Stillwater Creek received its official name in 1884 when William L. Couch established his “boomer colony” on its banks. While the creek itself was tranquil, the next few years saw turmoil as pioneers sought free, fertile land and soldiers held them off while complicated legal issues and land titles with Creek and Seminole tribes were hashed out. On April 22, 1889, the cannons fired signaling the first Land Run that opened up the Unassigned Lands of the Oklahoma Territory, which included Stillwater. By the end of the day, had been claimed and designated as Stillwater Township and a tent city with a population numbering 300 had sprung up on the prairie. The "Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture" simply says that the name officially became Stillwater only when the post office opened on May 28, 1889.