Experience Tulsa’s diverse history at Creek Council Oak Park. The Creek Council tree, a mature post oak, marks the Lochapoka tribe’s ceremonial grounds. The U.S. government forced this group of Creek Indians to migrate from Alabama in 1834. From the original group of 630, 161 died on this slow and painful trek west. In 1836, the clan arrived on a low hill overlooking the Arkansas River, and marked their arrival with a solemn ceremony depositing ashes from their last ceremonial fires in Alabama. 

The Council Oak designated the village as Talasi or “Old Town.” Tulsa eventually gained its name through later white settlers’ mispronunciations. Creek Council Oak Park is often referred to as Tulsa's first City Hall. As late as 1896, the Tulsa-Lochapoka gathered here for ceremonies, feasts and games.  

Today, the park still holds commemorative tribal ceremonies. It also features an ethno-botanical garden displaying plants that Creek Indians used for food, fiber, ceremonial and medicinal purposes. Interpretive signs identify plants and provide information about their purpose. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Creek Council Oak Park is protected and preserved by Oklahoma Historic Preservation zoning.