County of the OkGenWeb/USGenWeb Project

Indianola, Pittsburg County Article & Picture Contributed by  T.J. Bynum or T.J. Bynum The Restaurant and Hotel picture was taken at the turn of the century.  This became a local "meeting place" for the residents of Indianola.  The restaurant and Hotel was run by Julie Elizabeth Bynum. She was a baby sister of James Henderson Bynum. Julie was married to McDonald Hall.

Indianola - The name comes from the Choctaw Nation and was probably named for the area that the Choctaw Indians were displaced from in Mississippi. The Choctaw Indians were assigned land in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) by the treaty Doak's Stand; and this land would be occupied by 1830.
In that year (1830) Congress passes the Indian Removal Act to remove eastern Indians to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). The Township of Indianola was originally in Tobucksy County, Choctaw Nation. White settler's were not legally allowed in the area prior to 1889 unless they "were invited" by the Choctaw Nation.
There were whites in the area though whether legal or illegal. A previous article that was posted cited that Indianola may have been named from a stove plate that appeared in an establishment owned by Cornelison and Bynum, early day pioneers of the area. This is not likely. The first Bynum to appear in the Indianola area was James Monroe Bynum who arrived in October or November 1874 and he was probably there illegally as no documents have ever been found to reflect he had permission.
This James Monroe Bynum and his first wife Martha Caroline Proctor are buried in the McDoogal Cemetery with headstones. The Cornelison gentleman was Albert S. Cornelison and his friend James Henderson Bynum arrived in Indianola about 1889-1890.
James Henderson Bynum was an early day entrepeneur in the area. The post office was established in 1891. James Henderson Bynum was the first Postmaster at Indianola, Tobucksy County, Choctaw Nation, January 16, 1891.
The original township of Indianola was moved due to the introduction of the railroad. The Fort Smith and Western Railroad ran its line one mile north of Indianola in the year 1901, and caused a shift in the settlement of this community. This shift caused the township to have two names, "Old Town" and the settlement nearer the railroad was called "Indianola".
In the late 1950's when Lake Eufaula was opened some of the farms and ranches were relocated due to the damming of the Canadian Rivers to form this lake.

Photo showing Julie Elizabeth Bynum Hall on the front porch of  hotel with other citizens of the Indianola community.  Time frame picture was taken was the turn of the century  1900-1910. Those identified in the picture are:  Julie in the white dress sitting, her husband McDonald Hall  standing to her rear and her daughter Alta Hall sitting next to her. The other four individuals, two females, man and a boy have  never been identified.