Editing Tahlequah, Oklahoma (section)

===Cherokee Nation capital===
In 1839, Tahlequah was designated the capital of ancestors of both the Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Initially the government buildings were a complex of log or framed structures. Most of these buildings were destroyed during the Civil War, during which the Cherokee became divided into two bitterly opposing sides. The Cherokee Supreme Court Building, located in downtown Tahlequah and constructed in 1844, is the oldest public building in Oklahoma.<ref name="ReferenceA">Martindale, Robert. "Cherokee Nation places three historical buildings in trust", ''Tulsa World'', 28 June 2003</ref>

Several markers of Cherokee and Native American heritage are found in town: street signs and business signs are noted in both the Cherokee language and English. Such signs use the  [[Cherokee syllabary|syllabary]] created by [[Sequoyah]], a Cherokee scholar of the 1820s who created the writing system.