Park Hill, Oklahoma Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Park Hill, Oklahoma
Census-designated place
Park Hill post office in March 18, 2010
Location within Cherokee County and the state of Oklahoma
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Cherokee
Area
• Total	25.16 sq mi (65.17 km²)
• Land	24.83 sq mi (64.32 km²)
• Water	0.33 sq mi (0.85 km²)
Elevation	761 ft (232 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	3,193
• Density	128.58/sq mi (49.65/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	74451
Area code(s)	539/918
FIPS code	40-57300
GNIS feature ID	2409027

Park Hill is a small community in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is known as a census-designated place (CDP). This means it's a special area defined by the government for collecting population data. In 2020, about 3,193 people lived here. Park Hill is located close to Tahlequah, which is the county seat. It sits near where two main roads, U.S. Route 62 and State Highway 82, meet.

Park Hill was founded in 1838. It became an important home for many Cherokee leaders, including Chief John Ross. The Cherokee people moved here after being forced from their homes in the southeastern U.S. This difficult journey is known as the "Trail of Tears". Because of its history, Park Hill has been called "the center of Cherokee culture."

Discovering Park Hill's Past
Where is Park Hill Located?
Park Hill's Population and People
Learning in Park Hill
Fun and Recreation
Famous People from Park Hill
Images for kids
Gallery
See also

Discovering Park Hill's Past

Park Hill was already a small settlement when many Cherokee people arrived after the "Trail of Tears". In 1829, the Park Hill Mission was started. This mission was very important because it had one of the first printing presses in Oklahoma, called the Park Hill Mission Press.

Early Days and Important Leaders

The first post office in Park Hill opened on May 18, 1838. In 1839, Chief John Ross, a very important Cherokee leader, made his home here. His nephew-in-law, George Murrell, also lived in Park Hill. Murrell's historic home is still standing today.

On May 6, 1847, the post office moved to Tahlequah. Later, in 1849, the Cherokee Female Seminary was built in Park Hill. This was a school for young Cherokee women.

A Hub of Cherokee Culture

For many years, Park Hill was the main center for Cherokee culture. In 1940, a group called the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Oklahoma placed a marker here. It officially declared Park Hill as the "Center of Cherokee culture." The post office in Park Hill was reopened on April 22, 1892.

Historic Places to Visit

Many important sites in and around Park Hill are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Murrell Home, the Park Hill Mission Cemetery (also known as the Worcester cemetery), and the Ross Cemetery. The original Cherokee Female Seminary site is also here.

The Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill was built on the land where the Female Seminary used to be. This center helps preserve and share Cherokee history and culture. Since 2001, the Echota Ceremonial Ground has also been located in Park Hill, on the north side of town.

The Park Hill Mission Cemetery

The Park Hill Mission was founded in 1829, even before the community grew larger. The first person buried in the Park Hill Mission Cemetery was Elias Boudinot, who started the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper. He passed away in Park Hill on June 23, 1839. Samuel Worcester, a missionary to the Cherokee, and his two wives are also buried here. The last burial in this cemetery was in 1905. This cemetery became a National Register of Historic Places site on December 6, 2006.

Where is Park Hill Located?

Park Hill is in the southern part of Cherokee County. It is just south of Tahlequah, which is the main city in the county. U.S. Route 62 goes north from Park Hill to Tahlequah. It also goes southwest about 25 miles to Muskogee. Oklahoma State Highway 82 goes south about 31 miles to Vian.

The total area of Park Hill is about 90.4 square kilometers. Most of this area, about 89.1 square kilometers, is land. The rest, about 1.3 square kilometers, is water.

Park Hill's Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
2020	3,193	—
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2010, there were 3,909 people living in Park Hill. There were 1,260 households, which are groups of people living together in one home. About 986 of these were families.

Many different people make up the community of Park Hill. About 43.4% of the people were White, and 40.3% were Native American. About 6.9% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

The population in Park Hill includes people of all ages. About 30.8% of the people were under 18 years old. About 10.2% were 65 years old or older. The average age of people in Park Hill was about 28.8 years.

Learning in Park Hill

Students in Park Hill attend schools in a few different districts. These include Tahlequah Public Schools, Keys Public School, and Woodall Public School.

Two important schools are located right in Park Hill. These are Sequoyah High School and the Cherokee Immersion School.

Fun and Recreation

If you like sports, you'll be interested to know that the tribal softball fields are located in Park Hill. This is a great place for playing and watching softball games.

Famous People from Park Hill

Many interesting people have connections to Park Hill:

Elias Boudinot (1802-1839), who was the editor of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper.
Elias Cornelius Boudinot (1835-1890), the son of Elias Boudinot.
Alice Brown Davis (1852–1935), who was a Principal Chief of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
John Ross (1790-1866), a very important Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Mary G. Ross (1908-2008), who was the first Native American female engineer.
Tommy Wildcat (born 1967), a Native American flutist, storyteller, and traditionalist.
Samuel Worcester (1798–1859), a missionary who lived, died, and was buried in Park Hill.