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Muskogee, Oklahoma
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Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh largest city in Oklahoma. Muskogee residents are called Okies from Muskogee (although some consider the term to be mildly disparaging).
ogee first received recognition when in 1805 US President Thomas Jefferson addressed the United States Congress seconding the recommendation of Meriwether Lewis that a trading post be established near the modern day city.
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Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh largest city in Oklahoma. Muskogee residents are called Okies from Muskogee (although some consider the term to be mildly disparaging).
History
19th century history
Muskogee first received recognition when in 1805 US President Thomas Jefferson addressed the United States Congress seconding the recommendation of Meriwether Lewis that a trading post be established near the modern day city. French fur traders had already existed in the area for some time before the American acquisition of the Louisiana Purchase. The French were believed to have established a temporary village near Muskogee in 1806, but the first permanent settlement was established in 1817 on the south bank of the Verdigris River, north of Muskogee.
After the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the Five Civilized Tribes were relocated from their homes in the south to Indian Territory through the Trail of Tears. Of the five tribes, the Cherokee and Creek tribes established settlements near Muskogee, with the town being incorporated into both Indian Nations. The Creeks, recognizing the economic value of the location, made Muskogee the Capital of the Creek Nation in 1836.
Following the American Civil War, renewed interest was created in western expansion. The United States Federal government allowed railroads to be built on Indian soil for the first time. In 1872, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was extended to this area. In 1889, recognizing Muskogee’s growing economic and political value, a United States federal court was established at the city. This was the first federal court that exercised jurisdiction in Indian Territory that was actually located within the Territory. Before this point, all jurisdiction had been given to the federal court located in Fort Smith, Arkansas until 1883 when jurisdiction was split between that court and the federal courts for the District of Kansas at Wichita & Fort Scott and the Northern District of Texas at Graham and later the Eastern District of Texas at Paris.
With the establishment of a federal court, Indian Territory was opened to white settlers via land runs.
Modern history
Modern day Muskogee’s official founding was in 1876, even though settlements had existed in the area for decades before under the same name. Also, it was not until 1888 that a non-citizen of Indian Territory could legally own land in this area. Even though Muskogee sat at the intersection of three rivers and offered vast fertile farm lands, the town remained relatively quiet for the first years following its founding.
Muskogee made a turn towards prominence when an Ohio native, Charles N. Haskell moved to the city. When Haskell arrived in March 1901, he found it a quiet town of over four thousand people.
However, immediately on his arrival, the town took new life. Business blocks were constructed with Haskell building the first five-story business block in Oklahoma Territory. Haskell organized and built most of the railroads running into that city. He built and owned fourteen brick buildings in the city. Through his influence, Muskogee grew to be a center of business and industry with a population of over twenty thousand inhabitants in a matter of years. Haskell often told others that he hoped Muskogee would become the "Queen City of the Southwest."
Many of Muskogee's streets in the downtown district still show their original brick composition. Buildings dating back to the Haskell era abut modern architecture.
As Muskogee’s economic and business importance grew, so did its political power. When the Civilized Tribes met together in order to propose an Indian State, the State of Sequoyah, they met on August 21, 1905 in Muskogee to draft its constitution, with Muskogee to serve as the State's capital. Vetoed by US President Theodore Roosevelt, the proposed State of Sequoyah did not receive federal recognition. Instead, the State of Oklahoma was admitted to the Union on November 16, 1907 as the 46th State.
Today, Muskogee is an economic center for eastern Oklahoma. With a population of over 38,000, it is the eleventh largest city in the state.
Muskogee operates the Port of Muskogee, which is accessible from the Gulf of Mexico. The Five Civilized Tribes Museum, a museum dedicated to preserving the art and culture of the five civilized tribes, as well Honor Heights Park, a World War One memorial park which is world famous for its azaleas and its annual Azalea Festival. During the winter time, people from across all 50 states travel to Muskogee to see Honor Heights transformed into the Garden of Lights, a 132 acre Christmas lights display. Muskogee is also home to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in which great Oklahoma Musicians have been honored since 1997.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 38.8 square miles (100.4 km˛), of which, 37.3 square miles (96.7 km˛) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.7 km˛) of it (3.69%) is water.
