Skiatook (Skī·ǎ·tōōk ''or'' Skī·ǎ·tǒǒk versus Skī·tōōk ''or'' Skī·tǒǒk) is a city in Osage and

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 ...

counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

located in the northeastern part of the state, approximately 20 miles north and west of

. Due to its location on the border between

Osage County Osage County is the name of several counties in the United States: * Osage County, Kansas * Osage County, Missouri * Osage County, Oklahoma Osage County () is the largest county by area in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Created in 1907 when Ok ...

and

Tulsa County Tulsa County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in the state, behind only Oklahoma C ...

, Skiatook has been referred to as "the Gateway to the Osage." The town includes the state highway junction of

Oklahoma State Highway 11 State Highway 11 (abbreviated SH-11) is a state highway in Oklahoma. It runs in an irregular west-to-east path across the northern part of the state, from U.S. Highway 281 (US-281) north of Alva to Interstate 244 Interstate 244 ( ...

and

Oklahoma State Highway 20 State Highway 20 (abbreviated SH-20) is a highway in northeastern Oklahoma. Its eastern terminus is at the Missouri state line; its western terminus is at SH-18 near Ralston. The highway runs a total length of . It has no lettered spur route ...

. The population was 8,450 at the 2020 census, an increase of 14.24 percent over the figure of 7,397 recorded in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

History

19th century

Battle of Chustenahlah

The

Battle of Chustenahlah The Battle of Chustenahlah was fought in Osage County, Oklahoma, (then Unassigned Lands, Indian Territory) on December 26, 1861, during the American Civil War. A band of 9,000 Union (American Civil War), pro-Union Native Americans in the United ...

was fought just west of Skiatook, on December 26, 1861, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The battle began when

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

Col. James McIntosh ordered an attack on the Union aligned

Creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: * Creek people, a former name of Muscogee, Native Americans * C ...

Chief

Opothleyahola Opothleyahola (also spelled Opothle Yohola, Opothleyoholo, Hu-pui-hilth Yahola, Hopoeitheyohola, and Hopere Yahvlv, – March 22, 1863) was a Muscogee Creek Indian chief, noted as a brilliant orator. He was a Speaker of the Upper Creek Co ...

's forces. Opothleyahola was travelling with about 1,700

and

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

refugees following his defeat at the

Battle of Chusto-Talasah The Battle of Chusto-Talasah, also known as Bird Creek, Caving Banks, and High Shoal, was fought December 9, 1861, in what is now Tulsa County, Oklahoma (then Indian Territory) during the American Civil War. It was the second of three battles ...

. After being defeated by the

forces, many refugees were forced to abandoned their supplies as they fled to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. A historical marker commemorates the battle.

Founding and origin of name

William C. Rogers, last hereditary Chief of the

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 ...

s, founded Skiatook in 1872, when he established a trading post in the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...

on the south bank of

Bird Creek Bird Creek is a stream in northeast Oklahoma. The main creek is formed from the waters of North Bird Creek, Middle Bird Creek, and South Bird Creek, all of which rise in Osage County. The South and Middle branches of the creek converge at Blue ...

. When a post office was established in Rogers' store in 1872, the place was named Ski-a-took. The word is

in origin, and means "Big-Indian-Me" or refers to something of large size. An Osage trader, ''Skiatooka'' is also cited as influencing the town's name. In 1892, the name was changed from Ski-a-took to Skiatook.Anna Mae Henderson, "Skiatook," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.''
Accessed April 4, 2015.

20th century

On December 18, 1904, a bank was established on the present day location of Skiatook. William C. Rogers relocated his general store and post office to the town and began building near the bank. In March 1905 the

Midland Valley Railroad The Midland Valley Railroad (MV) was a railroad company incorporated on June 4, 1903 for the purpose of building a line from Hope, Arkansas, through Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma to Wichita, Kansas. It was backed by C. Jared Ingersoll, a Philadelp ...

was built through the town and the settlement expanded to include parts of

and the

Osage Nation The Osage Nation ( ) () is a Midwestern Native American nation of the Great Plains. The tribe began in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 1620 A.D along with other groups of its language family, then migrated west in the 17th cen ...

. The route no longer exists, but has been converted from rail into the 14.5 mile Osage Prairie Trail linking Skiatook with

to the south. Skiatook's first newspaper, the ''Skiatook Sentinel'', began publication in April 1905 and the town was incorporated shortly after on May 28, 1905. Skiatook's first school was also founded in 1905. After Oklahoma Statehood in 1907, construction began on permanent roads and bridges. The first church building constructed in Skiatook was the First Christian Church in 1907. Cement sidewalks were constructed between 1909 and 1910, and in 1912 Skiatook received water, sewer and electric light improvements. By 1920, the towns population had increased to around 2000. A road to Tulsa was paved in the early 1920s, and with good roads leading out in all directions, Skiatook became known as the "Gateway to all points North, South, East and West". In the 1930s, Skiatook began purchasing water from Lake Spavinaw. The completion of

Skiatook Lake Skiatook Lake is a federally-owned and operated reservoir located in Osage County, Oklahoma, west of the town of Skiatook, east of Hominy, Oklahoma and about from Tulsa. The Skiatook Dam is located on Hominy Creek, upstream of the confluence ...

in 1984 gave Skiatook its own water source.

