Grant County occupies the northern tier of Oklahoma directly below the Kansas line, with small communities spread across a broad rural landscape rather than concentrated in one urban corridor. Medford provides the clearest central reference point, and U.S. 81 runs north-south through Jefferson, Medford, and Renfrow. Pond Creek and Lamont anchor the southern part of the county, while Wakita, Nash, and Manchester help define its western side. This page explains the county through roads, towns, waterways, and elevation, and the supplied high-resolution JPG map files can be downloaded together in a ZIP archive.
The strongest physical feature is the Salt Fork Arkansas River, which winds across the southern portion of Grant County in a broad low corridor. Several long creeks descend from the north and center toward that river, while the elevation map shows higher ground in much of the north and west. Comparing the water and elevation maps makes this contrast especially clear: the river follows a continuous green lowland, and smaller valleys cut southward through the surrounding uplands.
Table of Contents
Start with Medford and the U.S. 81 crossing
Medford is the easiest place to orient the general county map. The Oklahoma Historical Society and Grant County’s county information site identify Medford as the county seat, and the map places it close to the middle of the county. U.S. 81 approaches from Jefferson to the south, passes through Medford, and continues toward Renfrow near the northern edge. State Highway 11 crosses the same central area from west to east, so the meeting of those routes gives readers a simple framework before they begin tracing smaller roads.
South of Medford, Pond Creek appears near the center of the lower half of the county, while Nash sits farther west. Lamont lies toward the southeast. The map also labels State Highway 74, State Highway 132, U.S. 60, U.S. 64, and other routes that serve different parts of the county. Those secondary roads matter, but they are easier to understand after U.S. 81 and State Highway 11 are established as the main central references.
The county’s position along Oklahoma’s northern border adds another useful geographic clue. Manchester is close to the northwestern edge, Renfrow lies in the northern tier, and Wakita is farther west of Medford. The official City of Medford website describes the city as being about 15 miles south of the Kansas border, which fits the compact distance visible between Medford and the top of the county map. Reading the county from that border south toward the Salt Fork creates an intuitive north-to-south picture of the region.
Six towns reveal how widely settlement is spread
The city map strips away most road detail and emphasizes the spacing of six highlighted communities. Medford sits near the center, Pond Creek is south of it, and Lamont is farther to the southeast. Wakita and Manchester occupy the northwestern side, while Nash is near the southwestern side. The pattern does not resemble a chain of adjacent suburbs. Instead, the towns are separated by large areas of open country, making direction and relative position more important than a dense street network.
The city index on the map lists reference values of 1,016 for Medford, 855 for Pond Creek, 339 for Wakita, 308 for Lamont, 218 for Nash, and 143 for Manchester. These figures help explain the ranking used in the map design, but they should not be treated as definitive current population estimates. For up-to-date population data or historical change, readers should consult current U.S. Census Bureau releases. On this map, the more useful lesson is how the six communities are distributed across the county.
The neighboring county labels also help with regional orientation. Alfalfa County lies to the west, Garfield County to the southwest, Noble County to the southeast, and Kay County to the east. These labels show that Grant County sits between several north-central Oklahoma counties rather than functioning as an isolated block. When a reader is trying to place a smaller town such as Lamont or Nash, the neighboring county name on the outside edge can be as useful as a highway number inside the boundary.
The Salt Fork Arkansas River shapes the southern half
The Salt Fork Arkansas River dominates the water map. It crosses the southern portion of Grant County from west to east in a series of broad bends, creating a natural reference that is much more irregular than the road grid. Pond Creek reaches the river from the north-central part of the county, and its named channel is especially easy to follow because the town of Pond Creek appears nearby on the other maps. The river therefore connects place names, drainage, and terrain in a way that a road-only map cannot show.
Several longer tributaries run generally southward from the northern uplands. Sand Creek and Crooked Creek stand out in the west, Osage Creek occupies the central area, and Polecat Creek and Deer Creek are prominent farther east. Blackwell Creek and Cottonwood Creek add more detail between the larger channels. Rather than memorizing every small branch, it is more useful to start with these long named creeks and notice how many of them lead toward the lower Salt Fork corridor.
Streams also appear south of the main river, including Coldwater Creek and Wildhorse Creek, so the Salt Fork is not simply a boundary-like line at the bottom of the map. It sits within a wider network of valleys. This map is intended for geographic reference only; it does not show flood probability, water depth, water quality, legal access, or navigation conditions. Flood planning, construction, land decisions, and on-the-water use should rely on the appropriate current agency products and local information.
