Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
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Known as the Aniyunwiya, the original people, before European contact, in the early 19th century, the Cherokee people began moving west to escape the encroaching settlers. Following the forced removal to Indian Territory on the Trail of Tears, the original people, ironically, became the first settlers of the territory that became Oklahoma.

Of course, the Cherokees were not the first people in the territory, but, upon arrival, they established a constitutional government, constructed buildings and opened roads. In 1844, the Cherokee Advocate became the first newspaper in the state. In 1851, the Cherokee Female and Male Seminaries were opened. The Cherokee Female Seminary was the first institution of higher learning for women west of the Mississippi River.

*From the Chisholm Trail, marked by the mixed-blood Cherokee Jesse Chisholm across western Oklahoma to Sequoyah’s cabin home near Sallisaw, Okla., and the Arkansas border in the east, the original people have set historic marks and monuments throughout the state.

For those who may wish to visit the Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma, we offer a tour of a few sites of historic significance to Cherokees and all Oklahomans.

*From Tulsa to the Five Civilized Tribes Museum, assuming that your departure point is Tulsa, take state Highway 51 to the Muskogee Turnpike east of Broken Arrow. Take the Muskogee exit for the first tour stop - the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee.

The Five Civilized Tribes Museum is located at Agency Hill on Honor Heights Drive at the north end of the Veterans Administration grounds about one mile west of U.S. highways 62 and 69 in Muskogee. The two-story, building was restored in 1965 and 1966 and contains a library of books and documents as well as a collection of art and artifacts pertaining to the histories of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole Nations. For more information, call 918-683-1701.

*From the Five Tribes Museum to the Tahlonteeskee Courthouse, proceed south on the turnpike to the Warner exit and U.S. Highway 64 to Tahlonteeskee Courthouse, two miles east of Gore, Oklahoma. It can also be accessed from Interstate 40, which runs one mile south of the site.

Tahlonteeskee Courthouse dates back to pre-removal of the Cherokees from the east. It was originally built as a capitol building in 1827 by a group of Cherokees that moved to eastern Oklahoma from western Arkansas. After the removal and the unification of the Cherokee factions into one government, it was no longer used as a capitol building.

Today, the restored building, which is more than 150 years old, is located approximately one mile from its original location where the Illinois River flows into the Arkansas River. For more information, call 918-489-5663.

*From Tahlonteeskee Courthouse to Sequoyah’s Home

Upon leaving the courthouse, take U.S. Highway 64 to Sallisaw. Turn left on U.S. Highway 59 and drive three miles north and turn right on state Highway 101. Go 14 miles to Sequoyah’s home.

This historic site pays homage to one of the Cherokee Nation’s greatest citizens and inventors. After 10 years of work on creating a written syllabary of the Cherokee language, during which he was ridiculed by many for his devotion to the project, he gave his people their own written language in 1821. After living in western Arkansas for nearly 10 years with a small band of Cherokees, he moved to Oklahoma with his wife Sally, built a home 11 miles northeast of Sallisaw and established a salt-making business. In 1936, the Oklahoma Historical Society preserved Sequoyah’s original log cabin by placing a protective building around it. Inside are period furnishings and related personal effects of Sequoyah. For more information, call 918-775-2413. Visit the Sequoyah Museum online.

*From Sequoyah’s Home to Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation you can return via I-40 and the Muskogee Turnpike to the Tahlequah exit. A more scenic route can be taken on U.S. Highway 59 north to Stilwell, then traveling state Highway 51 to Tahlequah.

Three and one half miles south of Tahlequah, off U.S. Highway 62, you can visit Cherokee FIRST (Friendly Information Referral Service Team) in the W. W. Keeler Tribal Complex of the Cherokee Nation. A friendly staff is available to assist you with any questions you might have about the Cherokee Nation. For more information, call 918-456-0671 (Ext.2936) or toll free 1-800-256-0671.

*From the Cherokee Nation Tribal Complex to Murrell Home

Upon leaving the Cherokee Nation Tribal Complex, turn right on U.S. Highway 62. At the traffic light, less than one-half mile from the tribal complex, turn right on state Highway 82, then take an immediate left on Murrell Home Road and drive one mile to the Murrell Home.

George M. Murrell, a Virginian who was married to Minerva Ross, the niece of Cherokee Chief John Ross, built the Murrell Home, also known as Hunter’s Home, in 1845. It is the only remaining antebellum plantation home in Oklahoma and is a monument to the good lifestyle practiced by some Cherokee citizens before the American Civil War. For information, call 918-456-2751.

*From Murrell Home to the Cherokee Heritage Center, a drive of nearly one mile north from Murrell Home on Keeler Road, will bring you to the Cherokee Heritage Center entrance.

The Cherokee Heritage Center located in Park Hill, Oklahoma, just two miles south of Tahlequah includes a 1,500-seat capacity Tsa-La-Gi outdoor amphitheater, an ancient village, Adams Corner Rural Village and Farm and the Cherokee National Museum. The Cherokee National Historical Society Inc., established in 1963, operates the center’s museum and grounds. Designated as the symbolic end of the Trail of Tears, in conjunction with the National Park Service, a state of the art permanent exhibition titled "Trail of Tears" is now open at the center.

In addition, the museum presents the annual Trail of Tears Art Show. The Cherokee National Archives located in the museum includes an ever-increasing collection of important Cherokee historical records, photographs and documents.

A genealogical library is available for research services. The museum gift shop offers books, publications and the work of Cherokee artists and crafts-people. For more information, call 918-456-6007 or toll free 1-888-999-6007.

