Muskogee

Muskogee is in the Green Country region of Oklahoma.

Understand
Muskogee, seat of the eponymous county, is one of the larger Oklahoma municipalities, at around 37,000 people. Back in 1830, when Andrew Jackson sent many indigenous people packing with his mean-spirited Indian Removal Act of 1830, this area became a center of government for the "Five Civilized Tribes" at a place called The Indian Agency. Of course, white settlement didn't stop with the Southeast and eventually made its way to Indian Territory, where land rushes in 1889 led to the start of communities like Muskogee, which became incorporated in 1898. An entrepreneur by the name of Charles Haskell made great strides to develop the town, with a downtown sector and railroads that came to be called the Muskogee Roads. The Five Civilized Tribes tried to secure a political state called the State of Sequoyah for their own autonomy, but it was in vain, as President Teddy Roosevelt and Congress struck it down.

Today, many people know Muskogee from the Merle Haggard song "Okie From Muskogee," and the city bears some signs of turmoil with poverty and crime. For instance, 2010 saw the advent of a mass shooting at the Arrowhead Mall.

Get in
A meshwork of highways connect Muskogee to the rest of the world, but State Highway 351, also known as the Muskogee Turnpike, is a principal thoroughfare for one directly connecting the city to Tulsa. No commercial passenger air or train service is available.

Get around


Otherwise, a personal vehicle might be your best bet to get around, unless you really like to ride a bike.