United States Post Office Nowata - Nowata, OK
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 36° 42.037 W 095° 38.359
15S E 264223 N 4064907
Noweata people called the town after themselves, but the railroad workers pronounced it Nowata, and the Federal Government made it so...
Waymark Code: WMNBVD
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 02/09/2015
Views: 2
County of Post Office: Nowata County
Location of Post Office: 109 N. Pine St., Nowata
Architect: Louis Simon
Mural Artist: Woody Crumbo
Phone: (918) 273-1681
"We first learned that the Iron Mountain Railway established stations through the Indian Territory at an interval of every six miles; completing the road to Nowata in the early fall of 1889. When the station was established, the name Noweata, a Delaware word meaning 'come here' or 'Welcome' was suggested and adopted. The railroad men mispronounced this name, calling it Nowata and officials from Washington wrote the name Nowata on the official documents. So the town gradually became Nowata, instead of Noweata, as it was originally named.
"Before that time Mr. Henry Armstrong of Coody's Bluff had put up a brick building which is still standing and is now occupied by the Farmers' Supply Company. These brick structures were followed by the present post office building.
"The two municipal governments existed in Nowata for a while with many conflicts arising and one ending in serious results. The government under the Cherokee regime was to some extent dominated by a lawless desperate class.
"In order to put an end to such a lawless state of affairs, the municipal government under the Federal authorities secured the services of a fearless man as their marshal from the outside, namely, Mr. Goodell. The rowdies of the town determined to get rid of Mr. Goodell and get him out of town but he resisted their opposition and stood his ground until conditions became unbearable. The time came when one of the two government factions would dominate. In the mixup Mr. Goodell killed Mr. Fulsom and his brother. The town was divided, some siding with and some against Mr. Goodell, who was afterwards convicted in the Federal Court at Wagoner and sentenced to the penitentiary for twenty years.
"When the constitutional convention met in 1907 Nowata was selected as the temporary county seat of Nowata County for a given length of time. In 1908 when the county seat went to a vote, Nowata won after a hot fight with Delaware.
"Nowata adopted the Commission form of government in 1913, which is the present form- of city government. The commissioners at this time are R. C. Cauthorne, mayor and commissioner of public welfare; A. P. Houglan, city clerk and commissioner of finance; Frank McCartney, commissioner of public property.
"Prior to the adoption of the Commission form of government the city was governed by the aldermanic form, each ward being represented by an alderman. The Commission form of government has been replaced by the managerial form at a recent- election when a new charter was adopted. The commissioners have been elected but the manager has not yet, been selected." ~ Mrs. E. G. Witter of the La-Kee-Kon Club; Women's clubs of Nowata