Okmulgee, Oklahoma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Okmulgee
City
Elks Lodge and Water Tower in Okmulgee, originally the Wilson Mansion
Okmulgee Location in Oklahoma Show map of Oklahoma Okmulgee Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Okmulgee
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• Total	19.98 sq mi (51.76 km2)
• Land	17.22 sq mi (44.59 km2)
• Water	2.77 sq mi (7.17 km2)
Elevation	650 ft (200 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,322
• Density	657.61/sq mi (253.90/km2)
• CSA	1,126,243 (US: 53rd)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	74447
Area code(s)	539/918
FIPS code	40-55150
GNIS feature ID	2411312
Website	okmulgeeonline.com

Okmulgee is a city in Oklahoma, United States. It's part of the Tulsa metropolitan area and is the main city, or county seat, of Okmulgee County. The name "Okmulgee" comes from the Muskogee word okimulgi, which means "boiling waters." This name was chosen because of the rivers and springs nearby. Okmulgee is about 38 miles south of Tulsa and 13 miles north of Henryetta along US-75.

History of Okmulgee

Okmulgee has been the capital of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation since 1868. It was founded after the Civil War. The Creek Nation worked to bring order back after the war. They had sided with the Confederacy during the war, so they needed to make a new peace treaty with the United States. They created a new constitution and chose Samuel Checote as their first main chief after the war.

In 1869, a post office opened in the town. Its name was first spelled "Okmulkee," but it was officially changed to "Okmulgee" in 1883. For seven years, starting in 1870, Okmulgee was the center of government for almost all of what would become the State of Oklahoma.

Okmulgee became an important place for transportation. The St. Louis, Oklahoma and Southern Railway, which later became part of the Frisco Railway, arrived in Okmulgee in 1900. This railway line is still used today by the BNSF Railway. Other railways also came to Okmulgee, helping the town grow.

The arrival of the railways led to a building boom. By 1907, when Oklahoma became a state, Okmulgee had 2,322 residents. It was then named the county seat of Okmulgee County.

The early economy of Okmulgee was based on coal mining in the nearby Henryetta area and farming. When oil was found near Morris in 1907, Okmulgee grew even more. New industries came to town, including glass factories, a bottle factory, and machine shops. By the early 1920s, there were five oil refineries working in the area.

These industries helped Okmulgee's population grow quickly. In 1910, there were 4,176 people. By the 1920s, the city had about 35,000 people! Some newspaper articles from that time even said Okmulgee had more millionaires per person than any other place in Oklahoma, or even the whole country.

However, as oil production slowed down and prices dropped, and with the start of the Great Depression, the population of Okmulgee began to shrink. By 1930, it was 17,097. After World War II, many people moved to bigger cities for jobs. The population continued to decline, reaching 11,332 in the 2020 census.

Geography of Okmulgee

Okmulgee is located at 35°37′28″N 95°57′48″W / 35.62444°N 95.96333°W / 35.62444; -95.96333. The city covers about 19.98 square miles (51.76 square kilometers) of land and water. It is in the northeastern part of Oklahoma, an area often called "Green Country" because of its green landscapes. As mentioned, Okmulgee is 38 miles south of Tulsa and 13 miles north of Henryetta along US-75.

Population of Okmulgee

In the 2020 United States census, Okmulgee had 11,332 people living in 4,477 households. On average, there were about 2.37 people per household. The population density was about 657.6 people per square mile.

The people in Okmulgee came from different backgrounds:

• 51.5% White
• 16.6% African American
• 18.5% Native American
• 0.9% Asian/Pacific Islander
• 12.2% from two or more races
• 3.4% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

About 21.4% of the population was under 18 years old, and 15.1% were 65 years or older. More than half of the population (52.9%) was female.

The average household income in Okmulgee was about $31,572 (in 2020 dollars). The average income per person was about $19,564. Around 24.3% of the people in Okmulgee were living in poverty.

Economy of Okmulgee

In the early days, Okmulgee's economy relied on coal mining and farming. Farmers grew crops like cotton, corn, and other grains. Raising dairy cows and chickens was also important.

The discovery of oil in 1907 brought a lot of wealth to Okmulgee. It also led to new factories and businesses opening in the city.

Today, the most important business areas in Okmulgee include construction, retail (stores), healthcare, and places to stay and eat (like hotels and restaurants). Some of the biggest employers in the Okmulgee area are the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Anchor Glass, Paccar Winch-Okmulgee, Honeywell's Callidus Technologies, and PolyVision. There's also a glass recycling facility and a company that makes wood pallets.

Education in Okmulgee

Okmulgee Public Schools

The public schools in Okmulgee include the Primary School, Dunbar, and the High School.

CareerTech

• Green Country Technology Center is part of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education system, offering technical training.

