The Beginning of Council Hill

Council Hill is a town in the southwest corner of Muskogee County. Its location was part of the pasture of the "Big G" ranch owned by Bill Gentry after the Civil War. The Gentrys raised as many as a thousand head of livestock yearly on the land.

Henry M. Sappington went into partnership with Gentry in the 1890's as he began slowing down in his elderly years. In 1901, Sappington purchased Mr. Gentry's remaining interest in the land.

The Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad began extending toward Henryetta's coalfields in 1905. The M. O. & G. line wanted a location in the area for a depot, section house and shipping point.

An auctioneer sold Council Hill's first town lots on June 22, 1905. The lots brought in $17,500 in three hours of bidding. The money registered as the most paid for a single town in Indian Territory.

Council Hill was chosen for the town name because the Creek Indians once called a nearby hilltop by the same name. There was an excellent water spring on the higher ground where the Creeks held councils.

Two weeks after the auction, the town gained a post office. It initially operated out of the Case General Store. The first postmaster was Emanuel B. Case. His store offered cool drinks, groceries and fine shoes.

The town also saw the establishment of the "Council Hill Eagle" newspaper within months of the post office's establishment. Almost a decade later, the newspaper became the "Council Hill Times."

Even before the sale of lots, people began settling in the area in expectation of the new town. Dr. Andrew J. Lovell, for example, arrived in the area on January 5, 1905, with his family. He soon established a number of partnerships in local enterprises.

Traveling doctors regularly came into the area to treat medical and dental problems before the town grew up beside the M. O. & G. tracks. The new town attracted physicians who put down permanent roots. The Council Hill Drug Company soon was dispensing medical cures and notions.

Council Hill quickly took on the look of permanence. Businessmen used brick in many places to build their stores and offices. Six of them had concrete sidewalks twelve feet wide out front within months.

A new schoolhouse was built. The first classes began in September. Methodists also built a church as soon as the money could be raised.

The town's population grew to 200 by 1909. There were two banks, a livery stable, several general stores and a meat market. There was a lumber store, a blacksmith shop and a contractor to oversee building construction. A cotton gin joined the Council Hill Grain Co., the Council Hill Hardware Co., and Council Hill Telephone Company in providing services to the area.

The town added the services of a barber, a dressmaker and a jeweler, too. A hotel served the railroad traveler.

Council Hill also had growing pains. The M. O. & G. Railroad acquired the "Big Mallet" railroad engines to pull heavier coal cars to and from Henryetta. The first time a Big Mallet engine passed through town, it tore up the loading dock at the depot. Construction workers extended it too close to the tracks. The damage was repairable, but remained the topic of discussion for weeks.

Council Hill has continued to serve the agricultural community for over a hundred years. It remains a trading center in the southwestern corner of Muskogee County.