Craig County

Vinita, the county seat of Craig County, is located southeast of the center of the county at the intersection of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway with the Frisco. Mr. D. M. Marrs, an old citizen, and for many years editor of the Vinita Leader gives the following sketch of the origin and growth of the city. “A generation ago, or to be more explicit, in the fall of 1869, there might have been seen struggling through the rank underbrush, or toiling through the tall prairie grass, a party of men locating a route for a railroad along the line […]

Craig County has an area of 775 square miles of land, mostly level prairie land, nearly all of it being of first class agricultural soil. During the years gone by, great quantities of prairie hay were cut each year and much of it shipped to northern markets. Some of the largest and most prosperous cattle ranches were formerly located in this section of the state, but when lands were allotted to the Indians and cut up into small farms, a much greater portion of the land was put into cultivation, and, as a result, the immense pastures disappeared and the

Craig County is located in the northern part of the state, adjoining Ottawa, County on the west and the State of Kansas on the south. In Territorial days this section of the state was an important part of the Cherokee Nation and many of its officials and prominent citizens still reside here. Upon the abolition of tribal government and the adoption of statehood, these Cherokees quickly adjusted themselves to their new environment and their new political relations, many of them being successful farmers, business men and political leaders. History of Craig County Oklahoma History of Vinita, Oklahoma Original Vinita, Craig

“Originally there were thirteen streets and nine avenues. The streets were named for prominent Cherokee families as Vann, Wilson, Scraper, etc. The avenues were named for the districts or counties into which the Cherokee Nation was divided, Sequoyah, Delaware, Canadian, etc. As a pioneer frontier town, Vinita was not long a `wild and woolley’ west,. town, but early in its history became a school and church town, populated for the most part by law abiding people who laid the foundations for the present splendid little city. With the exception of the Cherokee public schools, to the Congregationalists belongs the credit

The character and condition of the business of a city are usually reflected by the character and condition of its financial institutions. In this respect Vinita makes a good showing. Its two National banks have total deposits of $1,200,000, and its two State banks have more than a million dollars. Some of the leading financiers of the state are connected with these banks and they are noted for their conservative management. Many of the residences of Vinita have been built through the aid of a local Building & Loan Association, which at this time has more than a half million