Johnston County Oklahoma Map of Tishomingo, Arbuckle Hills, and the Lake Texoma Watershed

Johnston County lies in south-central Oklahoma, where Tishomingo anchors a scattered network of small towns between rocky northern uplands and the low country around Lake Texoma. Ravia, Mannsville, Mill Creek, Wapanucka, and Milburn provide useful reference points across the county, while Pennington Creek, the Blue River, and the Washita River help explain how the terrain drains toward the Red River basin. The maps on this page can be viewed online, and the original high-resolution JPG files are also available together in a downloadable ZIP for printing or close inspection.

The county changes noticeably from north to south. The Oklahoma Historical Society places the northern portion in the Arbuckle Mountains physiographic region, with rock outcrops and rolling hills, while the far south belongs to the lower Coastal Plains. The elevation map shows the same contrast: the north and northwest contain the highest ground, and broad green lowlands become more common toward the Washita River and Lake Texoma. Following towns first and then checking the same places on the water and elevation maps makes that transition easy to see.

Tishomingo and U.S. 377/State Highway 99 make the best road anchors

Tishomingo is the clearest place to begin on the general county map. It is the county seat and sits on the U.S. 377/State Highway 99 corridor. Following that route north leads toward Connerville and Pontotoc County, while the same corridor continues south toward the Lake Texoma side of the county. Because Tishomingo sits near the middle of the main north-south route, it provides an easy way to organize the rest of the road network.

State Highway 22 runs west from the Tishomingo area toward Ravia, and State Highway 1 becomes an important reference around Ravia and the southwestern part of the county. Mannsville sits near the southwestern edge, while Mill Creek is farther north in the hillier northwest. Wapanucka is close to the eastern projection of the county and connects with State Highway 48. Milburn lies east of Tishomingo on lower terrain and helps mark the transition toward the southeastern road network.

The county outline is irregular enough to matter. A large northeastern step creates a long eastern extension, while the northwest also projects toward Mill Creek. Pontotoc County borders the north; Coal and Atoka counties lie to the east; Bryan and Marshall counties are to the south; Carter and Murray counties are to the west. With those neighboring counties in mind, the positions of Mill Creek and Wapanucka make more sense than they do when the boundary is viewed by itself.

Six mapped communities reveal a dispersed settlement pattern

The city map highlights Tishomingo, Mannsville, Ravia, Wapanucka, Mill Creek, and Milburn. Tishomingo is the strongest central reference, with Ravia nearby to the west. Mannsville sits close to the southwestern edge and provides a useful marker toward Marshall and Carter counties. Mill Creek occupies the northwestern upland side of the county. Wapanucka and Milburn both lie east of Tishomingo, but they occupy different road and drainage settings, making them useful checkpoints for the eastern half.

Those six places also occupy different elevation zones. Mill Creek lies close to some of the county’s highest terrain, while Tishomingo and Ravia sit in the transition between the northern hills and the lower southern landscape. Mannsville is closer to the low southwest, and the land south of Milburn descends toward the Washita River and Lake Texoma. Wapanucka remains on gently rolling eastern ground crossed by several creeks. The city map becomes much more informative when those terrain differences are added.

The rank and population-style figures printed beside the place names are best treated as reference values from the supplied map rather than as current population estimates. Anyone who needs up-to-date counts should use the U.S. Census Bureau. For map reading, the important feature is the distribution itself: Tishomingo in the central-southern portion, Mill Creek in the northwest, Mannsville in the southwest, and two eastern reference towns spread across a very different drainage landscape.

Pennington Creek, the Blue River, and Lake Texoma divide the county into distinct drainage areas

Pennington Creek is one of the most recognizable waterways in the northwestern half of Johnston County. It runs through the hilly country between Mill Creek, Ravia, and Tishomingo and is closely tied to Tishomingo’s early history. The Oklahoma Historical Society notes that the settlement developed near springs feeding Pennington Creek. On the modern water map, the same area contains a dense network of short tributaries cutting through the northern uplands.

The Blue River becomes the major water feature farther east and southeast. It flows toward the southeastern corner while receiving smaller creeks, including channels from the Sandy Creek system. Delaware Creek crosses the northeastern extension close to Wapanucka Lake, and Little Sandy Creek runs for a long distance through the central portion of the county. Rock Creek and Sand Creek drain the western uplands, showing how water leaves the higher north and northwest through a set of narrow valleys.

The southern edge is dominated by the Washita River and Lake Texoma. The Washita enters the broad reservoir area just south of Tishomingo, where the map also labels Randolph Lake, Muel Lake, and Dicks Pond. The Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge is located south of town on the Washita arm of Lake Texoma. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the refuge for migratory birds and other wildlife, adding a protected landscape to the county’s large southern water system.

This water map is a geographic reference, not a flood, navigation, or property product. It does not show flood probability, water depth, streamflow, water quality, safe boating conditions, or legal boundaries. Decisions about construction, property, flood preparedness, or recreation near Lake Texoma, the Washita River, or local creeks should use current information from the appropriate federal, state, and local agencies.

