Okemah

History

Historically occupied by the Osage and Quapaw, who ceded their lands to the United States by 1825, the area was assigned to the Creek Nation and specifically the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town after Indian Removal of tribes from the Southeast United States in the 1830s. Okemah was named after a Kickapoo chief. In March 1902, Chief Okemah built a bark house in his tribe's traditional fashion. He had come to await the opening of the townsite, which took his name on April 22, 1902. In the Kickapoo language, okemah means "things up high," such as a highly placed person or town, or high ground. In preparation for Oklahoma's statehood, the Dawes Commission was authorized in 1896 to work with the Five Civilized Tribes to enroll their members for allotments of tribal land to individual households. Registration of tribal members lasted from 1898 to 1906. After allotment, the government was going to declare the remaining tribal lands "surplus" and sell them to European-American settlers. Okemah was platted by a group of Shawnee residents in March 1902 on land belonging to Mahala and Nocus Fixico, full-blood Creek. The Fixicos had no legal right at the time to sell their holding, as enrollment of tribal members on the Dawes Roll continued until 1906, and no land-sales were to take place by Indians until it was completed. That did not appear to affect the promoters or the development of the town. On April 22, 1902, the formal opening launched the town. A post office opened on May 16, and the town was incorporated in 1903. In the spring of 1904, Commission restrictions on the sale of townsite lots were removed. The Department of the Interior trustees of land held by American Indians paid the Fixicos $50 an acre for their land, and gave legal deeds to the purchasers who claimed title.…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (2.63%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• OAKES ES
  Elementary · Okemah · 245 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• OKEMAH HS
  High · Okemah · 198 students · 11.6:1 ratio
• MASON ES
  Elementary · Mason · 181 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• OKEMAH MS
  Middle · Okemah · 162 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• BEARDEN PUBLIC SCHOOL
  Elementary · Okemah · 140 students · 14:1 ratio
• OKEMAH NOBLE CTR
  Elementary · Okemah · 120 students · 15:1 ratio
• MASON HS
  High · Mason · 74 students · 14.8:1 ratio