Pushmataha County occupies a broad, mountainous part of southeastern Oklahoma where communities are separated by long ridges, river valleys, and large rural distances. Antlers provides the clearest starting point in the southwest, while Clayton and Tuskahoma sit farther north, Nashoba and Albion lie toward the east and northeast, and Rattan anchors the southern side. Reading the county from Antlers outward makes the stepped boundary and the strongly directional mountain terrain much easier to understand.
This page includes a general boundary-and-road map, a settlement connection map, a terrain-and-water view, and a generalized elevation surface. High-resolution JPG versions of the same map subjects are available in the ZIP download box below, so the maps can be used for printing, classroom work, presentations, or close geographic reference after the smaller on-page previews have been reviewed.
Table of Contents
Antlers anchors the southwest while the county stretches deep into the mountains
Antlers stands out immediately because several roads meet there and because it is the county seat. The City of Antlers identifies the community as the administrative center of Pushmataha County, which matches the map’s visual emphasis. From Antlers, the county opens in several distinct directions: north toward Moyers, Finley, and Clayton; east and southeast toward Rattan; and farther into the mountain interior toward smaller settlements and long drainage valleys.
Clayton is the strongest northern reference point. Tuskahoma lies north of it, while Nashoba is farther east and Albion sits near the northeastern edge. Tuskahoma adds an important historical dimension to the map. The Oklahoma Historical Society identifies Tuskahoma as the location of the Choctaw Nation national capitol before Oklahoma statehood in 1907, giving this small mapped place a much larger historical context.
The outer boundary is unusually stepped. Large rectangular jogs appear along the west and north, while the east and south include additional offsets that prevent the county from reading like a simple box. The surrounding labels help orient those irregular edges: Atoka County lies to the west and northwest, Pittsburg County to the north, Latimer County toward the northeast, Le Flore and McCurtain counties to the east, and Choctaw County to the southwest.
That outline matters because the county extends across several different mountain and valley settings. Albion and Nashoba are far from Antlers not only in direction but also in physical landscape. The general map is therefore most useful when communities, roads, streams, and boundary shape are read together rather than as separate layers of information.
Roads thread through a stepped outline instead of forming a simple grid
The road pattern reflects the terrain. The Oklahoma Historical Society identifies U.S. 271 and State Highways 2, 3, and 147 among the county’s important routes, and those corridors are visible on the supplied map. Rather than forming a regular checkerboard, the main roads bend and branch through valleys and lower passes, linking Antlers with Clayton and connecting the southern and eastern parts of the county where the ridges allow practical crossings.
Several other route numbers provide local orientation. The map labels 43 in the northwestern extension, 144 toward Nashoba in the east, and 7, 3, 93, and 147 across the southern portion. A reader does not need to memorize each shield. It is easier to locate Antlers, Clayton, and Rattan first, then use the nearby numbered routes to understand which direction a road corridor follows through the county.
The sparse-looking road areas are meaningful as well. Much of the center and southeast is filled with streams and elongated ridges, while relatively few major roads cross those features. That does not mean the landscape is empty; it means access is concentrated into a smaller number of practical corridors. Mountain travel can turn a short straight-line separation into a much longer driving route because roads must follow valleys, cross passes, or bend around steep terrain.
This general map should be treated as a county reference map, not as a substitute for current navigation, parcel records, land-access information, or legal surveying. Forest and rural roads may change, close, or have access restrictions that are not represented here. For driving or fieldwork, use current Oklahoma transportation information and local official sources in addition to the county map.
Antlers, Rattan, Clayton, and Albion are separated by substantial distances
The settlement connection map simplifies the county to four prominent reference places: Antlers, Rattan, Clayton, and Albion. Antlers is the hub, and the labeled distances are direct straight-line distances rather than road mileage. Rattan is shown about 12 miles from Antlers, Clayton about 29 miles away, and Albion about 42 miles away. Those values communicate the county’s geographic scale without implying how long a mountain drive will take.
Rattan is relatively close to Antlers and helps define the southern part of the county. Clayton is much farther north and sits within a more pronounced mountain-and-river setting. Albion, near the northeastern side, is the most distant of the highlighted places from the Antlers hub. The spread of those four labels makes it clear that Pushmataha County does not function like a compact suburban county where major communities sit only a few miles apart.
