Braggs

History

This town was named Patrick, Indian Territory, on May 2, 1886, for John J. Patrick, its first postmaster. On September 10, 1888, it was renamed for a prominent landowner, Solomon Bragg. Braggs remained a small farming town through the first part of the 20th century. During its early years, the community was regularly visited by outlaws such as the Cook Gang, Cherokee Bill and Henry Starr. In 1942, the U. S. Army created a military cantonment named Camp Gruber, just outside town. The camp cost about $30 million and brought a surge of prosperity to Braggs. The camp covered and trained thousands of new soldiers during World War II. Part of the camp was used to house captured German military men, until they were repatriated after the war. The camp was deactivated in 1947, ending the prosperity for Braggs Camp Gruber reopened in 1977 as a training facility for reserve and active duty units. It became the home for the National Guard Air Assault School in 1987.

Geography

Braggs is in eastern Muskogee County, east of the Arkansas River along State Highway 10. It is south of Fort Gibson and north of Gore. Muskogee, the county seat, is to the northwest by road. Braggs is bordered to the north and east by Camp Gruber, an Oklahoma Army National Guard (OKARNG) training facility. It is bordered to the south and west by the census-designated place of Sand Hill. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Braggs has a total area of , all land. Sand Creek touches the southeast corner of the town as it flows westerly toward the Arkansas River.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  299
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  276
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  242
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  208
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  197
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  185
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  183
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  156

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-08-31
  12 km E of Crowder, Oklahoma
• M 2.65 — 2024-10-28
  14 km WSW of Quinton, Oklahoma
• M 2.86 — 2024-08-14
  13 km WSW of Quinton, Oklahoma
• M 2.82 — 2024-03-23
  9 km SE of Foyil, Oklahoma
• M 2.6 — 2023-03-16
  11 km E of Crowder, Oklahoma
• M 2.8 — 2022-06-05
  13 km WSW of Quinton, Oklahoma