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Muskogee () is the 13th-largest city in
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
and is the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of
Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...
. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0% decrease from 39,223 in 2010.


History

French fur traders were believed to have established a temporary village near the future Muskogee in 1806, but the first permanent European-American settlement was established in 1817 on the south bank of the Verdigris River, north of present-day Muskogee. After the passage of the
Indian Removal Act The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was signed into law on May 28, 1830, by United States president Andrew Jackson. The law, as described by Congress, provided "for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing in any of the states or territories, ...
of 1830 under President
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
, the Muscogee Creek Indians were one of the "
Five Civilized Tribes The term Five Civilized Tribes was applied by the United States government in the early federal period of the history of the United States to the five major Native American nations in the Southeast: the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Cr ...
" forced out of the American Southeast to Indian Territory. They were accompanied by their
slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
. The Indian Agency, a two-story stone building, was built here in Muskogee. It was a site for meetings among the leaders of the Five Civilized Tribes. Today it serves as a museum. At the top of what is known as Agency Hill, it is within Honor Heights Park on the west side of Muskogee. In 1872, the
Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was a Class I railroad company in the United States, with its last headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Established in 1865 under the name Union Pacific Railroad (UP), Southern Branch, it came to serve an exten ...
was extended to the area. A federal court was established in Muskogee in 1889, around the same time that Congress opened portions of Indian Territory to non-Native settlers via land rushes. The city was incorporated on March 19, 1898.Wallace F. Waits Jr
"Muskogee"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' Retrieved April 30, 2010
Ohio native Charles N. Haskell moved to the city in March 1901.J. J. Compton
"Haskell, Charles Nathaniel (1860-1933)"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Retrieved April 30, 2010
He was instrumental in building on the land rush; he stimulated expansion of the city of more than 4,000 people to a center of business and industry by 1910, with a population of more than 25,000 inhabitants. Haskell built the first five-story business block in Oklahoma Territory; he built and owned fourteen brick buildings in the city. Most importantly, he organized and built most of the railroads running into the city, which connected it to other markets and centers of population, stimulating its business and retail, and attracting new residents. As Muskogee's economic and business importance grew, so did its political power. In the years before the territory was admitted as a state, the Five Civilized Tribes continued to work on alternatives to keep some independence from European Americans. They met together on August 21, 1905, to propose the State of Sequoyah, to be controlled by Native Americans. They met in Muskogee to draft its constitution, planning to have Muskogee serve as the state's capital. The proposal was vetoed by
US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
and mostly ignored by Congress; the proposed State of Sequoyah was never authorized. The US admitted the State of Oklahoma to the Union on November 16, 1907, as the 46th state. Muskogee was the operational headquarters of the Muskogee Roads, four regional rail carriers under common management. The first was the Midland Valley Railroad, chartered in 1903. The three carriers surviving until 1963 were sold to the Texas & Pacific, which was a subsidiary of the
Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad o ...
. Muskogee was on the route of the Jefferson Highway established in 1915. That road ran more than , from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to New Orleans, Louisiana. Muskogee attracted national and international attention when, in May 2008, voters elected John Tyler Hammons as mayor. Nineteen years old at the time of his election, Hammons is among the youngest mayors in American history.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (3.69%) is water. Muskogee is near the
confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of the
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...
, Verdigris River and Grand River. Historically, the area around this confluence has been called Three Rivers. Muskogee lies in the Arkansas River Valley and has a low, sea-level elevation compared to much of the rest of the state.Reconnaissance Level Survey of Portions of the City of Muskogee
,

Retrieved May 14, 2010.
The city is on the boundary of the oak and hickory forest region of eastern Oklahoma and the prairie,
Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
region of northeastern Oklahoma. It is a suburban community of Tulsa. The city's climate is considerably warmer and more humid than other parts of the state.


Climate

According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Muskogee has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Muskogee was on August 10, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 13, 1905. The city falls within USDA plant hardiness zone 7b ().


