Editing Skiatook, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
===19th century===
====Battle of Chustenahlah====
{{main|Battle of Chustenahlah}}

The [[Battle of Chustenahlah]] was fought just west of Skiatook, on December 26, 1861, during the [[American Civil War]]. The battle began when [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] Col. [[James M. McIntosh|James McIntosh]] ordered an attack on the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] aligned [[Muscogee|Creek]] Chief [[Opothleyahola]]'s forces. Opothleyahola was travelling with about 1,700 [[Muscogee|Creek]] and [[Seminole]] refugees following his defeat at the [[Battle of Chusto-Talasah]].<ref name="ChustenahlahOHS">{{cite web |title=CHUSTENAHLAH, BATTLE OF |url=https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=CH065 |website=Oklahoma Historical Society |access-date=1 December 2021}}</ref> After being defeated by the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] forces, many refugees were forced to abandoned their supplies as they fled to [[Kansas]].<ref name="OPOTHLEYAHOLA-OHS">{{cite web |title=OPOTHLEYAHOLA (ca. 1780–1863). |url=https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=OP003 |website=Oklahoma Historical Society |access-date=1 December 2021}}</ref> 
A historical marker commemorates the battle.<ref name = "EOHC" />

====Founding and origin of name====
[[File:Main Street of Skiatook, Indian Territory.png|thumb|Skiatook's main street prior to statehood]]

[[William C. Rogers]], last hereditary Chief of the [[Cherokee]]s, founded Skiatook in 1872, when he established a trading post in the [[Cherokee Nation]] on the south bank of [[Bird Creek]]. When a post office was established in Rogers' store in 1872, the place was named Ski-a-took. The word is [[Cherokee language|Cherokee]] in origin, and means "Big-Indian-Me" or refers to something of large size. An [[Osage Nation|Osage]] trader, ''Skiatooka'' is also cited as influencing the town's name. In 1892, the name was changed from Ski-a-took to Skiatook.<ref name = "EOHC">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=SK003 Anna Mae Henderson, "Skiatook," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.''] Accessed April 4, 2015.</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:Townsend, Sullivan, and Co. General Merchant store in Skiatook, Indian Territory.png|thumb|Skiatook's general store prior to statehood]]
On December 18, 1904, a bank was established on the present day location of Skiatook. [[William C. Rogers]] relocated his general store and post office to the town and began building near the bank. In March 1905 the [[Midland Valley Railroad]] was built through the town and the settlement expanded to include parts of [[Osage County, Oklahoma|Osage County]] and the [[Osage Nation]].<ref name="EOHC" /> The route no longer exists, but has been converted from rail into the 14.5 mile Osage Prairie Trail linking Skiatook with [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]] to the south.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.traillink.com/trail/osage-prairie-trail/ |title=Osage Prairie Trail|publisher=Rails to Trails Conservancy (US)|access-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref> Skiatook's first newspaper, the ''Skiatook Sentinel'', began publication in April 1905 and the town was incorporated shortly after on May 28, 1905. Skiatook's first school was also founded in 1905.<ref name="EOHC" />

After Oklahoma Statehood in 1907, construction began on permanent roads and bridges.
The first church building constructed in Skiatook was the First Christian Church in 1907.
Cement sidewalks were constructed between 1909 and 1910, and in 1912 Skiatook received water, sewer and electric light improvements.
By 1920, the towns population had increased to around 2000.
A road to Tulsa was paved in the early 1920s, and with good roads leading out in all directions, Skiatook became known as the "Gateway to all points North, South, East and West".
In the 1930s, Skiatook began purchasing water from [[Spavinaw Water Project|Lake Spavinaw]].<ref name="DowntownPlan">{{cite web |title=Skiatook town plan |url=https://www.cityofskiatook.com/DocumentCenter/View/125/Skiatook-Downtown-Revitalization-Plan-PDF?bidId= |website=cityofskiatook.com |publisher=City of Skiatook |access-date=28 July 2022}}</ref>
The completion of '''[[Skiatook Lake]]''' in 1984 gave Skiatook its own water source.<ref name="EOHC" />

===21st century===
In the 2000s, Skiatook commissioned a [[List of Main Street Programs in the United States|"Main Street program"]] in order to revitalize its downtown area.<ref name="DowntownPlan" />