Kinta was founded in 1901 by George W. Scott, son-in-law of Greenwood McCurtain, the last chief of the Choctaw Nation before Oklahoma became a state. Scott named the town for nearby Beaver Creek, the name "Kinta" being the Choctaw word for "beaver." He moved his store to Kinta from San Bois, established a post office in his store, and built the first permanent building in town in 1903. San Bois was then the Choctaw capital, but had been bypassed by the Fort Smith and Western Railroad.