Floods

Muskogee is a soft spot for floods. In May 2019, waters rose more than 42 feet on the
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...
. Those levels had not been reached since 1943 (although 1986 came close with water 39.6 feet high). The U.S.S. ''Batfish'' docked at the city's military harbor broke free on the river. Two barges filled with tons of phosphate broke loose and threatened to break the dam they were heading towards. Webber Falls was ordered to evacuate immediately.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 38,310 people, 15,523 households, and 9,950 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 17,517 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 61.12%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 17.90%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 12.34% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 1.57% from other races, and 6.16% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 3.28% of the population. There were 15,523 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,418, and the median income for a family was $33,358. Males had a median income of $28,153 versus $20,341 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $15,351. About 14.6% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.


Transportation

The town is served by U.S. Route 62, U.S. Route 64, U.S. Route 69, Oklahoma State Highway 16, Oklahoma State Highway 165, Oklahoma State Highway 351 and the
Muskogee Turnpike The Muskogee Turnpike, also designated State Highway 351 (SH-351), is a controlled-access toll road in eastern Oklahoma. Route description Opened in 1969, the 53-mile (85.2 km) route begins at the Broken Arrow Expressway ( SH-51) southe ...
. Muskogee-Davis Regional Airport, five miles south of downtown, has a paved main runway measuring 7202 feet by 150 feet, and can accommodate light planes through heavy transport-type jet aircraft. The airport had commercial air service from Central Airlines in the 1960s. Commercial air transportation is available at
Tulsa International Airport Tulsa International Airport is a civil-military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of Downtown Tulsa, in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named Tulsa Municipal Airport when the city acquired it in 1929 ...
, about 49 miles to the northwest. Muskogee operates the
Port of Muskogee The Port of Muskogee, rebranded as Port Muskogee in January 2023, is a regional inland port located on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, in the United States. It is a multi-modal local hub for th ...
on the McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, which grants water access to and from the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
.


Economy

Muskogee is an economic center for eastern Oklahoma, and is home to several industrial activities.
Georgia-Pacific Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of Tissue paper, tissue, Pulp (paper), pulp, paper, toilet and paper towe ...
has a tissue, paper towel, and napkin manufacturing plant in Muskogee. The 2.9 million square foot facility is Muskogee's largest employer with 800 workers. On January 22, 2025, ground was broken on the Stardust Power Inc. $1.2 billion
lithium Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...
refinery in Muskogee, near the Port of Muskogee. The initial production line will produce up to 25,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium per year, with a projected second phase doubling that capacity.


Arts and culture

Muskogee is home to Honor Heights Park, a
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
memorial park. It is planted with
azalea Azaleas ( ) are flowering shrubs in the genus ''Rhododendron'', particularly the former sections ''Rhododendron sect. Tsutsusi, Tsutsusi'' (evergreen) and ''Pentanthera'' (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring (April and May in the temperate ...
s and hosts the annual Azalea Festival each April. During the winter, Honor Heights is transformed into the Garden of Lights, a
Christmas lights Christmas lights (also known as fairy lights, festive lights or string lights) are lights often used for decoration in celebration of Christmas, often on display throughout the Christmas season including Advent and Christmastide. The custom ...
display. Muskogee has six museums. The Five Civilized Tribes Museum preserves the art and culture of the Five Civilized Tribes. The U.S.S. Batfish and War Memorial Park's major attraction is the submarine . The Three Rivers Museum chronicles the history of the Three Rivers area and the railroads that helped create it. The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame has been honoring Oklahoma musicians since 1997. The Thomas-Foreman Historic Home, aka the Grant Foreman House is an 1898 farm house preserved with the furnishings of the Indian Territory Judge John R. Thomas and his daughter and son-in-law Grant and Carolyn Foreman, Oklahoma historians and authors. The Ataloa Lodge is on the campus of Bacone College. Two feature films were shot in Muskogee through a tax incentive program offered by the state: ''Salvation'' (2007) and ''Denizen'' (2010). Writer and director J.A. Steel produced both films. Muskogee is home to The Castle of Muskogee. The Castle hosts Fourth of July Fireworks sales, a Halloween festival 'Haunted Castle', a drive-through Christmas Kingdom and indoor Castle Christmas experience, and the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival, founded in 1995. The Renaissance festival draws in tens of thousands each year, hosting jousts, dancing, vendors and other events. Muskogee Little Theatre (MLT) is part of its flourishing arts scene. It was established in 1972 at the former Sequoyah Elementary School. The theatre puts on up to eight shows per year including youth theatre, senior theatre, holiday shows, and general community productions. The theatre is also committed to education and development arts programs including Youth Theatre camp, voice lessons, mentorships, and weekend workshops. The City of Muskogee Foundation provides grants to community organizations and non-profit groups throughout the Muskogee community. The local paper, the '' Muskogee Phoenix'', was founded in February 1888 when
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
was still a territory, and continues to be published today.