College of the Muscogee Nation

Colleges and Universities

• College of the Muscogee Nation
• Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology ("OSUIT"), also known as Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee. This school started in 1946 to provide technical training for soldiers returning from WWII. It has grown into the OSUIT you see today.

Parks and Recreation in Okmulgee

Okmulgee offers many fun outdoor activities. You can visit Okmulgee Park and Dripping Springs Park, which have places for RVs and camping. These parks also offer swimming, fishing, and boating on Dripping Springs Lake and the separate Okmulgee Lake. Dripping Springs Lake has 18 miles (29 km) of shoreline and 1,150 acres (4.7 km²) of water. When there's a lot of rain, the Lake Okmulgee Dam Spillway Cascade creates a beautiful man-made waterfall.

Near Okmulgee is the Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge. This large area of about 9,000 acres (36 km²) was created in 1993 to protect waterfowl (birds that live near water). It's a great place for watching wildlife, fishing, and some types of hunting.

Lake Eufaula, which is Oklahoma's largest lake, is located to the southeast of Okmulgee.

Okmulgee Municipal Park has a bike trail, walking track, playground, and soccer field. Other city parks include Hawthorne Park (with a skate park, baseball park, and tennis court), Kiddy Lake Park, Noble Park, Red Francis Park, and Southeast Rotary Park.

The Okmulgee County Fairgrounds hosts the yearly Okmulgee County Fair and other events.

Historic Buildings in Okmulgee

Many historic buildings in Okmulgee are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This means they are important for their history or architecture.

The Okmulgee Downtown Historic District is a special area with many historic buildings. Groups like Okmulgee Main Street work to preserve these buildings and help the downtown area grow. One special building is the Orpheum Theater, which opened in 1920. It's known for its beautiful Spanish-style architecture and colorful lobby.

The historic Okmulgee County Courthouse, built in 1916, is also on the NRHP.

The Creeks first built a log council house as their capital. After it burned down, the stone Creek Council House building was built. Today, it's a museum with items and exhibits about the history of the Muscogee tribe and other Native American tribes. This building is also NRHP-listed.

The Okmulgee Public Library, built in 1921, is a good example of Georgian Revival architecture and is NRHP-listed.

In 2012, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation bought the Okmulgee Golf Club. It has a golf course from 1920 and a clubhouse from 1925 made of local stone. The Nation plans to turn it into a cultural center.

Historic churches in Okmulgee include First Baptist Central Church (built 1915), Eastside Baptist Church (built 1921), and St. Anthony's (built 1927 in Spanish Colonial Revival style). All are NRHP-listed.

Some grand historic mansions from the oil boom days still stand, like the Okmulgee Elks Lodge (originally the Wilson Mansion from 1922), the Southern Mansion (a 1928 home), the Kennedy Mansion (from 1904), and the "Historic Okmulgee Mansion" (a 1921 Italian Renaissance home).

The Nuyaka Mission site, an important historic location, is also NRHP-listed and located west of Okmulgee.

Events in Okmulgee

Okmulgee is famous for its yearly Okmulgee Invitational Rodeo and Festival. It's the oldest African-American rodeo in the country and one of Oklahoma's longest-running rodeos.

The Okmulgee Farmer's Market has been held every year since 2013, offering fresh produce from May to October.

Okmulgee also has an annual Pecan Festival. In 1989, a world record was set at the festival for the largest pecan pie, which was 40 feet (12 meters) wide and used over 16.5 tons of ingredients! A mural in town celebrates this event.

The Okmulgee County Fair happens every September at the Okmulgee County Fairgrounds. It includes exhibits, livestock shows, and other fun activities.

Throughout the year, Okmulgee hosts other family-friendly events like OrangeFest, Harvest Spoon Chili Fest, Muscogee Creek Nation Festival, Eats and Beats, and the Airfest.

Transportation in Okmulgee

Okmulgee is served by major roads like U.S. Route 75 (which runs from Canada to Texas) and U.S. Route 62 (which runs from Mexico to New York).

For public transportation, Okmulgee is part of the KI BOIS Area Transit System ("KATS"). This bus service helps people get to places like senior centers, grocery stores, medical services, and jobs. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation also offers trolley-style bus services around the city. These services are open to everyone, not just tribal citizens.

The city has the Okmulgee Regional Airport, which was built in 1943. It has a main runway that is 5,150 feet (1,570 meters) long. The airport is managed by the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust.

For bigger flights, people can go to Tulsa International Airport, which is about 47 miles (76 km) north of Okmulgee.

Train freight service is provided by BNSF Railway.

Notable People from Okmulgee

Media in Okmulgee

The Okmulgee Times is the local daily newspaper.

OHS Broadcast Media is the official site for Okmulgee Public Schools news.

KOKL, also known as The Brew, is a radio station in Okmulgee. It plays classic hits from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s on FM 106.3 and AM 1240.

See also

In Spanish: Okmulgee (Oklahoma) para niños