Choctaw Nation Capitol and Council House
Tuskahoma, Oklahoma
 
 
     
 
 Completed - 1884
Architect -
Photos: Robert Deering 4/24/2006
 

 
 
 
 
 

The Choctaw Capitol Building is a historic building built in 1884 that housed the government of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma from 1884–1907. The building is located in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, two miles north of Tuskahoma. The site also includes the Choctaw Nation Council House and the Old Town Cemetery of Tuskahoma.

After several decades of constitutional experimentation, during which the Choctaw Indians moved their national capital among several locations, the National Council in 1883 authorized construction of a permanent seat of government at Tushka Homma. The name means “home of the red warrior” in the Choctaw language, and its spelling has since been standardized as Tuskahoma.

The Capitol was completed in September 1884, built of red native brick, sandstone, and nearby timber for $30,000.  In the fall of 1884 the Indian Journal at Muskogee, Indian Territory wrote, “The capitol building is the finest structure in the Territory…”

Inside the Capitol were rooms for the Senate, House of Representatives, Principal Chief, Supreme Court, and constitutional officers, including the National Attorney and National Auditor.

The Capitol was in use from 1884 until 1907, when the Choctaw Nation was abolished, and Oklahoma became a state. After statehood the building fell into disuse and disrepair. However, the Capitol was restored in 1972 and has achieved new life as the national museum of the successfully reconstituted Choctaw Nation, whose executive offices are now located in Durant, Oklahoma.

A Choctaw war veterans' memorial is on the Capitol grounds. It includes a special section in tribute to the famous Choctaw Code Talkers, who pioneered the use of Native American languages as military code. Their initial exploits were during World War I and were repeated by Choctaws and additional tribes during World War II.

The Capitol is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.



ADDRESS:  Council House Road, Tuskahoma, Oklahoma


Early Choctaw
Council House

1884 Council House
Undated Photo

Choctaw Tribal Headquarters
Complex in Durant