An elevation range of about 176–380 meters separates the northern hills from the southern lowlands

The elevation map labels an actual county range of about 176 to 380 meters, with a mean near 256 meters. The highest brown terrain is concentrated in the northwest and north, where short ridges and deeply cut valleys create a rough surface around the Mill Creek and Connerville areas. Moving toward the center, tan gives way to lighter green. The lowest terrain appears along the Washita River, Lake Texoma, and several larger creek valleys in the southern half.

This pattern fits the Oklahoma Historical Society’s description of the northern county as part of the Arbuckle Mountains region. Rocky hills and rolling uplands dominate the north, while the far south is part of the lower Coastal Plains. Tishomingo lies close to the transition: a short trip north reaches noticeably higher ground, while travel south toward Lake Texoma quickly enters broad lowlands.

Pennington Creek and Little Sandy Creek appear as lower corridors cutting into the higher interior, and the Blue River follows another broad low path through the east. Comparing the water and elevation maps shows why so many tributaries are packed into the northern hills. Water moves away from the higher ridges through narrow valleys before reaching the larger rivers and reservoir system farther south.

The elevation surface is intended for county-scale comparison. It should not be treated as survey-grade data for a parcel, construction site, road grade, drainage calculation, or legal boundary. Those uses require more precise USGS source data and professional field measurements when appropriate.

Tishomingo links county geography with Chickasaw history

Tishomingo has a role that extends well beyond its current function as county seat. The Oklahoma Historical Society records that the town became the capital of the Chickasaw Nation in the 1850s. A granite capitol building completed in the late nineteenth century later served as the Johnston County courthouse before the Chickasaw Nation reacquired it. Johnston County itself was created at Oklahoma statehood in 1907 and was named for Douglas H. Johnston, a long-serving governor of the Chickasaw Nation.

Transportation history also helps explain the distribution of towns. Several railroads crossed the area in the early twentieth century, creating or reshaping settlements before modern highways became the main travel corridors. Today U.S. 377/State Highway 99 and State Highways 1, 7, 22, 48, and 78 are easier to see on the map, but the locations of places such as Ravia, Mill Creek, and Wapanucka still reflect that earlier era of rail and regional travel.

Lake Texoma changed the southern landscape again in the 1940s. The Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1946 on the Washita arm of the reservoir and now protects wetlands, fields, and other habitat near the county’s southern edge. This makes the water map useful for more than drainage alone: it also places a major modern conservation area within the same lowland that contrasts so strongly with the northern Arbuckle hills.

Tishomingo, Mill Creek, and Milburn make useful north-south comparison points

Tishomingo occupies the middle ground between the county’s main terrain zones. It sits on the primary north-south highway, near Pennington Creek and several tributaries, and at a moderate elevation between the higher north and the lower Lake Texoma country. From Tishomingo, the landscape rises toward Mill Creek and drops toward the reservoir. That makes the county seat an effective reference for comparing all four maps.

Mill Creek represents the northern uplands. The town lies well northwest of Tishomingo, surrounded by higher colors on the elevation map and a dense pattern of small drainage lines. Pennington Creek and neighboring tributaries descend from this rougher terrain. The contrast with the broad lowlands around Lake Texoma is one of the strongest physical differences visible anywhere in Johnston County.

Milburn provides a useful eastern and southeastern comparison. It sits near State Highway 78 on lower ground between the central interior and the Blue River–Lake Texoma side of the county. Travel north toward Wapanucka reaches gently rolling eastern terrain, while movement south approaches larger water bodies and lower elevations. Using Tishomingo, Mill Creek, and Milburn as three checkpoints makes the county’s terrain changes easier to follow without turning the map into a long list of place names.

Choose the Johnston County map that matches the question

For towns, roads, and the county outline, start with the general county map. Find Tishomingo and U.S. 377/State Highway 99, then trace west toward Ravia and Mannsville or east toward Milburn and Wapanucka. The city map is cleaner when the goal is simply to compare the six highlighted communities and see how widely they are distributed.

For physical geography, begin with Pennington Creek, the Blue River, the Washita River, and Lake Texoma on the water map. Open the elevation map next and compare those same places. The northern brown uplands and southern green lowlands line up closely with the county’s major drainage changes, making the two maps especially useful as a pair.

The web previews are convenient for quick reference. The downloadable ZIP contains high-resolution JPG versions of the county-and-road, city distribution, terrain-and-water, and elevation maps for printing, classroom use, local-history displays, or presentations. They are general geographic resources rather than parcel maps, live navigation products, flood studies, engineering plans, or professional surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Maps

• Beaver County Oklahoma Map
• Blaine County Oklahoma Map
• Bryan County Oklahoma Map

Sources and References

• Oklahoma Historical Society – Johnston County
• Oklahoma Historical Society – Tishomingo
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge
• U.S. Census Bureau – TIGER/Line Shapefiles
• USGS – National Hydrography
• USGS – 3D Elevation Program