*From the Cherokee Heritage Center to the Cherokee Courthouse, turn right when you exit the Cherokee Heritage Center and follow Keeler Road that curves into Willis Road one mile to U.S. Highway 62. Turn right on U.S. 62/Muskogee Ave. and a drive four miles north will take you to downtown Tahlequah and the Cherokee Courthouse Square.

In 1870, the Cherokee Capitol building was completed in what is now downtown Tahlequah. It housed the National Council, the treasurer's office, the executive branch and tribe’s supreme court. After Oklahoma statehood the building was converted to the Cherokee County Courthouse, but it was eventually returned to tribal ownership and now serves as the tribe’s courthouse and its symbol of sovereignty. For more information, call Cherokee FIRST.

The Cherokee National Prison building is located one block south of the Courthouse Square at the corner of Water and Choctaw Streets.

The Cherokee National Penitentiary was built in 1874, but it was later called the Cherokee National Prison. The state took over the building in 1907 and removed the building’s third story in 1925. The building was returned to the Cherokee Nation in 1976. The tribe recently rebuilt the third story next to the former prison, which houses the library, while the old prison now houses the Cherokee Cultural Resource Center. For more information, call 918-458-6170.

*From the Cherokee Courthouse to Seminary Hall, continue north on U.S. 62/Muskogee Ave. to Northeastern State University, where 26 percent of the students are American Indian. The centerpiece of the campus is Seminary Hall, another Cherokee legacy, where thousands of students have attained a higher education.

The three-story hall was built in 1889 as the Cherokee Female Seminary after the original structure at Park Hill burned. After Oklahoma became a state in 1907, the seminary was sold to the state. It is now used by NSU for classrooms. For more information, call the NSU Visitor Center, phone: 918-458-2130.

*From Seminary Hall to Illinois River and Saline Courthouse When you leave Seminary Hall, drive south a few blocks on U.S. Highway 62/Muskogee Ave. Turn left on Downing Street, (aka, state Highway 51) and drive 2 7/10 miles to state Highway 10, where you turn left and drive north parallel to the Illinois River for several miles.

The clear water of the Illinois River runs 60 miles through northeastern Oklahoma and offers many opportunities for relaxation and recreation. The Illinois River is considered to be the best canoe stream in the state where novice and experienced canoeists can enjoy the river as it winds by high bluffs, rocky islands, birch and giant sycamore trees.

The Illinois also offers a wonderful opportunity to study nature and wildlife, particularly in the spring, late fall and winter when floaters are not as plentiful on the river.

After driving 29 miles, you reach the intersection of U.S. Highway 412 where you turn left and drive approximately 17 miles to the Rose, Oklahoma, exit. Located one mile southeast of Rose is the Saline Courthouse.

The Saline Courthouse, located one mile southeast of Rose, Oklahoma, off U.S. Highway 412, is the only one of nine district courthouses built by the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory that is still standing. The courthouse was built in 1871 and it is a credit to its builders that it still stands today. In 1988, the state returned the courthouse to the Cherokee Nation, and it is now preserved as an historical site. For more information, call 918-456-0671 (Ext. 2937).

*From Saline Courthouse to the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, return to U.S. Hwy. 412 and drive east approximately 25 miles to the intersection with U.S. Highway 69 where you turn right and drive north to Pryor, Okla. Turn left on state Highway 20 in Pryor and drive 20 miles to Claremore, Oklahoma, where the Will Rogers Memorial Museum is located at 1720 Will Rogers Blvd.

Will Rogers was one of the most beloved citizens of the Cherokee Nation and the United States. Born in nearby Oologah, Oklahoma, Rogers was a trick rider and roper, a vaudeville performer, a movie star, radio commentator, syndicated newspaper columnist, author and philosopher.

Rogers life is chronicled in the Will Rogers Museum located on 20 acres he bought in 1911 for a future retirement home. After his untimely death in 1935 in a plane crash in Point Barrow, Alaska, his wife and children donated the land and much of his personal collection for the museum. A 2,400 square-foot library and a large archive of personal memorabilia are housed in the museum, which is open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 918-341-0719.

If you have the time, take a side trip to Will's birthplace in nearby Oologah.

*From Will Rogers Museum to Gilcrease Museum returning to Tulsa, south on U.S. Highway 66, you can conclude the tour at the Gilcrease Museum, located at 1400 Gilcrease Museum Road.

Gilcrease has the largest collection of the works of Cherokee sculptor Willard Stone - two on display and many of 65 additional objects on view in open storage, as well as, the works of Cherokee artists Cecil Dick, Franklin Gritts and others. The collection includes handwritten papers and the syllabary by Sequoyah, as well as papers of Chief John Ross. The works of Frederic Remington, George Catlin and Thomas Moran are among the collection of more than 10,000 paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures by 400 artists from colonial times to the present. The museum has an extensive anthropology collection focusing on the history of North, Central and South America, from initial human settlement to the present.

A gift shop is open during museum hours and features full-color prints of paintings, reproduction bronzes, books, pottery, kachinas, baskets and gifts. For more information, call 918-596-2700, or toll free 1-888-655-2278.

Cherokee National Holiday

If you visit the Cherokee Nation on Labor Day weekend, you can experience the 49th Cherokee National Holiday, which is featured on the following pages.
49th Annual Cherokee National Holiday information online.
Cherokee National Holiday information from CNHS.

For more information, call 918-456-0671 (Ext.2544).

Thanks for visiting. Hope to see you again soon.