Government

Muskogee is governed by a council–manager form of municipal government. The city manager is the administrative leader of the government and is appointed by the city council. The city's ceremonial head is the mayor, who is a voting, at-large member of the council with limited administrative power. The city is divided into four wards, with two members of the city council elected from each. Each member of the council is elected by the city as a whole but must reside in a specific ward. Elections are held on the first Tuesday in April in each even-numbered year. All elections are non-partisan; the mayor and the members of the city council receive no salary or compensation for their services.


State and federal representation

Muskogee is represented by two state representatives for House Districts 13 and 14. District 13 includes the west side of Muskogee while District 14 includes the east half of Muskogee. The city is represented in the
state senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...
in Senate District 9, which includes all of Muskogee County, Oklahoma. Both former
Attorney General of Oklahoma The attorney general of Oklahoma is the State Attorney General for the state of Oklahoma. The attorney general serves as the chief legal and law enforcement officer of the Oklahoma, State of Oklahoma and head of the Office of the Oklahoma Attorn ...
Drew Edmondson and former Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Sandy Garrett are Muskogee natives. The city is part of Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district. The city is also home to former U.S. Senator Tom Coburn. The city is home to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma


Crime

Since 1995, crime rate has reduced by 45 percent in Muskogee. According to records by the
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) is an independent state law enforcement agency of the government of Oklahoma. The OSBI assists the county sheriff offices and city police departments of the state, and works independent of the Ok ...
, in 2002, 2008 and 2009, no murders were committed for the entire year. However, on April 10, 2010, a deadly shooting broke out at the Arrowhead Mall, injuring at least five people and leaving one dead; witnesses say that the shooting was gang-related. On February 2, 2021, a
mass murder Mass murder is the violent crime of murder, killing a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more ...
occurred when a gunman opened fire at a home, killing six people, including five children, and one woman was seriously injured.


Education

Muskogee Public Schools includes the vast majority of the city limits and a large portion of Muskogee County. Hilldale Public Schools covers a small southern portion of the city limits and some parts of the County south of Muskogee. Fort Gibson Public Schools includes some areas in the east. Muskogee is also home to the Oklahoma School for the Blind, a special institution for meeting the educational needs of blind and visually impaired students residing in the state of Oklahoma. Previous institutions that where located in the city were Harrell International Institute and its successors, Spaulding Institute and Spaulding Female College, as well as Nazareth Institute. Muskogee has four institutions of higher education: the public four-year Northeastern State University, the public two-year Connors State College, the public Indian Capital Technology Center and the private four-year Bacone College, which is the oldest college in the state of Oklahoma. In 2004, civic rights lawyers took on the case of 11-year-old Nashala Hearn who sued the Muskogee, Oklahoma, Public School District for ordering her to remove her
hijab Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...
because it was violative of the school's dress code. She refused to submit and was subsequently suspended twice. The court-ordered agreement reached by the Justice Department with the school board permits Nashala, and any other child in Muskogee whose religious beliefs and practices conflict with the school dress code, to receive an accommodation.


