Stilwell’s post office opened in 1896, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns · #79 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Most of Stilwell was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Its Register listings are the Adair County Courthouse and the KCS Railway Depot. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: the first Stilwell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1897.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Stilwell’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Stilwell is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #79 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 Stilwell’s overall grade.
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 Stilwell’s 5.3 sits near the middle of its state (52% 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 (±2.8 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1897 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Stilwell’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Stilwell's history began in 1838 as an end point of the Trail of Tears, with the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of thousands of Indigenous people to the Stilwell area. The trail was called nu na da ul tsun yi in Cherokee language, or "the place where they cried". The U.S. federal government set up a “disbandment depot” outside what is present-day Stilwell in the early months of 1839 to distribute food and supplies to the newly arrived Indigenous people. Those with resources quickly left to settle across the rest of Indian Territory, but the sickest and poorest stayed in the Stilwell area, close to the safety of the depot.
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.
The Stilwell post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1897.
How does Stilwell rank for history?
Stilwell is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #79 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 Stilwell?
Two places: the Adair County Courthouse (listed 1984) and the KCS Railway Depot (2015).
How old are the homes in Stilwell?
3% of Stilwell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
Date?
2012