Just outside of Gore, Oklahoma is a reconstruction of a Cherokee council house and courthouse from the 1829 capital of Tahlonteeskee. This site is just south of the actual site of Tahlonteeskee (now on private property).

The Tahlonteeskee settlement was established in 1827 as the seat of Cherokee government in Indian Territory when the western Cherokee were forced to relocate from Arkansas Territory. This makes it the oldest capital in Oklahoma, and a cherished site of Cherokee history.

Tahlonteeskee served as the western capital of the Cherokee from 1829-1839. In 1839, the forced removal of eastern Cherokee on the Trail of Tears unified the western Cherokee (known as Old Settlers) with those newly arrived from the east. With this transition, the capital at Tahlonteeskee fell out of use and the Cherokee Nation capital was established in Tahlequah where it remains today.

For a time, Tahlonteeskee remained as a meeting place for Old Settlers, who would meet to settle issues between the factions of the tribe — Old Settlers and the newly arrived Cherokee Nation. By 1846, issues had resolved and the Cherokee Nation was unified until the Civil War would once again divide the Nation.

Photos Copyright Christina Berry, All Things Cherokee

Tahlonteeskee Travel Details

Directions: Tahlonteeskee is just southeast of Gore, Oklahoma, north of I-40. For specific directions, click the “Directions” link in the location bubble of the map above and enter your starting location on the left.

GPS & Map: 35.51306811320131,-95.08232474327087