Everything Checotah is known for
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Checotah.
35 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
You're driving past Checotah, right where history and highways collide. Back in 1872, this spot was just a railhead for the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, originally called 'Checote Switch' after Creek Chief Samuel…
Right here, near Checotah, is where the family of country music legend Merle Haggard got their start. They left their farm in 1935 after a barn fire, heading west like so many others during the Dust Bowl. Though born in…
You're driving past Rentiesville, Oklahoma, the birthplace of one of America's most important historians, John Hope Franklin. Born right here in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1915</say-as>, Franklin went on to…
Right here in McIntosh County, you're driving near the site of the largest Civil War battle fought in Oklahoma. On July 17, 1863, the Battle of Honey Springs raged near Rentiesville. A Union victory here secured control…
You're driving past Rentiesville, a town with a unique story. Founded in 1903, it was established by and for Black Oklahomans, becoming one of the state's many all-Black towns. Imagine Main Street bustling with…
Stand on the site of the Battle of Honey Springs, a pivotal Civil War battle that helped secure Union control of Indian Territory. On 1863, this area saw the largest battle in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, between…
Right here near Muskogee, you're passing through the birthplace of Willard Stone, a sculptor of Cherokee heritage. Born in 1916, Stone's unique wood sculptures gained national acclaim, often depicting stylized human and…
You're driving past Oktaha, a town with roots stretching back to the turn of the last century. It started as a stop on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, with a simple boxcar serving as the very first depot. The…
You're driving south of Muskogee on Highway 72, passing through Council Hill. This town owes its name to a historic Creek Nation landmark just west of here, known as Weklwa Hulwe, or 'High Spring.' Around 1840, the…
You're driving through Wainwright, a town that sprang up thanks to the railroad. Named for a local merchant, William Henry Wainwright, its post office opened in 1905. The arrival of the Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf…
Right here in present-day McIntosh County, you're driving through land that was once led by Chilly McIntosh, a prominent Creek Nation leader. Born in Georgia, he was instrumental in the 1828 migration of his people to…
You're driving through McIntosh County, and right here is the area where Daniel Newnan McIntosh, a Creek leader, made his home near Fame. Born in Georgia in 1822, he immigrated to Indian Territory with his family. When…
You're driving through McIntosh County, and right here, you're passing over the spot where North Fork Town once stood. Founded by Creek Indians back in the mid-1830s, this place was a major crossroads. It was a bustling…
You're driving through Warner, Oklahoma, a town with roots in two earlier communities: Bennett and Hereford. Hereford, right here where Warner stands today, was established in 1903. But the name? It came from a herd of…
You're driving through McIntosh County, near the town of Stidham. This community was named for George Washington Stidham, a prominent Creek leader. The post office opened way back in 1897, and for a while, Stidham was a…
You're driving through Pittsburg County, not far from Eufaula, and you're passing through the territory of the legendary Belle Starr, the "Bandit Queen." Born Myra Shirley in Missouri in 1848, she moved to Indian…
You're driving through McIntosh County, and right here is Eufaula, where one of the most legendary peace officers of the Indian Territory made his home. Grant Johnson, born in Texas in 1854, was a Chickasaw Freedman and…
Right here near Eufaula, you're passing through a place with a unique spiritual history. This is the land where John McIntosh, a descendant of a famous Creek chief, became the first Christian missionary to the Plains…
You're driving past Eufaula, and right here is the birthplace of Alexander Lawrence Posey, a Creek poet and humorist who gained national fame. Posey is best known for his 'Fus Fixico letters,' political satire written…
You're driving through Eufaula, Oklahoma, the hometown of a legendary football family: the Selmon brothers. Right here, Lucious, Dewey, and Lee Roy Selmon became OU Sooners, dominating the game. Lucious was an…
Right here near Eufaula, you're passing through the country that inspired Jerome Richard Tiger, a celebrated Creek-Seminole painter. Born in 1941, Tiger found formal schooling frustrating, but his artistic talent…
Right here in Eufaula, Oklahoma, you're passing through the birthplace of a true Oklahoma trailblazer: J.C. Watts Jr. In 1995, Watts made history as the very first Black congressman elected from Oklahoma. Before heading…
You're driving past Bacone, Oklahoma, home to a remarkable institution. Right here, in 1880, Almon Bacone, a former educator, started the Baptist Academy with just three students and himself as the sole teacher. He…
You're driving through present-day Muskogee County, Oklahoma, near the confluence of the Verdigris, Grand, and Arkansas rivers. Right here, back in the late 1700s and early 1800s, was the bustling Three Forks area, and…
You're driving through Eufaula, and right here is a town that owes its very existence to a railroad bridge. Back in 1872, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway was building a bridge over the South Canadian River.…
Right here, you're passing by Oklahoma's largest lake by capacity: Lake Eufaula, the "gentle giant." President Lyndon B. Johnson himself dedicated this massive reservoir back on September 25, 1964. Created by the U.S.…
Right here, near what's now Eufaula, was the stomping ground of George Washington Grayson, also known as Wolf Warrior. Born around 1843, he was a Muscogee (Creek) leader, a Confederate captain in the Civil War, and a…
Right here in Oklahoma, during the Great Depression, the government launched a massive project to put people to work and preserve history. It was called the Historical Records Survey. From 1936 to 1942, Oklahomans…
You're driving through McIntosh County, near Hitchita. This town's name honors a band of Muskogean Indians, absorbed into the Creek tribe. Originally located a mile and a half east, the town really took shape in <say-as…
You're driving through Boynton, a town founded in 1903 when the railroad arrived. But right here, in 1904, a dark event marred its early days: a race riot that tragically claimed the life of one African American. While…
Right here, you're passing through Summit, Oklahoma, one of the state's historic All-Black towns. Platted in 1910, it had a post office way back in 1896. Some say it got its name because it was the highest point on the…
Muskogee, Oklahoma, a place that hums with a quiet strength, owes much of its historical prosperity to its strategic location and the iron horse. Founded in 1872 and named for the Muscogee Creek Nation, the town quickly…
You're driving through Porum, a town with a past as wild as the Wild West. Right here, in 1906, a brutal range war erupted between the Hester and Davis families. This feud wasn't just a few scuffles; it ignited killings…
You're driving through Okmulgee County, and right here is Hoffman. It sprang to life in 1905 with a post office, named for a railroad executive, or maybe an attorney – historians aren't quite sure! This town was a busy…
You're driving through Okmulgee County, heading southeast. Right here is the community of Grayson, once known as Wildcat. It was one of Oklahoma's many All-Black towns, founded back in 1902 with a post office. By 1907,…