“Welcome to Beautiful SE Oklahoma!”
Some Facts and History About McAlester
Carl Albert Parkway
McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 Census. It is the County Seat of Pittsburg County.
It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, followed by Durant.
The town gets its name from J.J. McAlester, who was immortalized as a character in the novel
"True Grit" which was then made into a movie starring John Wayne.The crossing of the east-west California Road with the north-south Texas Road formed a natural point of settlement in Tobucksy County of the Choctaw Nation, a site originally called Bucklucksy. James Jackson McAlester, an employee of licensed traders Reynolds and Hannaford convinced the firm to locate a general store at that location in late 1869. The general store was an immediate success, but J.J. McAlester recognized an even greater opportunity in the abundance of readily available coal deposits in the area, and the impending construction of a rail line through Indian Territory.
JJ. McAlester's General Store
Okla Theatre
The OKLA Theatre located in McAlester Oklahoma. This Theatre has been closed a while. Built in 1912. Built by W. Scott Dunne. The Exterior, as well as the Interior was Art Deco. It had Twinkling Stars, rolling clouds and Midnight Blue Sky on the Ceiling.
Aldridge Hotel
THE ALDRIDGE HOTEL IS SIGNIFICANT SINCE IT WAS THE ONLY LARGE FULL-SERVICE HOTEL IN THE REGION AND PLAYED A LEADING ROLE IN THE ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND SOCIAL LIFE OF SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA. BUILT IN 1929 AND DESIGNED BY GUY C. REID, THE ALDRIDGE HOTEL IS ONE OF THE TALLEST BUILDING IN MCALESTER. IT IS KNOW A FULL SERVICE APARTMENT COMPLEX.
Pittsburg County Court House
William H. Busby finished the construction of the Busby Theatre in 1908. This theater was the biggest entertainment center in Indian Territory. One of the first performances at the theater was Ben Hur, which included a chariot race performed by two chariots being pulled by four white horses across the stage. This was one of many first-class productions that fueled enthusiasm for the theater in the southwest. It know is known as the Pittsburg County Courthouse.
