Coal County, Oklahoma

The County seat of Coal County, is Coalgate. It was the site of a mining camp and most of the people in the area had migrated there prior to 1885. Three railroads became active around there in 1885, the Oklahoma City, Ada and Atoka, the Rock Island, and the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas, (M.K.&T.). During this time the town was known as Liddle, and was well known by 1890. The town was incorporated as Coalgate in 1898. It was named for the President of the M.K.&T. Coalgate Hoyle. Coalgate had grown to a population of 2,921 by statehood in 1907, due to the coal activity. A slogan from the early day mining activities was "A gate to wealth from the Coal Industry." By 1908 the population had grown to 3,500 and it had 65 businesses. It continued to grow until 1925, when the coal mines began to close.

Four major highways converge at Coalgate, US75, SH3, SH43 and SH31. The towns in the county began as mining camps and as time went along, their names changed with time and circumstances.