Historical Marker Program

Founding of Ada, “Queen City of the Chickasaw Nation”

Pontotoc County
Location: northwest of the intersection of West Main Street and South Stockton Avenue in Ada
Coordinates: 34.774680, -96.682323
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Dr. Marvin Kroeker and the Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: Early Statehood, 1907–1941; Government; Mass Communication; Retail; Territorial Period, 1861–1907; Urban Development

Ada was established in 1890 on lands acquired from Chickasaw and Choctaw citizens by William Jefferson Reed, who built a log store and dwelling near present Fourth Street and Oak Avenue. A post office was established on July 10, 1891, and named for Reed’s oldest daughter, Ada. The city was incorporated in 1901 and became the county seat of Pontotoc County at statehood in 1907. Railway transportation, the establishment of present East Central University, and the procurement of a water supply from Byrd’s Mill set the stage for the town’s economic and cultural growth into “The Queen City of the Chickasaw Nation.”