MUSKOGEE, Okla. — A town of 36,790 sitting southeast of Tulsa, Muskogee was born in 1872 as a railroad stop on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway.
Muskogee was first incorporated in 1898, but Native tribes were in the area long before.
"Its past reaches back to the native people who built their villages and burial mounds along the three rivers that come together just north of Muskogee," according to the City of Muskogee's website.
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On March 1, 1889, the first federal district court established in Indian Territory was in Muskogee. The city also saw Indian Territory's first bank in 1890.
On June 23, 1898, Muskogee’s Henry Kendall College conferred the first postsecondary degree in Oklahoma.
Three large fires disrupted Muskogee's early growth. All three happened within about 10 years. The final fire on Feb. 23, 1899, destroyed 16 buildings in downtown.
Despite these fires, Muskogee bounced back and continued to develop its unique culture. The city became the first with a port to the Gulf of Mexico in Oklahoma.
Muskogee is also home to one of Oklahoma's most famous country musicians — Carrie Underwood.
Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson brought the city to the spotlight with their song, "Okie from Muskogee."
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