Points of interest

* Arrowhead Mall * Ataloa Lodge Museum * Azalea Festival * The Castle of Muskogee * Civic Center * Civitan Park * Douglas Maxey Park * Farmers market * Five Civilized Tribes Museum * Founders' Place Historical District * Grant Foreman House * Honor Heights Park * Katy District (South Main Street)
Muskogee Little Theatre
* Muskogee Public Library * Oklahoma Movie Hall of Fame / Roxy Theater * Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame *
Port of Muskogee The Port of Muskogee, rebranded as Port Muskogee in January 2023, is a regional inland port located on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, in the United States. It is a multi-modal local hub for th ...
* River Country Family Water Park * Three Forks Harbor * Three Rivers Museum * Thunderbird Speedway * Spaulding Park * USS Batfish (SS-310)


In popular culture

*Muskogee was commemorated in the 1969 Merle Haggard song " Okie from Muskogee". *The song "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother" written by Oklahoma native Ray Wylie Hubbard and famously recorded by
Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He also wrote t ...
is a satire of small-town life playfully aimed at Okie from Muskogee, which is made evident in the last line of the song: "Muskogee, Oklahoma, U.S.A." * In the film ''
Twister Twister most commonly refers to a tornado. Twister or Twisters may also refer to: Aviation * Pipistrel Twister, a Slovenian ultralight trike * Silence Twister, a German homebuilt aircraft design * Wings of Change Twister, an Austrian paragli ...
'', the team headed by Helen Hunt's character Jo Harding was based out of the fictional Muskogee State College * The 1951 film '' Jim Thorpe – All-American'', starring
Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...
, was filmed in part on the campus of Bacone Indian College, and at the Indian Bowl sports stadium, in Muskogee. * Three feature films were recently shot in Muskogee: ''Salvation'' (2007), '' Denizen'' (2010), and '' American Honey'' (2016).Brandon Griggs, "Woman of Steel", ''The Salt Lake Tribune'', January 8, 2008, pp. E1-E2


Sports

Muskogee was home to
minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
from 1905 to 1957. Changing monikers frequently, Muskogee hosted the
Muskogee Reds Muskogee Reds refers to three baseball teams based in Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States. The first team played in the Missouri Valley League in 1905. The next played in the Western Association in 1917, and the third played in the Western Associatio ...
(1905), Muskogee Indians (1906), Muskogee Redskins (1907–1908), Muskogee Navigators (1909–1910), Muskogee Redskins (1911), Muskogee Indians (1912), Muskogee Mets (1914–1916),
Muskogee Reds Muskogee Reds refers to three baseball teams based in Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States. The first team played in the Missouri Valley League in 1905. The next played in the Western Association in 1917, and the third played in the Western Associatio ...
(1917), Muskogee Mets (1921–1923), Muskogee Athletics (1924–1926), Muskogee Chiefs (1927–1932), Muskogee Oilers (1933), Muskogee Tigers (1934–1936),
Muskogee Reds Muskogee Reds refers to three baseball teams based in Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States. The first team played in the Missouri Valley League in 1905. The next played in the Western Association in 1917, and the third played in the Western Associatio ...
(1937–1942, 1946–1950) and Muskogee Giants (1951–1957). Muskogee teams played were members of the Missouri Valley League (1905), South Central League (1906), Oklahoma-Arkansas-Kansas League (1907–1908), Western Association (1909–1911), Oklahoma State League (1912), Western Association (1914–1916–1917), Southwestern League (1921–1923), Western Association (1924–1932), Western League (1933), Western Association (1934–1942, 1946–1954) and Sooner State League (1955–1957). Three
Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
inductees played for Muskogee. Bill Dickey played for the 1926 Muskogee Athletics. Bobby Wallace was a player/manager for the 1921 Muskogee Mets. Rube Marquard was a player/manager for the 1933 Muskogee Oilers. Muskogee was an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns (1932, 1947–1949),
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
(1937–1939),
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
(1941),
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
(1946) and
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
(1936, 1951–1957). Muskogee teams played at Traction Park from 1905 to 1911. Muskogee then played at Owen Field, which was later renamed to League Park and finally Athletic Park. In April 1923,
Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...
with the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
played an exhibition game at Owen Field against the
Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...
. Later,
Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...
played at Athletic Park in 1950 for the Joplin Miners in games against Muskogee. Traction Park was located in Hyde Park. Today, the Owen Field/League Park/Athletic Park site is occupied by the Muskogee Civic Center. Muskogee Country Club (Muskogee Golf Club) played host to the 1970 U.S. Women's Open golf tournament won by Donna Caponi.


