TAHLEQUAH

city, seat (1907) of Cherokee county, eastern Oklahoma, U.S., in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, near the Illinois River and Lake Tenkiller. Settled by Cherokee Indians and made capital of the Cherokee nation (18391907), the townsite was laid out on Cherokee council grounds in 1843. The name, meaning two are enough, probably recalls the meeting of two instead of three commissioners who were to find the end to the Cherokee Trail of Tears. Tahlequah is now a service and processing centre for an agricultural and stock-raising area and produces lumber and machine-shop products. It is the home of Northeastern State University (1846) and the Cherokee Arts and Crafts Center. Cherokee government buildings still standing are the Capitol (186770), the National Prison (1874), and the Supreme Court (1844); the Murrell Home (1844) in Park Hill is a fine example of an antebellum mansion. Sequoyah State Park by the Arkansas River and Tsa-La-Gi, a re-created Indian village, are nearby. Pop. (1990) 10,398; (1994 est.) 11,403.