Elevation from 293 to 430 meters frames a lower river valley
The elevation map labels an actual range of about 293 to 430 meters, with a mean near 340 meters. Browns and tans mark relatively higher ground within Grant County, while greens indicate lower terrain. The most continuous low band follows the Salt Fork Arkansas River across the southern part of the county. Its looping form mirrors the river on the water map, making the relationship between drainage and elevation visible without needing a separate profile or contour chart.
Higher terrain is more extensive in the north and west. The northwestern edge contains some of the darkest brown shading, and elevated ridges also appear across the north-central and northeastern parts of the map. Narrow green valleys cut into those higher areas where creeks run south. This pattern is important because the county can look nearly flat on a conventional road map, while the shaded elevation surface reveals repeated low valleys and gentle uplands across the landscape.
The southern half is generally lower because of the Salt Fork valley, but it is not uniformly flat. Patches of higher ground reappear near the southern and southwestern edges, and smaller creeks form narrow low lines between them. The elevation surface is appropriate for county-scale comparison, not for survey-grade measurements. Exact property elevation, construction design, drainage calculations, road grades, and legal surveying require more precise source data and, where necessary, field measurements.
Roads and waterways give Grant County two different frameworks
Grant County becomes easier to remember when the straight road network and the curving drainage network are treated as two separate frameworks. U.S. 81 creates a direct north-south line through Jefferson, Medford, and Renfrow. The Salt Fork Arkansas River, by contrast, sweeps across the south in broad bends. A reader can use Medford to anchor the road map, then drop south to the river corridor and trace the creeks that connect the two parts of the county.
Pond Creek is a particularly useful example of how the maps reinforce one another. The city map places the town in the southern central part of Grant County. The water map shows the named Pond Creek channel descending toward the Salt Fork, and the elevation map shows lower terrain along the same general drainage. Comparing those layers turns a place name into a more complete geographic picture, linking the community to the valley and river system around it.
The northwestern towns tell a different story. Wakita and Manchester are farther from the broad Salt Fork lowland and closer to higher terrain shown in tan and brown. Lamont is nearer the lower southeastern drainage area, while Nash sits in the southwest among local roads and smaller stream valleys. These contrasts do not imply differences in desirability or accessibility; they simply show that settlements within one county can occupy noticeably different terrain settings.
Which Grant County map should you use?
For roads, town names, and the county boundary, begin with the general county map. Medford, U.S. 81, and State Highway 11 establish a strong center, after which Pond Creek, Wakita, Lamont, Nash, and Manchester are easier to place. The city map is cleaner when the goal is simply to compare the six highlighted communities and their positions relative to neighboring counties. It is especially useful in presentations where minor roads would distract from the larger settlement pattern.
For physical geography, the water and elevation maps work best as a pair. Locate the Salt Fork Arkansas River first, then identify Pond Creek, Osage Creek, Polecat Creek, and the other long tributaries that descend toward it. On the elevation map, revisit the same locations and compare the green valleys with the higher brown and tan areas. This approach makes the county’s relief and drainage easier to explain than either map would on its own.
The web previews are convenient for quick reference, but the downloadable ZIP contains the high-resolution JPG versions of the four supplied maps and is better suited to printing or close inspection of small labels. The files can be used for classroom materials, local-history displays, presentations, and general geographic reference. They are not substitutes for legal boundary records, parcel maps, real-time navigation, flood-hazard products, engineering documents, or professional surveys.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest starting point for reading a Grant County map?
Start with Medford and U.S. 81. Medford is near the center of the county, and U.S. 81 connects Jefferson to the south with Renfrow to the north. State Highway 11 adds an east-west reference through Medford. Once those lines are established, it becomes much easier to place Wakita and Manchester to the northwest, Pond Creek to the south, and Lamont to the southeast.
Why is the Salt Fork Arkansas River so prominent on the Grant County maps?
The river crosses much of the southern county in a broad, winding lowland. Several named creeks, including Pond Creek and Osage Creek, descend toward that corridor, and the elevation map shows the same route as a continuous green band. It is therefore one of the best natural landmarks for understanding both drainage and relief in Grant County.
Can the 293–430 meter elevation range be used for surveying?
No. The elevation range is useful for comparing higher uplands with lower stream and river valleys at the county scale. Exact property elevations, construction work, drainage design, road grades, and legal surveying require more precise data and appropriate professional measurements.
Map File Information
Download Grant County road, city, water, and elevation maps together as high-resolution JPG files.
- Included Files: Use only the versions confirmed in the article and supplied images
- File Type: Use the confirmed download contents
- Intended Use: Printing, education, presentations, and map-based projects
Related Maps
Sources and References
- Oklahoma Historical Society – Grant County
- Grant County, Oklahoma – County Information
- City of Medford – Official Website
- U.S. Census Bureau – TIGER/Line Shapefiles
- USGS – National Hydrography
- USGS – 3D Elevation Program
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data. These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
