Howard County.—On Feb. 26, 1867, Gov. Crawford approved an act creating a number of new counties in the territory recently acquired from the Osage Indians. One of these counties was Howard, the boundaries of which were defined as follows: "Commencing at the southeast corner of Greenwood county, thence south to the 37th degree of north latitude, thence west 31 miles to the center of range 8 east, thence north to the southwest corner of Greenwood county, thence east to the place of beginning."

Owing to a county seat fight, the county was divided by the act of March 11, 1875, into the counties of Elk and Chautauqua, and Howard county passed out of existence.