Okmulgee
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Okmulgee

Okmulgee

Oklahoma city and Muscogee Nation capital centred on Creek history and a preserved council house.

Okmulgee is the capital of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, a distinction that gives this small city of about 13,000 people an outsized cultural significance. The Creek Council House Museum downtown occupies the 1878 Creek national capitol building and traces the tribe's history from the Southeast through the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory. The Muscogee Nation's modern government complex is also located here, along with the College of the Muscogee Nation on the eastern edge of town.

The town has a pleasant, slightly faded downtown with handsome early-20th-century commercial buildings — the Severs Block being the largest. Okmulgee Lake, just west of town, is a popular spot for fishing, picnicking, and an easy afternoon outdoors. The Okmulgee Pecan Festival each June celebrates the region's pecan orchards with food, crafts, and carnival rides.

Okmulgee sits about 40 miles south of Tulsa along US-75, making it an easy day trip. If you are interested in Native American history and governance, the Creek Council House alone is worth the drive.

Guide

Getting There

Okmulgee is on US-75 about 40 miles south of Tulsa and 90 miles east of Oklahoma City. From Tulsa the drive is 45 minutes through farmland and small oil-patch towns; from Oklahoma City take I-40 east to Henryetta and then US-75 north, about 90 minutes.

The nearest commercial airport is Tulsa International, with a wide range of domestic flights. Okmulgee Regional Airport handles only general aviation. There is no scheduled rail or intercity bus service to the town, so most visitors arrive by car.

Guide

Things to Do

The reason to come to Okmulgee is the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The Creek Council House on the central square is the single best museum in town, occupying the 1878 sandstone building that served as the Creek national capitol before Oklahoma statehood dissolved tribal governments. The downtown around it preserves a coherent set of early-20th-century commercial buildings — the Severs Block being the most prominent. Outside town, Okmulgee Lake is the standard half-day escape: fishing, picnicking, easy walking.