Catoosa

Catoosa is a city in Green Country, Oklahoma, on historic Route 66. It had a population of about 7,000 in 2018. It is home to a large statue of a blue whale, Oklahoma's largest casino, and a huge Native American art market.

Understand
It is home to the Port of Catoosa, part of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas Navigation System (MCKARNS) which connects Northeast Oklahoma to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

History
The Cherokee Nation controlled the region during the 19th century. After the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad laid tracks in the early 1880s, the community became a cow town, with the establishment of William Halsell's Bird Creek Ranch.

The name of the city is derived from the Cherokee language, phonetically pronounced "Ga-du-si" or "Ga-tu-si". Various interpretations of this word exist, including: "between two hills", "on the hill", "into the hills", and possibly signifying a prominent hill or place thereon.

Catoosa was home to Bluford "Blue" Duck, the infamous outlaw depicted in Lonesome Dove. He is buried in Dick Duck Cemetery at the intersection of 193rd and Pine street.

Sleep

 * Hard Rock Casino
 * Hard Rock Casino

Go next

 * Coal mining history and more at the Historical Society in Broken Arrow.
 * Tulsa for its oil barons, history and the architecture they left behind.
 * Claremore is the historic hometown of Will Rogers and home to numerous museums.