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CHistory
History · Skiatook

Skiatook dates to 1872, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #76 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it

Most of Skiatook was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. Its Register listings are the Fox Hotel and the First National Bank. Below: 2 old photos and papers from 1906 on and the census since 1910.

1872founded
2on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Skiatook’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Skiatook began

When was Skiatook founded?

1872

Skiatook dates its founding to 1872 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 606 in 19102020 census: 8,450154 years

How historic is Skiatook?

C

More historic than 34% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1880.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Skiatook’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Skiatook is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #76 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Skiatook’s overall grade.
Founding era1872, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19405.2% of homes (±2.6) · typical OK town 7.0% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register2 listings, 2.3 per 10,000 residents · typical OK town 5.9 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 34%
NewerOlder
Oklahoma towns of 2,500+ (131)Ahead of 42%

Oklahoma towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oklahoma town has 5.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Skiatook’s 2.3 sits near the middle of its state (43% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1872.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Skiatook’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Skiatook’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMain Street of Skiatook, Indian Territo…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Skiatook came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Skiatook.

Read it all →

The Battle of Chustenahlah was fought just west of Skiatook, on December 26, 1861, during the American Civil War. The battle began when Confederate Col. James McIntosh ordered an attack on the Union aligned Creek Chief Opothleyahola's forces. Opothleyahola was travelling with about 1,700 Creek and Seminole refugees following his defeat at the Battle of Chusto-Talasah. After being defeated by the Confederate forces, many refugees were forced to abandoned their supplies as they fled to Kansas.

Chapters19th century20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Skiatook, 1872 to 1987

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872
    FoundingSkiatook is established
  3. 1880Post officeThe Ski-A-Took post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1906In the archiveMain Street of Skiatook, Indian Territory
  6. 1911BuiltFirst National Bank is built
  7. 1924Born hereRex D. Davis is born here
  8. 1935Born hereTom Bradshaw is born here
  9. 1951Born hereJohn F. Reif is born here
  10. 1987Born hereKata Hay is born here
By decade

Skiatook, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s2 items
Main Street of Skiatook, Indian Territory1906Main Street of Skiatook, Indian TerritoryTownsend, Sullivan, and Co. General Merchant store in Skiatook, Indian Territory1906Townsend, Sullivan, and Co. General Merchant store in…
1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today5 recent
Skiatook Fox Hotel 7-2025 Wikipedia2025Skiatook Fox Hotel 7-2025 WikipediaSkiatook First National 7-2025 Wikipedia2025Skiatook First National 7-2025 WikipediaSkiatook Central Park 5-20252025Skiatook Central Park 5-2025Jesse Haynes2017Jesse HaynesOKMap-doton-Skiatook2004OKMap-doton-Skiatook
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Main Street of Skiatook, Indian Territory
Retake this viewMain Street of Skiatook, Indian Territory, 1906

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Skiatook’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Skiatook

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2014
Fox Hotel
Fox Hotel
Buildings
Fox HotelBuilding
First National BankBuilt 1911

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Skiatook, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,0001920194019601980200020208,450

Grew from 606 people in 1910 to 8,450 in 2020, more than tenfold.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Skiatook

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
K
Kata HayAmerican musician · b. 1987
J
John F. ReifAmerican judge · b. 1951
R
Rex D. DavisRecipient of the Purple Heart medal · b. 1924
T
Tom BradshawAmerican steel guitarist, historian, columnist,… · b. 1935
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

SperryIts storyD

Questions about Skiatook’s history

What year was Skiatook founded?

In 1872, according to Wikidata. Skiatook’s post office opened in 1880, and the census of 1910 counted 606 people here.

How does Skiatook rank for history?

Skiatook is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #76 of 131 in Oklahoma. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Skiatook?

Two places: the Fox Hotel (listed 2014) and the First National Bank (2015).

How old are the homes in Skiatook?

5% of Skiatook’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1989.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.