Smaller mapped places fill important gaps between the highlighted settlements. Moyers and Finley help trace the route north from Antlers, Tuskahoma gives the upper county a historical and geographic reference, and Nashoba locates the eastern interior before Albion. Comparing the general map with the simplified connection map is useful because one shows the network of intermediate places while the other makes the overall scale easier to grasp.
The connection view is not a commuting or travel-time model. A straight line from Antlers to Clayton or Albion can cross ridges and drainages that no direct road follows. Use the numbers to compare relative separation, then switch to current navigation or transportation data for actual routing. That distinction is especially important in a county where the elevation map shows repeated, strongly aligned ridges.
The Kiamichi River links a dense network of mountain streams
The terrain-and-water map reveals a county shaped as much by drainage as by roads. The Kiamichi River is one of the most important named waterways, curving through the northern and central mountain landscape. The Oklahoma Historical Society identifies the Kiamichi and Little rivers as the county’s principal drainage systems. Numerous tributaries descend from the surrounding ridges and feed those larger river corridors.
North of the main river corridor, the map labels Jackfork Creek and Lake Nanih Waiya. Clayton Lake appears closer to the central-northern area. South and west of the Kiamichi River are Pine Creek, Caney Creek, Cedar Creek, Clear Creek, and Tenmile Creek, each occupying a separate valley between long ridges. Their spacing shows why the terrain looks so deeply folded even where no major town name is present.
The eastern side has its own strong water references. Black Fork runs across the northeastern mountain zone, while Little River forms a prominent winding channel farther east. Glover Creek is visible through the central-southern part of the county. Cobb Lake and Lake Ozzie Cobb appear in the south and southwest, adding smaller water bodies to a map otherwise dominated by river and creek corridors.
Shaded relief makes the hydrology easier to interpret. Streams occupy the lower spaces between parallel ridges, and many tributaries approach the larger rivers at angles that match the mountain structure. Around Clayton and Tuskahoma, roads and settlement sit close to the Kiamichi valley system. Near Nashoba and Albion, Little River, Black Fork, and their tributaries become more useful landmarks than the sparse road network.
This map is a geographic water reference, not a flood, depth, water-quality, access, or navigation product. A blue line does not indicate public access, a legal riparian boundary, or a safe crossing. For flood conditions, live stream levels, or regulatory decisions, consult current USGS, National Weather Service, FEMA, and local information rather than relying on this generalized county illustration.
Long, parallel ridges define the county’s elevation pattern
The elevation view is the clearest expression of Pushmataha County’s mountain character. Browns and oranges form long, narrow ridges across the north, east, and center, while green bands occupy the river valleys between them. The ridges are not scattered randomly. They repeat in a strong, roughly parallel pattern, creating a landscape that looks folded into a series of elongated highs and lows.
The legend reports an actual elevation range of about 123 to 597 meters and a mean near 247 meters. That spread is large enough to produce meaningful differences inside the county. Lower areas follow major drainage corridors, especially where the Kiamichi River and other streams have cut wider valleys. Higher terrain is concentrated on the long mountain crests and on several prominent ridges in the northern and eastern sections.
The northeastern side contains some of the most continuous high ridges, separated by deep green valleys leading toward Little River and Black Fork. The northwest also has high, curved terrain. Toward Antlers in the southwest, lower colors become broader, even though smaller ridges and valleys remain visible. These changes explain why the county’s road pattern cannot be understood as a simple north-south and east-west grid.
The Oklahoma Historical Society describes the Kiamichi Mountains as one of the county’s defining physical features. The elevation map gives that description a visual form: repeated mountain crests, narrow valleys, and lower river corridors occupy most of the county. That terrain also helps explain why communities are spaced far apart and why places such as Clayton and Tuskahoma are associated with valley corridors rather than broad plains.
Elevation colors are scaled for this county, so a green or brown shade should not be compared directly with the same color on another county map. The surface is generalized for regional reading and is not survey-grade. Construction levels, road grades, slope stability, drainage engineering, and individual property elevations require higher-resolution source data or professional field measurements.