Meteorite fall of January 20, 2023

On January 20, 2023, at 3:38 AM CST, a slow-moving fireball lit up the sky over Eastern Oklahoma. An accompanying sonic boom was heard by many witnesses in the Oklahoma cities of Bixby, Broken Arrow, Coweta, Wagoner and as far away as
Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, Arkansas, Washington County, and the most populous city in Northwest Arkansas. The city ...
. The resulting shockwave shook houses in the affected area, many people reported. Local television station
KJRH KJRH-TV (channel 2) is a television station in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Okmulgee, Oklahoma, Okmulgee-licensed Ion Television outlet KTPX-TV (channel 44). KJRH-TV's s ...
stated, "Multiple surveillance videos captured the meteor's sights and sounds early Friday morning." Numerous videos of the event were later posted to social media. The meteor survived to relatively low altitudes, breaking apart soon thereafter, raining down numerous meteorite fragments that ultimately reached the ground. Meteorite enthusiasts from around the country quickly converged on the strewnfield, which was scientifically determined to be in an around the Muskogee area. Reality television meteorite hunter Steve Arnold told reporter Jeanette Quezada of KJRH, "We're out here hunting…we're finding rocks."


Notable people

*
Reubin Askew Reubin O'Donovan Askew (September 11, 1928 – March 13, 2014) was an American politician, who served as the 37th governor of Florida from 1971 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 7th U.S. trade representative from 1979 ...
,
Governor of Florida The governor of Florida is the head of government of the U.S. state of Florida. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Government of Florida#Executive branch, executive branch of the government of Florida and is the comman ...
1971 to 1979 *
Randy Ball Randy Ball (born ) is an American former college football player and coach. He was the head coach at Western Illinois University from 1990 to 1998, and Missouri State University from 1999 through 2005, compiling a career college football coachi ...
, college football head coach, Western Illinois, Missouri State * Louis W. Ballard,
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
and Osage composer and inductee, Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame * R. Perry Beaver, Principal Chief of the
Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Here they waged war again ...
(Creek) Nation * Maurice R. Bebb, etcher and printmaker * Aaron Bell, jazz double-bassist * Keith Birdsong, illustrator known for his ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' novel covers * Tams Bixby, newspaper owner and publisher of ''Muskogee Phoenix''; chairman of Dawes Commission, which he relocated to Muskogee; lived in Muskogee from 1905 to 1922. * Archie Bradley, Major League Baseball pitcher *
Don Byas Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912 – August 24, 1972) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, associated with swing and bebop. He played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also l ...
, jazz musician *
Kristin Cast Kristin F. Cast (born November 4, 1986, in Japan) is an American author of young adult books and graphic novels, best known for the ''House of Night'' series and Sisters of Salem series, written with her mother, P. C. Cast. Early life Cast wa ...
, writer * PC Cast, writer * Eddie Chuculate, author, graduate of Muskogee High School * Tom Coburn, former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma * Isaac N. Coggs,
Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...
* Fletcher Daniels, Missouri state representative * Nelson Dean, Negro League baseball player * Drew Edmondson, former Attorney General of Oklahoma, 2018 gubernatorial candidate * Ed Edmondson, U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma * James E. Edmondson, current Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice * Ernest E. Evans, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient for actions as U.S. destroyer captain in WWII * George Faught, Former Representative from Oklahoma State House District 14; first Republican in state history to represent Muskogee-based district * Carolyn T. Foreman (1872–1967), historian, wife of Grant Foreman and daughter of John R. Thomas; lived in Muskogee (1887–1967) * Sandy Garrett, former Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction and Hilldale Public School teacher * Susan Golding, former mayor of San Diego,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
* Gloria Greer, actress * Clu Gulager, actor * Charles V. Hamilton, political scientist * John Tyler Hammons, former mayor of Muskogee and one of youngest mayors in United States history * Charles N. Haskell, noted lawyer, oilman, statesman, and first
Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gover ...
* Darnell Hinson, former professional basketball player * David R. Hinson, pilot and former head of Midway Airlines * Lance Hinson, college football coach * Harold L. Holliday, Missouri state representative * Olivia Hooker, psychologist, educator * Leroy Hurte (1915–2011), musician, businessman * James Jabara, first American jet ace * Dennis Jernigan, contemporary Christian music singer/songwriter * James R. Jones, U.S. Congressman for Oklahoma's 1st District (1973–1987), Chairman of the
American Stock Exchange NYSE American, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), and more recently as NYSE MKT, is an American stock exchange situated in New York City. AMEX was previously a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was known ...
(1989 to 1993),
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Mexico since 1823, when Andrew Jackson was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to that country. Jackson declined the appointment, however, and Joel R. Poinsett bec ...
(1993 to 1997) * L. R. Kershaw, lawyer, banker, cattle breeder,
real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...
and candidate for governor * Barney Kessel, jazz guitarist * Leo Kottke, acoustic guitarist * Robert E. Lavender, former
Oklahoma Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is a court of appeal for non-criminal cases, one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and leads the judiciary of Oklahoma, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma.
Justice * Seth Littrell, football head coach,
North Texas North Texas is a term used primarily by residents of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex to refer to a geographic area of Texas, generally considered to include the area south of Oklahoma, east of Abilene, Texas, Abilene, west of Paris, Texas, Par ...
* Barbara McAlister (opera singer), opera singer * Roberta McCain, mother of Senator
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* Calvin McCarty, professional
Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...
running back for CFL's Edmonton Eskimos *
Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and B ...
, jazz musician * Bill Mercer, sportscaster, educator and author * Smokie Norful, Gospel recording artist * Kevin Peterson, American football player * Pleasant Porter, principal chief of
Creek Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large grou ...
(1899 – 1907) and president of Sequoyah Constitutional Convention * Alexander Posey, writer, newspaper editor, secretary of the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention * Joe A. Rector, American/Cherokee artist * Robert Reed, actor who played Mike Brady, father on ''The Brady Bunch'' * Bass Reeves, one of the first African-American Deputy U.S. Marshals, who served at the Muskogee Federal Court in Indian Territory, and later became an officer of the Muskogee Police Department * Alice Mary Robertson, educator, social worker, government official, second woman to serve in the United States Congress * Muskogee Yargee Ross, pioneer resident * Pee Wee Russell, jazz musician * Thomas Ryan, politician, lawyer, lived in Muskogee as representative from Secretary of the Interior * A. G. W. Sango, lawyer, newspaper editor, school founder * James M. Shackelford, first United States judge in Indian Territory (1889–1907) * Jackie Shipp, former NFL player * The Swon Brothers, duo that gained fame on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's '' The Voice (season 4)'' * Mike Synar, former U.S. Representative from Oklahoma * John R. Thomas, attorney, Federal judge before Oklahoma statehood, father of historian Carolyn T. Foreman * Carrie Underwood, country music singer * Sarah Vowell, author * Les Walrond,
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player * W. Richard West Jr., director of
National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...
* Claude "Fiddler" Williams, jazz musician


References


External links


Muskogee history and genealogy

City of Muskogee

Muskogee Chamber of Commerce

Muskogee Public Library

Memoirs of Jeremiah Curtin in the Indian Territory
ethnographer's narrative of 1883 visit to Muskogee's early settlement maintained by
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
Photographic Record of Muskogee's Historic Homes

Betty Ritch Lombardi, "Azalea Festival," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.

The Castle of Muskogee
{{Authority control Cities in Oklahoma Cities in Muskogee County, Oklahoma Muscogee (Creek) Nation Oklahoma populated places on the Arkansas River County seats in Oklahoma Micropolitan areas of Oklahoma 1817 establishments in the United States