21st century

In the 2000s, Skiatook commissioned a "Main Street program" in order to revitalize its downtown area.

Geography

Skiatook is located in the northeastern part of the state, approximately 20 miles north and west of

. Due to its location on the border between

and

, Skiatook has been referred to as "the Gateway to the Osage." The town includes the state highway junction of

and

Skiatook Lake

Skiatook Dam and Lake was authorized for construction by the Flood Control Act approved October 23, 1962 ( 87th Congress). It is one of five projects in the Bird Creek Basin plan recommended to meet the comprehensive water resources needs of the area. The Damsite is located on Hominy Creek about west of Skiatook in Osage County, Oklahoma. The project serves the purposes of

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

control, water quality, water supply, recreation, and fish and wildlife management. The total cost of the project was approximately $120 million. It was completed in 1984. "Skiatook Lake, Oklahoma."
Retrieved June 1, 2014. Elevated above sea level, the lake has a surface area of about and of shoreline.

Demographics

In the 2010 census, there were 7,397 people, 2,796 households, and 1,989 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,125 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 73.3%

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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 17.7% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.01%

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 ...

, 0.6% from other races, and 8.86% 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 2.9% of the population. There were 2,796 households, out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% 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, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $39,617, and the median income for a family was $52,072. Males had a median income of $30,873 versus $21,419 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 town was $19,943. About 9.4% of families and 12.9% 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 17.7% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Skiatook has a city government with a 7-member

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

and a City Manager. City public services include a full-time fire department, which also provides emergency medical service for Skiatook and the surrounding rural area (approx. ); a full-time police department with 24-hour E911 communications center; and refuse service, sanitation and sewage. The city is responsible for a comprehensive city plan and for zoning. In May 2019, the city council voted unanimously for Roger Upton to serve as Mayor for the next two years. Herb Forbes will serve as Vice Mayor during the same period.

Parks and recreation

In 2010 Skiatook opened a $2.3 million park that features splash pads, new playground equipment and even a pond and walking trails. Osage Trail walking trail is 14.5 miles long, starting in Skiatook. Skiatook residents enjoy multiple recreational opportunities, including Osage Park, John Zink Park, Smith Park, the Skiatook Sports Park, soccer fields, tennis courts, a nine-hole golf course, a driving range, shooting range, and

. There are numerous little leagues (football, baseball, softball, soccer) and an adult soccer league. The Osage Prairie Trail was constructed with

Vision 2025 Vision 2025 was a series of four propositions to increase Tulsa County's sales tax rate by $0.01 in order to fund capital improvements and provide economic development incentives. Two prior proposals, in 1997 and 2000, were rejected by Tulsa Coun ...

funds, and this jogging and bike trail connects Skiatook to Tulsa's extensive bike and jogging trail system. The Skiatook community pool was opened in the 1950s, and provided swimming lessons to thousands of Skiatook children. Due to deteriorating conditions, the old pool was closed in 2001. The new pool opened to the public on June 2, 2007.

Public Schools

Most of Skiatook is served by the Skiatook Public Schools district. All of Skiatook in Osage County, and most of it in Tulsa County is in the district. The other Tulsa County part is in Collinsville Public Schools. The first Skiatook Public Schools School Board was elected in 1907 after statehood. The district originally operated out of one building on the corner of 2nd and B streets. In 1908, a bond paid for a new school in the block between 3rd and 4th streets and Osage and B streets. An addition was added to this building in 1913 and an annex was built in 1920 on 3rd and Osage. In 1922, the town approved a new high school and junior high to be built. In 1929, the original school building burned down, leading to the building of a new elementary school in 1930. In the 1960s a new junior high school was built and in 1968 Marrs Elementary was built. In 1976, the current high school was built with a sports complex added in 1978, an auditorium added in 1979. A football stadium, baseball field, soccer field, and agriculture building were also built around the high school. In 1990, Newman Middle School was built and named after former Superintendent Jim Newman. In 2013 Skiatook Elementary was built. Currently operating Skiatook Public Schools include: *Joyce Jech Early Childhood Center *Marrs Elementary *Skiatook Elementary *Skiatook Intermediate Elementary *Newman Middle School *Skiatook High School *Skiatook Virtual Academy (virtual school for 6th-12th grades)

Arts and culture

The Skiatook Museum was organized in April 1976. In the early 21st century, the Skiatook Museum moved into the former home of doctor W. G. Phillips. The home, built in 1912, contained his office.

Media

Skiatook in film *Parts of the 1983 film adaptation of S.E. Hinton's novel ''

The Outsiders The Outsiders may refer to: Literature and stage * ''The Outsiders'' (novel), a 1967 novel by S. E. Hinton * ''The Outsiders'' (musical), a 2023 musical based on S. E. Hinton's novel * ''The Outsiders'' (play), a 1911 play by Charles Klein * ...

'' were filmed in locations around Skiatook, but it was called Windrixville. *Parts of the 2020 film ''

Minari ''Minari'' (; ) is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Will Patton. A semi-autobiographical take on Chung's upbringing, its plot follow ...

'' were filmed in and around Skiatook.

References

{{authority control * Cherokee towns in Oklahoma Cities in Osage County, Oklahoma Cities in Oklahoma Populated places within the Osage Nation reservation Populated places established in 1872 1872 establishments in Indian Territory Tulsa metropolitan area