Okmulgee

History

Okmulgee has been the capital of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation since 1868, when it was founded following the Civil War. The Creek Nation began restoring order after that conflict. They had allied with the Confederacy during the war and needed to make a new peace treaty with the United States afterward as a result. They passed a new constitution and elected Samuel Checote as their first principal chief after the war. In 1869, a post office (originally spelled Okmulkee) was established in the town, with Captain Frederick B. Severs appointed as the first postmaster. The name of the post office was officially changed to the present spelling on November 15, 1883. For seven years, beginning December 20, 1870, Okmulgee was the seat of government of all of what would become the State of Oklahoma, except for the Panhandle. Okmulgee became a transportation center. The St. Louis, Oklahoma and Southern Railway (later absorbed by the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway or "Frisco") reached Okmulgee in 1900; this route still remains and is now operated by the BNSF Railway. The Shawnee, Oklahoma and Missouri Coal and Railway (also later acquired by the Frisco) was built from Muskogee to Okmulgee in 1902-03, and lasted until abandoned in 1973. Railroad projects which tried unsuccessfully to reach Okmulgee include the Oklahoma-Southwestern Railway, which planned to build from Bristow to Okmulgee but only made it to Nuyaka; the Kansas, Okmulgee and Gulf Railroad, which planned a line from Kansas City through Okmulgee to a point on the Red River, but never got off the ground; and, the Kansas, Oklahoma Central and Southwestern Railway which had Congressional authorization to build a branch from Bartlesville through Okmulgee to Sherman, Texas, but was bought out by the Atchison, Topeka…

Geography

Okmulgee is located at (35.624558, -95.963254). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.8 square miles (33.2 km), all of its land. It is located in the heart of Oklahoma's "Green Country", in the North East Quadrant of Oklahoma. Okmulgee is 38 miles south of Tulsa and 13 miles north of Henryetta via US-75.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• OKMULGEE PRIMARY ES
  Elementary · Okmulgee · 532 students · 18.3:1 ratio
• MORRIS ES
  Elementary · Morris · 440 students · 15.2:1 ratio
• PRESTON ES
  Elementary · Preston · 429 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• OKMULGEE HS
  High · Okmulgee · 331 students · 15:1 ratio
• DUNBAR INTERMEDIATE ES
  Middle · Okmulgee · 322 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• MORRIS HS
  High · Morris · 290 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• WILSON ES
  Elementary · Henryetta · 220 students · 22:1 ratio
• MORRIS MS
  Middle · Morris · 215 students · 16.5:1 ratio