 The area where Tulsa now exists was considered Indian Territory when it was first formally settled by the Lochapoka and Creek tribes in 1836 . They established a home under the Creek Council Oak Tree at the present day intersection of Cheyenne Avenue and 18th Street , and named their new settlement Tallasi , meaning " old town " in the Creek language , which later became " Tulsa " . The area around Tulsa was also settled by members of the other so @-@ called " Five Civilized Tribes " who had relocated to Oklahoma from the Southern United States ; most of modern Tulsa is located in the Creek Nation , with parts located in the Cherokee Nation and Osage Nation . 