Tuskahoma and Clayton show how roads, rivers, and ridges converge
Tuskahoma and Clayton are especially useful places for comparing all of the maps. On the general map, both sit on major northern travel corridors. On the terrain-and-water map, the Kiamichi River and several tributaries occupy nearby valleys. On the elevation map, long high ridges rise on both sides. Taken together, the maps suggest why settlement and transportation concentrate in the lower passages instead of crossing the strongest ridges at random.
Antlers offers a contrasting example. It appears as the administrative and road hub in the southwest, but the elevation surface around it is generally lower and broader than much of the northern mountain interior. The settlement connection map also uses Antlers as the reference point for Rattan, Clayton, and Albion. This combination of transportation, administration, and lower terrain makes Antlers a practical geographic anchor for the county.
Nashoba and Albion represent another setting. They lie far to the east and northeast, where the water map brings Little River and Black Fork into view and the elevation map shows repeated ridges. Their relationship to Antlers is therefore not just a matter of mileage. Reaching that side of the county means moving through a physically different mountain environment with fewer major road choices.
Rattan, by contrast, helps locate the southern road corridor. It is much closer to Antlers than Clayton or Albion in the direct-distance map. The surrounding terrain still contains streams and low ridges, but the broad southern position feels different from the narrow northern valleys. Using the four maps together turns those place names into memorable geographic zones rather than isolated labels.
Choose the map according to the question you need to answer
Use the general county map when the main question is location. It is the best starting point for finding Antlers, Clayton, Tuskahoma, Nashoba, Rattan, major route numbers, and the stepped county boundary. It also provides the clearest relationship to neighboring counties, which is useful when explaining where Pushmataha County sits within southeastern Oklahoma.
The settlement connection map is better when the goal is to compare scale and direction without the distraction of many smaller features. It shows Rattan, Clayton, and Albion from the Antlers hub and labels their straight-line distances. That makes the large separation among communities immediately understandable, but it should never be read as road mileage or estimated driving time.
Choose the terrain-and-water map for the Kiamichi River, Little River, Black Fork, Clayton Lake, Pine Creek, or other named tributaries. Its shaded relief is also helpful for seeing how streams occupy valleys between ridges. The elevation map removes much of the labeling and concentrates on height, making it the strongest choice for comparing mountain crests, lower river corridors, and the county’s overall relief.
For print or presentation work, the downloadable JPG files are preferable to the smaller WebP previews embedded in the page. Keep the original aspect ratio when resizing so road shields, settlement names, and drainage lines remain legible. These maps are intended for geographic reference and education; legal boundaries, flood regulation, current road restrictions, access rights, and engineering elevations should always be verified with current official sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which map is best for comparing Antlers and Clayton?
Use the general county map together with the settlement connection map. The general map shows the roads and intermediate places between Antlers and Clayton, while the connection map shows Clayton about 29 miles from Antlers by straight-line distance. That number is not road mileage, so current navigation should be used for an actual driving route.
Where are the Kiamichi River and Little River easiest to see?
The terrain-and-water map is the clearest choice. The Kiamichi River curves through the northern and central mountain landscape, while Little River is prominent on the eastern side. Black Fork, Pine Creek, Caney Creek, Cedar Creek, Clear Creek, Tenmile Creek, and several lakes are also labeled, giving the drainage network much more context than the general road map.
Can the 123–597 meter elevation range be used for surveying or construction?
No. The elevation map is intended to compare broad county-wide relief, such as high mountain ridges and lower river valleys. The reported range is useful for regional context, but property elevation, construction grades, drainage design, road engineering, or slope analysis require higher-resolution source data and, when appropriate, professional survey measurements.
Map File Information
The original Pushmataha County maps shown in this article are provided as high-resolution JPG files for printing, close viewing, classroom material, presentations, and personal geographic reference.
- Included Files: general county map, settlement connection map, terrain and water map, elevation map
- Printable Size: 3638 × 2572 px each
- File Type: JPG
Related Maps
Sources and reference links
- City of Antlers – About — local government background identifying Antlers as the Pushmataha County seat.
- Oklahoma Historical Society – Pushmataha County — county history, the Kiamichi Mountains, transportation, and regional background.
- U.S. Census Bureau – TIGER/Line Shapefiles — official geographic reference for county boundaries and related features.
- USGS – National Hydrography — authoritative reference for rivers, streams, and water features.
- USGS – 3D Elevation Program — official elevation and terrain data reference.
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.