Demographics
The population is one of the most diverse in the state. The population of Muskogee has remained relatively unchanged since the first half of the twentieth century. Twenty-four different nationalities are represented within in the city’s limits as well as 17 non-English languages being spoken as first languages.
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,310 people, 15,523 households, and 9,950 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,026.0 people per square mile (396.1/km˛). There were 17,517 housing units at an average density of 469.1/sq mi (181.1/km˛). The racial makeup of the city was 61.12% White, 17.90% African American, 12.34% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.57% from other races, and 6.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.28% of the population.
There were 15,523 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,418, and the median income for a family was $33,358. Males had a median income of $28,153 versus $20,341 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,351. About 14.6% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Mayor and council
The governing document of Muskogee is the City Charter of Muskogee. Under the City Charter, Muskogee is governed by a Mayor and a City Council operating under the Council-manager government of local government. The Council is composed of the eight Councilmembers and the Mayor as the at-large member. The Mayor serves as a full voting member of the City Council. In this system, the Mayor is mostly ceremonial and exercises very limited administrative power. The head of the City government is the City Manager of Muskogee.
The Mayor serves a two year term while the City Councilmembers serve staggered four year terms. The city is divided into four wards with each ward is represented on the Council by two Councilmembers. All Councilmembers are elected by the City as a whole but must reside in the ward they represent. The Mayor may be from any ward and is elected by the City as a whole. Elections are held on the first Tuesday in April in each even numbered year. The next election will be held in April, 2010. All elections are non-partisan and the Mayor and the members of the Council receive no salary or compensation for their services.
The Mayor is the head of the city for all ceremonial purposes and, by Oklahoma state law, the Governor of Oklahoma must recognize the Mayor as the city commander for the purposes of martial law. The Mayor serves as chair of the Council, presides over all meetings, and has a full vote on all matters. The Council elects one of its members to serve as Vice Mayor who becomes the Mayor in the event of a vacancy in the office of Mayor. The Mayor, with the approval of the Council, appoints members to city boards and commissions and, during a state of emergency, assumes emergency powers.
The current Mayor of Muskogee is the Honorable John Tyler Hammons, who, at the time of his election, was a 19-year-old University of Oklahoma freshman. Mayor Hammons was first elected, with 70% of the vote, on May 13, 2008, in an election against former Muskogee Mayor Hershel McBride. Hammons replaces Wren Stratton, who decided not to seek re-election after one term.
The current members of the City Council of Muskogee are:
- Mayor
- Ward I
- Ward II
- Ward III
- Robert Perkins, Sr., the current Vice Mayor of Muskogee
- David Ragsdale, Jr.
- Ward IV
City manager and administration
To serve as the chief administrative officer of the City, the Council, by majority vote, appoints a City Manager to serve at the pleasure of the Council. The City Manager provides centralized direction for all administration and operations of all municipal services for the City as directed by the Council. He appoints all administrative officers and all departments, agencies, offices and employees of the City are managed by the City Manager. He prepares and submits to the Council a balanced plan of municipal services in adherence with the policy goals and objectives established by the Council.
The current City Manager is Greg Buckley, appointed by the City Council in February, 2008.
