Pittsburg County, Oklahoma
| Pittsburg County, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
|
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 Location in the U.S. state of Oklahoma |
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 Oklahoma's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1907 |
| Seat | McAlester |
| Largest city | McAlester |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,378 sq mi (3,569 km2) |
| • Land | 1,305 sq mi (3,380 km2) |
| • Water | 72 sq mi (186 km2), 5.3% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2013) | 44,703 |
| • Density | 35/sq mi (14/km²) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | pittsburg |
Pittsburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,837. Its county seat is McAlester. The county was formed from part of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory in 1907. County leaders believed that its coal production compared favorably with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the time of statehood.
Pittsburg County comprises the McAlester, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The area forms the present Pittsburg county was part of the Choctaw Nation after the Choctaw tribe was forced to relocate to Indian Territory from its home in the Southeastern United States in the early 1830s. Some important trails, including the Texas Road and one route of the California Trail passed through it. In 1840, James Perry established a village called Perryville that became an important stop near the place where the two trails crossed. During the Civil War, Perryville served as an important supply depot for Confederate forces until the Union Army captured and burned the town. It became defunct after the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway (MK&T) bypassed it in 1872, and the remaining inhabitants moved to McAlester. The Butterfield Overland Mail route followed a route through this area.
James J. McAlester moved to the Choctaw Nation in 1872, opened a trading post and married a Chickasaw woman. This qualified him to obtain citizenship rights in the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations. When the MK&T built its line, McAlester laid claim to the coal deposits in the Perryville area, which he and some partners leased to the Osage Coal and Mining Company, which was owned by the Missouri Pacific Railroad and acquired by the MK&T in 1888.
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