Creek National Capitol, also known as Creek Council House, is a building in downtown
Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Okmulgee is a city in, and the county seat of, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. The name is from the Mvskoke word ''okimulgee,'' which means "boiling waters".Bamburg, Maxine"Okmulgee,"''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Accessed June 16 ...
, in the United States. It was capitol of the
Muscogee (Creek) Nation
The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...
from 1878 until 1907. They had established their capital at Okmulgee in 1867, after the American Civil War.
After Oklahoma was admitted as a state in 1907, the Creek lost control of this building and communal territory to the United States government, by a 1908 act. It continued to lease the building to recently organized
Okmulgee County, Oklahoma
Okmulgee County is a county in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 40,069. The county seat is Okmulgee. Located within the Muscogee Nation Reservation, the county was created at statehood in 1907. The name Okm ...
for its use. In 1919 the
U.S. Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the man ...
Tulsa World
The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 20 ...
'', March 18, 2010.
In 1961 the building was declared a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
, and in 1966 it was one of the first listings on
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. and In November 2010 the city sold the building back to the tribe for $3.2 million. The building houses the Creek Council House Museum, featuring artifacts and exhibits about the history of the
Muscogee
The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern Woodlandscontributing building
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...
in the listing of the
Okmulgee Downtown Historic District
The Okmulgee Downtown Historic District is the original downtown area of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, roughly bounded by 4th Street, 8th Street, Okmulgee Avenue, and the Frisco tracks. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Decemb ...
. With
History
In 1837 the majority of the
Muscogee
The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern Woodlandsremove from their territory in the Southeast to west of the Mississippi River by the U.S. government, during what is known as the
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was an ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of approximately 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850 by the United States government. As part of the Indian removal, members of the Cherokee, ...
. Survivors of the trek reached
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...
and held a meeting at the historic Council Oak Tree, in an area that developed as present-day
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
.
During the American Civil War, tribal unity was tested as members divided over alliance with the Confederacy. Leaders had hoped to maintain neutrality, but many members fought with the Confederacy. After the war, the US required a new peace treaty to be negotiated and also required the tribe to emancipate any enslaved African Americans they held. They became known as Creek Freedmen.
In 1867 the
Muscogee (Creek) Nation
The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...
was established in the Indian Territory, with its governmental headquarters in the city of Okmulgee. The next year a double-log, two-story council house was constructed to conduct tribal business. On October 17, 1877, an act was passed by the council and approved by Chief Ward Coachman appropriating $10,000 for the construction of a new capitol building of stone or brick upon the site of the log council house. On January 10, 1878, the old Council House was sold for $60, with the tribe reconvening at the new Council House on September 23. The new Council House contained separate chambers for the executive and judicial branches of the government, with the legislative branch divided into the House of Kings and House of Warriors.
In 1906 the U.S. Congress passed the
Five Civilized Tribes Act
5 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
5, five or number 5 may also refer to:
* AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era
* 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era
Literature
* ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram
* ''5'' (comics), an awa ...
, ending national self-governance for the Muscogee Creek Nation and the other four tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole. In 1907 the Indian Territory was integrated into the state of Oklahoma.
That same year, the federal government leased the Muscogee Nation's Council House to the newly organized Okmulgee County for $2,000 a year to serve as the Okmulgee County Courthouse. This arrangement continued until 1917. In 1908 the
U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
authorized the Secretary of the Interior to "take possession of all lands belonging to the Five Civilized Tribes, now or heretofore used for government, school, or other tribal purposes...".
In 1919 the City of Okmulgee purchased the Creek Council House and its grounds for $100,000, under the supervision of the Department of the Interior. The sale proceeds were deposited in the U.S. Treasury in the name of the tribe. In the 1920s the City of Okmulgee heard proposals for the Council House either to be torn down or adapted as a private hotel. This redevelopment was ended after popular entertainer Will Rogers (
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
) visited the city and called for the Council House to be preserved, appealing to supporters of this view.
On April 24, 1923, activists founded the Creek Indian Memorial Association (CIMA) to protect the historical monuments of the Muscogee tribe. In 1934 the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act was passed to help the tribes regain their sovereign status. (This was during the administration of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
, when federal legislation had authorized tribes to restore self-government.) From the 1930s into 1960s, the City of Okmulgee used the Creek Council House variously as a sheriff's office, a Boy Scout meeting room, and a
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...
.
In 1961 the Council House and the grounds around it were listed on the National Register of Historic Places; it was designated as a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
, of great significance. In 1970 Congress passed legislation authorizing the Five Tribes to democratically elect their chiefs.
In 1971 the Muscogee (Creek) Nation elected Claude Cox as chief. In 1979 the Muscogee (Creek) Nation adopted a new constitution to replace the one from 1867, and established a representative self-government. The tribal government was restructured to have executive, legislative, and judicial branches. They also created departments for education and health were created. As they reorganized, they identified land for sites for construction of tribal governmental buildings.
In 1989 the CIMA raised $1 million to restore the Creek Council House for use as a museum. They gained non-profit, 501-C-3 tax exempt status for their organization and such use. In 1992 the restoration of the Council House was completed, and the building was opened as a history museum of the Muscogee Nation.
In 1993 the Creek Council House Museum received the National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for this restoration. In 1997 the City of Okmulgee agreed to pay the CIMA $149,650 annually to operate the museum.
In 2005 the CIMA changed its name to ''The Creek Council House Museum Association.'' In August 2010, after several months of negotiations, the City of Okmulgee agreed to sell the Council House back to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation for $3.2 million. Two months later, a ceremony was held to commemorate the Muscogee Nation's regaining ownership of their former capitol.