After the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 , the Five Civilized Tribes were relocated from their homes in the south to Indian Territory through the Trail of Tears . Of the five tribes , the Cherokee and Creek tribes established settlements near Muskogee , with the town being incorporated into both Indian Nations . Following the American Civil War , renewed interest was created in western expansion . The United States Federal government allowed railroads to be built on Indian soil for the first time . In 1872 , the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was extended to this area . In 1889 , recognizing Muskogee ’s growing economic and political value , a United States federal court was established at the city . This was the first federal court that exercised jurisdiction in Indian Territory that was actually located within the Territory . Before this point , all jurisdiction had been given to the federal court located in Fort Smith , Arkansas until 1883 when jurisdiction was split between that court and the federal courts for the District of Kansas at Wichita & Fort Scott and the Northern District of Texas at Graham and later the Eastern District of Texas at Paris
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
History of Muskogee