Cherokee County

Their first tribal councils after arriving at their new Indian Territory were, by common consent, held in the vicinity of the present site of Tahlequah, on account of the beautiful natural surroundings and the numerous sparkling springs which bubbled up from the level ground on all sides, but in the Autumn of 1841 the Cherokee National Council enacted a law making Tahlequah the capital of the Cherokee Nation, and it continued to be their capital, their principal town and their principal public meeting place from that date until the final dissolution of the tribal government. Their first council house and … Read more

As stated elsewhere, John Ross died while on a trip to Washington, D. C., in August, 1866, and was buried at the old home of his second wife, near Wilmington, Del., but his body was soon taken back to his old home and buried near Park Hill. Upon the occasion of his burial at the latter place, his gifted nephew, William P. Ross, who succeeded him as chief, delivered an eloquent, oration before the Cherokee council at Tahlequah, a portion of which was as follows, taken from the little book “The Life and Times of Hon. William P. Ross” “My … Read more

For many years Tahlequah continued to be the principal trading point for the Cherokees and for the whites who had drifted into the territory, but it remained an inland town until the branch of the Frisco railroad was built from Okmulgee to Muskogee and on through Tahlequah to Fayetteville, Ark., in the early part of the present century. Prior to the arrival of the railroad, a regular stage line was maintained between Tahlequah, Fort Gibson and Muskogee. The National Council was required by law to hold annual meetings at Tahlequah and special meetings were often called by the chief. These … Read more

Cherokee County adjoins Muskogee and Wagoner counties on the east and Adair County on the west. It contains about seven hundred square miles of land of diversified quality. It contains some rocky, hilly land, some upland of medium quality, some open prairie and some fertile river and creek bottom land. With the exception of the limited amount of prairie, this county was formerly heavily timbered, much of the timber, especially along the numerous streams, being still undisturbed. A farmer in search of a home would indeed be hard to please, who could not find a farm here to suit his … Read more

In 1846 the Cherokee Council, in session at Tahlequah, took steps toward establishing a male seminary and a female seminary, but these seminaries were not ready for occupancy until 1850. Soon after Tahlequah was made the capital of the Cherokee Nation, the National Council passed an act providing that the chief should make his official headquarters at that place. From the beginning of the Cherokee government, in 1839, to the recent dissolution of their tribal government, the following named men served successively as chief : John Ross (who served continuously from 1839 to 1866, except when deposed for .a short … Read more

In 1844 Tahlequah was visited by a delegation of Mormons, migrating toward the West, who passed through Tahlequah and being fascinated by the beautiful scenery of the neighborhood, decided to locate there and establish a Mormon society among the Indians. Being industrious and energetic, they began to manufacture brick and built some of the first brick houses erected in the town, including the old, historic National Hotel which, for many years was headquarters for council members and visitors. Aunt Eliza Alberty, a fine old Cherokee lady, proprietor of this hotel until a few, years ago, could relate many interesting stories … Read more

Park Trill, a small town, located on the railroad five miles south of Tahlequah, is noted principally for its connection with the history of the Cherokee Nation. It has a bank controlled by Mr. Waddie Hudson, for many years the editor and proprietor of the Tahlequah Arrow, an old-time newspaper which is still published, and several general stores.  The old Park Hill Female Seminary, which was destroyed by fire many years ago, was the leading school for girls in the Indian Territory for many years. The Cherokee Orphan Academy is located just west of Park Hill, and is now the … Read more

Tahlequah was incorporated under Cherokee law on December 20, 1890, and under that incorporation Mr. G. W. Hughes was elected as the town’s first mayor and Messrs. J. S. Stapler, E. C. Boudinot, Jr., T. J. McSpadden, T. J. Adair and B. W. Foreman were chosen as the first aldermen. The town did not increase in population to any extent for many years, partly on account of its remoteness from any railroad, and perhaps, like most other capital towns, it seemed content with entertaining the National Council when in session, and with patiently waiting for the next session to arrive. … Read more

Soon after their arrival here a bitter controversy arose between those who first left their Eastern homes and those who emigrated a few years later as to their respective property rights in and to their new reservation, and delegates representing the two factions met at Illinois Camp Ground, near Tahlequah, and on the 12th day of July, 1838, consummated the following: “Act Of Union Between The Eastern And Western Cherokee Click here to read the signers for the Eastern and Western Cherokee. There is additional information on that page, and is different from the information on this page. “Whereas, Our … Read more

Soon after the establishment of their capital at Tahlequah, the Cherokee felt the need of some means of communication between the officials and the members of the tribe, and in 1811 the Cherokee Advocate was established as their official newspaper. It was the successor of the Cherokee Phoenix, which had been their official paper back in Georgia ever since 1822. The invention of the Cherokee alphabet by Sequoyah, in 1821, enabled them to publish their news in their own language which enabled the full-bloods who could not speak nor read the English language to keep posted upon the events and … Read more

The darkest page in the history of Tahlequah was that of the Civil war period. For more than twenty years the Cherokees had busied themselves with the task of clearing land, building houses and fences and developing farms. Many of them were slaveholders and with their cheap labor they had been able to produce abundant crops and accumulate herds of cattle, horses and hogs, in short, many of them lived in affluence, but the war, with its bitter animosities, left the majority of, them penniless. Their homes were burned, their crops destroyed and their livestock confiscated and driven away. It … Read more