Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Okmulgee is a city in the Tulsa metropolitan area and the county seat of Okmulgee County in Oklahoma, United States. The name is from the Muskogee word okimulgi, which means "boiling waters". The site was chosen because of the nearby rivers and springs. Okmulgee is 38 miles south of Tulsa and 13 miles north of Henryetta via US-75.
History
Okmulgee has been the capital of the Muscogee Nation since 1868, when it was founded following the Civil War. The Creek Nation began restoring order after that conflict. They had allied with the Confederacy during the war and needed to make a new peace treaty with the United States afterward as a result. They passed a new constitution and elected Samuel Checote as their first principal chief after the war.In 1869, a post office was established in the town, with Captain Frederick B. Severs appointed as the first postmaster. The name of the post office was officially changed to the present spelling on November 15, 1883. For seven years, beginning December 20, 1870, Okmulgee was the seat of government of all of what would become the State of Oklahoma, except for the Panhandle.
Okmulgee became a transportation center. The St. Louis, Oklahoma and Southern Railway reached Okmulgee in 1900; this route still remains and is now operated by the BNSF Railway. The Shawnee, Oklahoma and Missouri Coal and Railway was built from Muskogee to Okmulgee in 1902-03, and lasted until abandoned in 1973. And, the shortline Coalton Railway, later called the Okmulgee Northern Railway, operated between Okmulgee and Deep Fork carrying coal from the producing areas around Schulter, Coalton and Dewar from 1916 to 1964. Railroad projects which tried unsuccessfully to reach Okmulgee include the Oklahoma-Southwestern Railway, which planned to build from Bristow to Okmulgee but only made it to Nuyaka; the Kansas, Okmulgee and Gulf Railroad, which planned a line from Kansas City through Okmulgee to a point on the Red River, but never got off the ground; and, the Kansas, Oklahoma Central and Southwestern Railway which had Congressional authorization to build a branch from Bartlesville through Okmulgee to Sherman, Texas, but was bought out by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway before construction began.
The arrival of the railways triggered a building boom. By the time of Oklahoma statehood in 1907, the town had 2,322 residents and was named as the seat of Okmulgee County.
Coal mined in the Henryetta area and agriculture were the basis of the early economy. Discovery of oil at nearby Morris in 1907 stimulated expansion of Okmulgee, and attracted several new industries to town. These included three glass factories, a bottle factory, and foundry and machine shops. Five local refineries were operational by the early 1920s.
These industries were a catalyst for growth: The population was 4,176 in the 1910 census, but the city boomed to approximately 35,000 people during the 1920s. A newspaper article from this era claimed Okmulgee had more millionaires per capita than anyplace else in Oklahoma. The Okmulgee Chamber of Commerce has said the town had more millionaires per capita than any other place in the entire country.
But decreasing oil production and lower prices, the coming of the Great Depression, and other factors caused the population to shrink to 17,097 by the 1930 census. The population then remained relatively stable for a time, increasing slightly to 18,317 by the 1950 census. In the postwar period, there was an urbanization shift of population toward larger cities and their suburbs because of job opportunities, and the city's population declined again. The population at the 2020 census was 11,332, a loss of about 8% percent from the 2010 census figure of 12,321.
Geography
Okmulgee is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.8 square miles, all of its land. It is located in the heart of Oklahoma's "Green Country", in the North East Quadrant of Oklahoma. Okmulgee is 38 miles south of Tulsa and 13 miles north of Henryetta via US-75.Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Okmulgee had a population of 11,322, 4,380 households, and a median age of 38.6 years. The population density was 657.6 people per square mile.20.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.6 males age 18 and over.
94.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,380 households, of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 32.8% were married-couple households, 20.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 5,266 housing units, of which 16.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 54.1% were owner-occupied and 45.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.5%.
| Race | Percent |
| White | 47.8% |
| Black or African American | 16.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 18.4% |
| Asian | 0.7% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | <0.1% |
| Some other race | 2.5% |
| Two or more races | 14.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5.3% |
The median household income, for the period 2016-2020 and in 2020 dollars, was $31,572. The per capita income for the city in the last 12 months, also for the period 2016–2020 and in 2020 dollars, was $19,564. About 24.3% are considered persons in poverty.
Economy
Along with coal mining, agriculture supported the early economy. Cotton, corn, feed grains, and forage were the main crops. Truck farming, dairying, and poultry raising were also important.Discovery of the Morris and Lucky oil pools in 1907 brought prosperity to Okmulgee. It also attracted new manufacturing facilities to the city.
In the 21st century, the most important business sectors in Okmulgee are: construction, retail trade, health care & social assistance, and accommodation & food services. The Okmulgee area's major employers include the Muscogee Nation, Anchor Glass, Paccar Winch-Okmulgee, C.P. Kelco US Inc., Honeywell's Callidus Technologies, East Central Electric Cooperative, Covington Aircraft, G&H Decoy, and PolyVision. Dlubak Glass Oklahoma runs a glass recycling facility, while wood pallet producer Mid-America Pallet is operated by The Hodges Companies. Walmart operates a Supercenter in town.
Government
City government
The City of Okmulgee government has a City Council composed of five members: a council member "at-large" who serves as the Mayor, and one council member from each of the City's four wards. A City Manager is in charge of directing the day-to-day operations of the City in order to carry out the policies established by the City Council. City Hall is at 111 E 4th Street downtown.County government
Okmulgee County government has three commissioners, one for each of the three Districts. County services, including the District Court, Assessor, County Clerk, Jail, and Sheriff's office, are all located between 6th and 8th St, and Alabama and Seminole Avenues.Native American government
While the historical capitol of the Muscogee Nation is the Creek Council House in downtown Okmulgee, the MCN's modern headquarters is at Okmulgee Creek Nation Tribal Complex at U.S. Route 75 and Loop 56. Other MCN facilities in town include the College of the Muscogee Nation, a tribal college primarily for students seeking careers in the tribal sector, located at 2170 Raven Circle; One Fire Casino at 1901 Wood Dr; and, the Claude A. Cox Omniplex, cattycornered across from the Tribal Complex off U.S. 75 and Loop 56, which includes the Muscogee Dome multipurpose recreation center and other festival grounds and facilities.Education
Okmulgee Public Schools
Okmulgee Public Schools include the Primary School, Dunbar, and High School.CareerTech
- Green Country Technology Center, part of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education system.
Post secondary
- College of the Muscogee Nation
- Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology, also known as Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee, or informally, as Okmulgee Tech. The school site in 1943 was Glennan Military Hospital, constructed on land formerly belonging to the Creek Orphan Home. The hospital originally treated WWII American servicemen, but later served wounded POWs. In 1946 the site was sold to Oklahoma State Technical College to provide technical training for returning GIs. This evolved into the current OSUIT.
Parks and recreation
Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma’s largest lake, is to the southeast.
Okmulgee Municipal Park, at W 20th St. & S Seminole Ave., features a bike trail, walking track, playground, and soccer field. Other municipal park facilities include Hawthorne Park at N Okmulgee Ave & W Fairfax St, Kiddy Lake Park at Cliff Dr & Parkview Dr, Noble Park at 13th & Delaware, Red Francis Park at S Woodlawn Ave & E 7th St, and Southeast Rotary Park at W 15th St & S Okmulgee Ave.
The Okmulgee County Fairgrounds hosts the annual Okmulgee County Fair and other events through the year.