About City of Purcell

What was only a river crossing in the vast plains of North America little more than a century ago has now developed into the thriving Oklahoma community known as Purcell. Its first permanent residents were the Chickasaw whose life in the new territory centered around raising cattle, horses and hogs on land that before had been home primarily to buffalo and prairie dogs. Then came cattle drives, the railroad, and settlers that created the town that staged a prominent role in the early history of our state. Once called the Queen City of Indian Territory it is today trademarked as The Heart of Oklahoma.
Purcell qualified as a United States Bicentennial City and applied for recognition August 28, 1975. Presidential designation was made October 23. The official flag, bearing the Bicentennial emblem, was presented at a citywide ceremony December 12, 1975,

At the request of the local Bicentennial Committee, Mary Lee Hale Looper, well-known Purcell artist, designed the official seal for the city. Mrs. Looper spent many hours researching historical facts of the area. Further research at the Oklahoma Historical Society provided additional details.