History :

This portion of Oklahoma that is now Sequoyah County has been a possession of four nations; Spain, France, Cherokee Nation-Indian Territory and the United States. Sallisaw, the county seat, is situated at the southern edge of the famed Cookson Hills and is located on two trunk line railroads and served by U.S. Highways 59 and 64 as well as Interstate 40.

Sallisaw derived its name from the French work "salaiseau" meaning salt provisions. Salt deposits along the streams in this area furnished salt used by buffalo hunters and early settlers to preserve meat. Evidence of old salt kettles is still found in the county.

March 17, 1886, is commonly given as the date of establishment of Sallisaw. It was on that date the Missouri Pacific Railroad, then known as Kansas and Arkansas Valley Railroad, was completed into Sallisaw where three pioneer families were living. The community was incorporated in 1886 under the laws of the State of Arkansas in which the town was located at the time of its establishment. The railroad provided an economic opportunity for farmers to market their agricultural products, mainly cotton. Sequoyah County continues to be seen as a rural agricultural community. In 1919, the City of Sallisaw adopted a charter providing for a managerial form of government that continues to the present time.