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Welcome
to
Craig County,
Oklahoma
A Part of the Genealogy
Trails Group
Volunteers Dedicated to Free Genealogy
Our goal is to help you track your ancestors through time
by transcribing genealogical and historical data and placing it online for the free use of all researchers.
This Craig
County Site is Available for Adoption!
WANT TO HELP?
We're looking for folks who share our dedication to putting data online and are interested in helping this project
be successful. If you are interested in joining our group, view our Volunteer Page for further information
and then contact
Kim .
If you are interested in adding your families' information this website, email us. We'll be happy to help your
families' obituaries, news items and other historical data find a home here at Oklahoma Genealogy Trails, where
it will remain free for all to view.
WE REGRET THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO DO PERSONAL RESEARCH
FOR YOU. ALL DATA IS ADDED TO THE SITE AS WE COME ACROSS IT, SO IF IT IS NOT HERE, WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT.
If you would like to be kept informed of our state and
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The county lies in the Osage Plains, accounting for the
large area of fertile, rolling prairies. The Neosho Lowlands, a subdivision of the Osage Plains, extends into the
county's eastern and southern portions, creating a rougher environment. The tributaries of the Neosho River drain
the county, with Big Cabin Creek the main artery in southern Craig County. This region was hunting grounds
for the Osage and other Plains Indian tribes. Beginning in the 1830s the Cherokee arrived, with many reaching the
territory in 1838-39 following the Trail of Tears, when they were forced to leave their southeastern United States
homes. The area became part of the Delaware and Cooweescoowee districts of the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory.
From the 1830s until the Civil War present Craig County was sparsely populated. The Military Road, or Texas Road,
ran through the eastern part of the county, as did the East Shawnee Cattle Trail, which went to Baxter Springs,
Kansas. There were other hunting trails used by various tribes. Between 1867 and 1871 the U.S. government moved
the Shawnee and Delaware into the territory from northeastern Kansas. In 1871 the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway
built tracks through present Craig County from the north to south. Also in 1871 the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad,
later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway constructed a line to Vinita from east to west. After 1881 this railroad
continued construction in Indian Territory, reaching Tulsa in 1882. The Oklahoma State Constitutional Convention
created Craig County and named it for Granville Craig, a prominent mixed-blood-Cherokee farmer who had lived in
the Welch-Bluejacket area since 1873. Vinita became the county seat.
There are five incorporated towns in the county plus White Oak (unincorporated) and Centralia (ghost town). There
are numbers of other communities such as Banzet, Bowlin Springs, Hollow, Hudson, Wimer, Miles, Kinnison, Estella,
Russell Creek, and Okoee. The county comprises 7,762.71 square miles of land and water. The area sits on the western
edge of the Ozark Plateau and eastern edge of the Prairie Plains. The prairies include small streams, uplifted
sandstone hills, and in the western part high, long mounds such as Blue Mound west of Centralia, Notch Mound northwest
of Centralia, and Hayrick Mound near the Kansas border. Coal, natural gas, and limited amounts of oil have been
found in some areas of the sandstone uplifts. Mining began after the Civil War with major operations initiating
about 1900. Coal was dug in mines as well as strip-mined, and was still produced at the beginning of the twenty-first
century in western parts of the county. An oil refinery operated west of Vinita as early as 1911, shipping 1,200
to 1,500 cars of oil monthly in 1917. Sinclair Oil Company then bought the refinery and operated it until the mid-1920s.
Ranching and farming became a major economic base before statehood. In 1907 there were approximately 387,500 acres
of farm land, with corn, oats, and wheat the principal crops. In 2000 more than 418,350 acres were used for farming
and ranching, with hay, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, and corn raised in quantity. Mt. Riga Farms, east of Big Cabin,
was a major dairy farm in the early 1900s as well as a major hunting dog producer. Charles E. Griffith, Mt. Riga's
owner, also bred Champion pointer bird dogs. There remain a large number of ranches in the western part of the
county.
[Source: Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture]
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Craig County Online Data
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Church Histories / Records
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Website Updates
Oct 2010: MITCHELL bio
2010: Death Records; Anniversaries; obituaries |
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Look-Up Offer for Obituaries
Eddene Thompson has a scrapbook full of obituaries that she is
willing to copy and send to folks. View the index of names she has and contact her.
Surrounding Counties
Craig County lies in the northeastern corner of the
state.
Bordering counties include Ottawa and Delaware counties on the
east,
Nowata County on the west,
Mayes and Rogers counties on the south,
Labette County, Kansas, on the north.
Copyright © Genealogy Trails
All data on this website is Copyright by Genealogy Trails with full rights reserved for original submitters.
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