Heavener Runestone Park
Vikings in Oklahoma? Norsemen carved cryptic runes into the face
of a rock slab at the foot of Poteau Mountain. Hear an interpretation
from a local citizen who has published works on this topic.
Kerr Museum
This country estate was home of the late Senator Robert S. Kerr.
President Kennedy slept here. The Kerr Museum is packed with
runestones, Spiro artifacts, and Kerr memorabilia. [More...]
Peter Conser Home
The Peter Conser Home is the 1894 home of the
Choctaw leader of the Lighthorsemen law enforcement agency. It
contains furnishing and artifacts from 1894-1910. [More...]
Wheelock
Academy
Near Millerton, in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, you will find the
major, surviving components of the once flourishing Wheelock Academy,
a unique symbol of almost two centuries of the Choctaw Nation’s
commitment to education. [More...]
Scottish Rite Masonic Temple
Lavish architecture houses a library/museum, costume room, 1930
Kimball organ with over 3,100 pipes. This is the largest Masonic
temple in the state.
Choctaw Nation Councilhouse Museum After
removal to Indian Territory, Choctaws settled into a peaceful and
productive time period. They selected a location for their capitol
in the Kiamichi Valley between the Kiamichi River and the Potato
Hills. In 1838, they constructed a two-room structure. They named
it Nanih Waiya, in memory of their sacred mound in the old Choctaw
country in Mississippi. The building burned in 1849.
An amendment
proposed by the Council in 1882, and ratified by the people in
1883, made possible a new, permanent location for the Capitol.
A site was chosen only two and a half miles from the original capitol.
They named the new site “Tushka
Homma” meaning “Red Warrior.”
Completed
in 1884, the imposing three-story red brick and sandstone structure,
with an orange-colored Mansard roof, jutted from the prairie floor
to the tree-tops above.
After statehood
in 1907 the Tribal government was dissolved and the Federal government
took control. The Choctaw Capitol building fell into disuse. Several renovations
took place, once in the 1930s and again in the 1970s. In 1975 the
Capitol building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 2002,
the building was renovated once more, preserving the historic structure,
enhancing surrounding grounds and creating a museum on
the second floor.
The first
floor houses the Tribal Court, as well as staff offices, public
restrooms and a gift shop.
Beginning
in 1884, Choctaws gathered on the Capitol grounds for a Labor Day
holiday. This tradition continues each Labor Day weekend, with ball games of
all kinds, Gospel music and singing, food, professional entertainers, arts
and crafts. Choctaws
have a long and rich history of military service. During World
War I, they were the first American Indians to use their native language to
transmit messages which the Germans never decoded; they were called the Code
Talkers.
Museum Hours: Tuesday – Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Contact: Regina Green 918-569-4465
Wheelock
Academy
Choctaws
have a long and rich history of military service. During World
War I, they were the first American Indians to use their native language to
transmit messages which the Germans never decoded; they were called the Code
Talkers.