by Lauren
In summer of 2023, the Riverview Neighborhood Association posted on social media looking for people who wanted to “preserve, beautify and promote the history of the Creek Nation Council Oak Tree” which is located in their neighborhood.
Working for Tulsa Regional Tourism at the time, I had a vested interest in the tree as a cultural destination. We frequently brought in travel journalists and other VIPs who wanted to learn more about the history of the city, but I was having trouble connecting with experts who could host these individuals at Council Oak Park.
So, I filled out Riverview’s form in hopes I would find the contacts I needed to better promote the tree.
A Brief History of the Council Oak Tree
Hear the history of the tree from Tallasi Creek Council Oak Tree Foundation VP, RaeLynn Butler.
Estimated at over 500-years-old, this massive post oak is a cornerstone of Tulsa history. In 1836, the Locv Pokv Tvlse tribal town of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation (MCN) established new ceremonial grounds beneath the Council Oak Tree based on its prominent location overlooking the Arkansas River.
In the decades that followed, the land around the tree fell into the hands of prominent Tulsa entities including Harry Ford Sinclair and even the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association before it became City of Tulsa property in the 1960s. A few years later, the park earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Preserving, Protecting & Promoting the Tree
After receiving a commemorative monument celebrating the Oklahoma State Centennial in 2007, Council Oak Park started to fall into disrepair. However, neighbors and concerned citizens began to take notice.
In November of 2022, the Riverview Neighborhood Association board of directors released a video on social media exploring problems at Council Oak Park and Stickball Park across the street.
The video caught the attention of many, including NEFF Brewing. In the following weeks, NEFF worked with the Riverview Neighborhood Association to make a run of Council Oak Tree pint glasses to raise money for landscaping repairs at the park.
Cross-Community Collaboration
The Riverview Neighborhood Association decided to form a separate committee to manage these funds and bring in voices from outside the neighborhood–which is where I came in. The “Concerned Citizens and Neighbors of the Council Oak Tree” met for the first time at the Summit Club in September of 2023.
Eventually establishing ourselves as the 509(a)(2) Tallasi Creek Council Oak Tree Foundation, our current board of nine volunteers includes:
The President of the Riverview Neighborhood Association
The Secretary of Culture and Humanities for the MCN
The Community Coordinator for the Euchee Butterfly Farm
A retired arborist
Other passionate advocates for the tree (including myself)
What emerged at the top of our priority list was preservation of the tree. Early on, we were able to secure a $5,000 grant from Oklahoma Forestry Services and an in-kind match from MCN in order to address outdated lightning protection installed in the tree. This received coverage from publications including TulsaPeople, Mvskoke Media, and our local CBS affiliate News on 6.
As we moved forward with our work, our list of partners continued to grow. The City of Tulsa updated the date on the seal of the city to 1836 to reflect the arrival of the Locv Pokv Tvlse tribal town. Then, Mythic Press led the way on designing a line of apparel that would not only help educate people about the tree, but to also raise revenue for our work.
Getting the Land Back to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
With our incredible swag and our legal paperwork filed, we were able to launch a website and social media for our nonprofit. I claimed @counciloaktree on Facebook and Instagram and, after a long discussion with the team, we landed on creekcounciloaktulsa.org for our website (to avoid confusion with other Council Oak Trees in the United States.)
Our team continued to meet with more officials from the City of Tulsa in relation to the management of repairs at Council Oak Park. After a chain of conversations, Tallasi Creek Council Oak Tree Foundation VP RaeLynn Butler was invited to the November Tulsa Parks Board meeting for a “discussion and possible action on a resolution in support of the transfer of Council Oak and Stickball Parks to Muscogee Nation.”
On Tuesday, November 5, the Parks Board voted to approve the transfer of Council Oak Park and Stickball Park to the MCN. The following Saturday, Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum attended the MCN’s 38th annual Council Oak Tree celebration to announce that the transfer would take place.
The event on Saturday, November 9 also included remarks from MCN Principal Chief David Hill, Tulsa Mayor-elect Monroe Nochols, and Secretary of Culture and Humanities for the MCN RaeLynn Butler.

While we wait for the City of Tulsa and MCN to make the land transfer official, the Tallasi Creek Council Oak Tree Foundation is working on updates to our strategic plan in order to best support the new owners of the parks.
In the meantime, people who are interested in keeping up with news about Council Oak and Stickball Parks can follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @counciloaktree, and sign up for our email list at creekcounciloaktulsa.org.
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