In 1889, the Kansas and Arkansas Railway (later, the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway and finally, part of the Missouri Pacific Railroad) laid tracks through the area and established a townsite named Oologah, Indian Territory. Oologah was named for "Oologah" (Dark Cloud), a Cherokee chief. The "Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture" says that the Oklahoma Federal Writers' Project claimed the name translates from the Cherokee as "red horse fish," while some other sources say that the name means "cloudy weather" or just "clouds."The post office was opened May 25, 1891.