Park Hill

History

Park Hill was a pre-established hamlet that became the home for many of the Cherokee after coming from the East on the "Trail of Tears". In 1829 the Park Hill Mission was established. It was in Park Hill that Chief John Ross made his home in 1839, as well as his nephew-in-law George Murrell, whose home still stands. the Ross Cemetery, and the original Cherokee Female Seminary. The Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill, was built on the former grounds of the Female Seminary. The Echota Ceremonial Ground has been located in Park Hill since 2001, on the north side of town. Park Hill Mission, which antedated the community, was founded in 1829. The first person buried in Park Hill Mission Cemetery was Elias Boudinot, founder of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper, who was assassinated in Park Hill on June 23, 1839. Samuel Worcester and his two wives were also interred here. The last burial in this cemetery was a Worcester daughter, Ann Eliza Worcester Robertson. in 1905. This cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 6, 2006.

Geography

Park Hill is located south of the center of Cherokee County and is bordered to the north by Tahlequah, the county seat. U.S. Route 62 leads north to Tahlequah and southwest to Muskogee, while Oklahoma State Highway 82 leads south to Vian. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Park Hills CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.48%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  493
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  399
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  374
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  364
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  322
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  305
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  299
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  282

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