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History · Ochelata

Ochelata’s post office opened in 1900

Most of Ochelata was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1914 on and the census since 1910.

1900first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Ochelata began

When was Ochelata founded?

1900

The Ochelata post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 550 in 19102020 census: 427126 years
Founding year: the first Ochelata post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ochelata’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Ochelata are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19143 editions of the USGS map, 1914 to 1985. Watch Ochelata change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ochelata’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ochelata’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Ochelata on the map, 1914 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ochelata. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Ochelata on the 1914 USGS mapOchelata on the 1972 USGS mapOchelata on the 1985 USGS map1914Nowata sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ochelata.

The story

How Ochelata came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ochelata.

Read it all →

This settlement was founded circa 1898 by Thomas Ellis, who had bought 40 acres from a Cherokee land owner named Jacob Dick. Ellis named the community Otis. It was renamed Ochelata in November 1899 to honor Cherokee Principal Chief Charles Thompson, whose Cherokee name was Oochalata. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway reached Ochelata in 1899. A post office was established March 23, 1900, and the town of Ochelata was incorporated in 1902.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Ochelata, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Sunset Follows the Branches2005Sunset Follows the BranchesAwakened Dragon2004Awakened DragonVenus at Twilight2003Venus at TwilightSunset Framed by Trees2003Sunset Framed by TreesSunset2003Sunset
People over time

Ochelata, census by census

0100200300400500600192019401960198020002020Peak: 550

Between 312 and 550 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ochelata’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Ochelata

Nobody well known was born in Ochelata itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Will RogersAmerican humorist and entertainer · b. 1879
Anita BryantAmerican singer and activist · b. 1940
Mark PriceAmerican basketball player-coach · b. 1964
L
Larry SellersAmerican actor · b. 1949
Patrick CranshawAmerican actor · b. 1919
RebelAmerican professional wrestler and manager · b. 1978

Questions about Ochelata’s history

What year was Ochelata founded?

The Ochelata post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.