Tahlequah carries more history than its modest size suggests. It is the capital of the Cherokee Nation — the seat of a tribal government that survived forced removal from the southeastern United States, a 1,200-mile ordeal known as the Trail of Tears that brought the Cherokee to Indian Territory in the 1830s. The Cherokee National Capitol, built in 1867, still stands downtown. The Cherokee Heritage Center south of town is the best place to understand the full story.
The city sits in the green, hilly corner of northeastern Oklahoma, a landscape of rivers and clear lakes that surprises visitors expecting flat plains. Northeastern State University keeps the population young and the downtown livelier than most towns of this size. This was also the birthplace of Wilma Mankiller, who in 1985 became the first woman elected as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation — a figure worth knowing before you arrive. A curious footnote: Cherokee businessmen built the first commercial telephone exchange west of St. Louis in 1887, while the Cherokee Nation was still fully self-governing.
Two lakes draw visitors from across the state: Lake Tenkiller to the south, with some of the clearest water in Oklahoma, and Lake Fort Gibson to the west. The Illinois River north of town is the best float river in northeastern Oklahoma — canoe outfitters line the banks and the water is clear enough to swim in all summer.