Coal County,
is located in southeastern
Oklahoma, and was established in November 1907 when Oklahoma gained statehood.
The county was formed from former Choctaw Nation Indian Territory and was named after the dominant industry of the area since the 1870's - coal mining.
It was originally called “Tobucksy”, the Choctaw word for “coal”, because of the vast deposits of coal
beneath the area.
Coal mining operations began in 1877 on land leased from the Choctaw Indian Nation.
