urday from 10 a . m . to 4 p . m . Rates are typically adults , $ 7 ; seniors ( ages 62 +), $ 5 ; students ( 6-18 ) $ 4 ; children ( 5 and under ) free ; family ( up to six people ), $ 18 . Veterans and active military with ID are free , and group rates of 10 and more are $ 5 per person . OHS members are also free . For information , call 918-456-2751 .

Tahlequah History Trail

The Tahlequah History Trail is about a two-mile walk and shares details of the people who settled in Tahlequah and the architecture they left behind . The walk can begin downtown at Norris Park , or pick up a map at the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce office for sites such as the Cherokee Settlement Interpretive Sign , Wooden Pedestrian Bridge , Rosamund House , Franklin Castle , Seminary Hall at Northeastern State University , Bailey Falls , Sequoyah City Park , WPA American Legion , Brookside House , Truss Bridges , WPA Armory Building , Cherokee Capitol Square , Cherokee National Supreme Court Building , and the Cherokee

National Prison .

John Hair Cultural Center and Museum

The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees built the facility to host artifacts and promote cultural arts and crafts . The site also includes a gift shop .

Since 2005 , the Tradition Keeper designation has been awarded to outstanding Keetoowahs , including those who practice the arts , such as basket weaving , soapstone carvers , dress makers , blowgun makers , beadwork , bow makers , storytelling , and those who preserve heritage through other arts and crafts .

The John Hair Culture Center features a permanent exhibit where visitors can learn about Keetoowah removal and relocation to Tahlequah . A temporary exhibit rotates in the front of the museum . Hours are 8:30 a . m . to 4:30 p . m ., Monday to Friday , and is located at 18628 Keetoowah Drive . For information , call 918-772-4389 . Amid the pandemic , visitors are encouraged

to call to make reservations prior to entry .

John Ross Museum

In Park Hill stands the John Ross Museum , which once served as a school house where Cherokees learned the syllabary , developed by Sequoyah . The old rural school building highlights the life of Principal Chief John Ross , who led Cherokees to Tahlequah . Inside the old school house are exhibits about the history of Cherokee Nation , with a particular emphasis on Cherokee language . Behind the John Ross Museum is a family cemetery where prominent Cherokee people are buried . The John Ross Museum is at 22366 S . 530 Road . Hours are Tuesday to Saturday , 10 a . m . to 4 p . m . For information , call 918- 413-0757 .

National Registry Sites

Tahlequah is home to many old homes and sites that appear on the National Registry of Historical Places .

To better establish themselves as an educated people , Cherokee Nation established the first institutions of higher education in what is now the State of Oklahoma . Northeastern State University was once the Cherokee Female Seminary before it was appropriated by the state following The Curtis Act and Allotment in the 1900s .

The original female seminary stood in Park Hill by the Cherokee Heritage Center . On Easter Sunday in 1887 , a fire burned the old building . Cherokees rebuilt the new seminary in Tahlequah where NSU stands . Seminary Hall was rebuilt in 1889 , and now stands at the heart of campus . Currently under renovation in a multiyear project in conjunction with Cherokee Nation , Seminary Hall is slated to reopen in the fall 2022 . NSU is known for its School of Optometry , which is respected in its field .

Tahlequah Armory Municipal Center

To stimulate the economy during the Great Depression , President Franklin D . Roosevelt launched the Works Progress Administration in 1935 , which funded projects to beautify areas throughout the country . The WPA provid-

See HISTORY , page 70