can get all-you-can-eat fried catfish for under $25 dollars per person. That’s a tough deal to beat, but if you’re like me, you can’t pass up a good burger. The best one in Marietta is the OMG! Burger at the taste by Chef Rodney. Born in Louisiana and trained at the attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Dallas, Chef Rodney Washington flexes his gourmet muscle to make a melty, juicy, crispy cheeseburger with potato chips cut and fried in-house. It’s a burger not to be missed, but there’s no shame if you can’t say no to their daily specials, which have included offerings like chicken-fried ribeyes and turkey with dressing.

You can't beat the OMG! Burger at the taste by Chef Rodney in Marietta. Photo by Lori Duckworth / Oklahoma Tourism

Written By

Ben Luschen

Luschen joined the *Oklahoma Today*’ staff as Research Editor in 2021 and currently works as the magazine's Web Editor, managing the website and social media fronts. His past *Oklahoma Today* stories have ranged in content from the state's bee and quail industries to its vibrant art and music scenes. Not adverse to a road trip, Luschen is always on the lookout for the next big adventure. He is never out of opinions about the current state of Oklahoma City Thunder basketball.