Among the City Manager’s top level executives and departments are:
- Emergency Management Department – headed by Emergency Management Director, responsible for informing the citizens of Muskogee about emergency preparedness and how to minimize the effects of technological and natural disasters upon the people of Muskogee by preparing implementing and exercising preparedness plans, and coordinating actual disaster response/recovery operations
- Engineering Department – headed by City Engineer, responsible for overseeing all construction related to Muskogee’s infrastructure and managing all city mapping
- Water, Sewage and Sanitation Departments – under authority of City Engineer, responsible for providing water to city and water treatment services
- Finance Department – headed by City Treasurer, responsible for managing Muskogee’s financial resources through monitoring financial activity against the city's budget, initiating and recording all investment activity, preparing financial statements and scheduling for audits
- Fire Department – headed by Fire Chief, responsible for providing quality, timely, and professional emergency services in response to fires and other emergencies
- Cemetery Department – headed by Cemetery Supervisor, responsible for the regulation and management of the city cemetery, Greenhill Cemetery
- Information Technology Department – headed by Information Technology Director, responsible for providing data processing services to city departments, agencies, and offices, including technical support
- Parks and Recreation Department – headed by Parks and Recreation Director, responsible for providing and managing city recreational facilities and programs
- Personnel Department – headed by Personnel Director, responsible for ensuring city-wide employment needs are meet and protecting the city’s merit program
- Planning Department – headed by Planning Director, responsible for developing, revising and administering the zoning and subdivision regulations for new development and new construction within the limits of the city and well as enforcing all city ordinances in reference to derelict structures, dilapidated property, accumulation of weeds, grass and trash, care of premises, off-street parking and zoning violations
- Police Department – headed by Chief of Police, responsible for crime reduction, preservation of the public peace, and responding to other emergencies that threaten the public safety
- Public Works Department – headed by the Public Works Director, responsible for providing customer service to the City in the areas of Streets, Storm Water, Environmental Control, Traffic, Sanitation, Recycling and the city Airport
- Purchasing Department – headed by City Purchasing Agent, responsible for coordinating a uniform procurement system to supply city operations with an uninterrupted flow of materials and services
Other important city officials that are supervised by the City Manager but are appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the Council are the City Attorney, who heads the Legal Department which is response for representing the City in court, and the City Clerk, who is responsible for keeping all records of the city as well as the minutes of the all Council meetings.
Crime
According to the July 2, 2006 edition of the Tulsa World, Muskogee's homicide rate was the highest in the state five times from 1997 to 2005, and it tied with Tulsa one other year. The report from the Tulsa World was controversial, coming during a time when Tulsa's crime rate was skyrocketing, and homicides were nearing record numbers.
Points of interest
Noteworthy residents
Muskogee was commemorated in the 1969 Merle Haggard song "Okie from Muskogee".
- Louis Ballard - Cherokee and Osage composer and inductee, Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
- Keith Birdsong, illustrator known for his Star Trek novel covers
- Birthplace of businessman and Dallas Cowboys owner (1984-1989) Bum Bright
- Birthplace of jazz musician Don Byas (a member of Dizzy Gillespie's first band)
- Tom Coburn, current U.S. Senator from Oklahoma
- Drew Edmondson, current Attorney General of Oklahoma
- James E. Edmondson, current Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice
- George Faught, current Representative from Oklahoma State House District 14; first Republican in state history to represent Muskogee-based district
- Sandy Garrett, current Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
- John Tyler Hammons, Mayor of Muskogee and one of youngest mayors in United States history
- Charles N. Haskell, noted lawyer, oilman, statesman, and the first governor of Oklahoma
- L. R. Kershaw, lawyer, banker, cattle breeder, real estate developer and candidate for governor in 1930
- Birthplace of jazz guitarist Barney Kessel
- Leo Kottke, famed acoustic guitar master
- Robert E. Lavender, former Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice
- Roberta McCain, mother of U.S. Sen. John McCain (R, AZ)
- Birthplace of jazz musician Jay McShann (who gave Charlie Parker his first high-profile job)
- Smokie Norful, Gospel recording artist
- Joe A. Rector, internationally-acclaimed Creek/Seminole artist
- Robert Reed, actor who played the father on the Brady Bunch
- Birthplace of jazz musician Pee Wee Russell
- Thomas Ryan, politician, lawyer, lived in Muskogee as a representative from the Secretary of the Interior
- Sarah Vowell, author
- Les Walrond, Major League Baseball player
- W. Richard West Jr., Influential Director of the National Museum of the American Indian.
- Claude "Fiddler" Williams, jazz musician
- Darnell Hinson basketball player for the Perth Wildcats
External links
- ethnographer's narrative of 1883 visit to Muskogee's early settlement maintained by Library of Congress, accessed January 15, 2007.
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