The father of Okaloosa County was the colorful and controversial William Mapoles, a State Representative for Walton County. The geographic isolation of the area ignited the desire for a separate county.

Mr. Mapoles introduced the first bill to create the new county in 1913. The proposed name was Yellow River County, later changed to Wilson County, Woodrow Wilson being President at the time. In 1915, Okaloosa County was created and name by Mr Mapoles after a river steamboat that traveled from Milton to Pensacola.