Begun as a rural settlement in Tobucksy County, Choctaw Nation during the 1860s, the community's economy was based on agriculture and cattle ranching. Coal mining became the most important economic activity during the 1870s.
A post office was established at Savanna, Indian Territory on May 5, 1876. The town owed its existence to the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad, for which it was a station stop, and the new post office was named for the private railroad car used by Robert Stevens, general manager of the railroad.
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 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.
