STILWELL, Okla. — Cherokee Nation officials gathered with Adair County leaders to cut the ribbon Monday afternoon and celebrate the grand opening of the tribe’s new $2.5 million, 4,000-square-foot Stilwell Cherokee Nation Tag Office.
The Stilwell Cherokee Nation Tag Office officially opened Monday to customers and will initially provide three windows for service, with room to expand to a fourth window as demand grows.
“Issuing tags is an expression of something that is so important to the Cherokee people: tribal sovereignty. Sovereignty takes many different forms, and you can see it all around the community. This type of sovereignty makes a difference in the lives of the Cherokee people. Revenues from this tag office will help us invest in the community from education to law enforcement and infrastructure,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “I want to particularly thank Councilor Shawn Crittenden for his efforts in getting us to this day. I have never met a force more powerful, more persuasive, more persistent than Councilor Shawn Crittenden wanting a tag office right here in Stilwell, and that persistence is paying off as we celebrate the grand opening of this new facility. Councilor Crittenden would be the last to tell you he led the charge and would be the first to tell you who else pitched in, but he did lead the charge, and we listened. I’m proud to join Deputy Chief Bryan Warner, Councilor Crittenden, Councilor Joshua Sam and the many other local and regional partners who had a hand in expanding this vital service to the Cherokee people in this vital community.”
The new Stilwell office will help cut down on travel for thousands of Cherokee citizens in Adair County. Previously, citizens had to travel either to Tahlequah or Sallisaw to find the nearest tribal tag office.
“The Cherokee Nation tag office staff work so hard and do such a good job in serving the Cherokee people through our tribal tag offices around the reservation, and this new facility here in Stilwell is going to help meet an important need,” Deputy Chief Bryan Warner said. “These blessings we recognize should never be something we take for granted. The important thing is today, the people spoke to the Council and Chief Hoskin and I, and many others, and we listened. But we didn’t just hear it through our ears, we heard it in our hearts. This tag office was a big and mighty project that will go such a long way in making our tag service more easily accessible to Cherokee families here in Adair County.”
The Cherokee Nation currently provides all motor vehicle tags including commercial vehicles, farm tags, military service, personalized and specialty tags, physically disabled, as well as RV and travel trailers.
“I’ve always believed in this project, Chief Hoskin’s administration believed in this project, the Council believed it, and the Tax Commission and staff, they believed it. Now it’s come to fruition. That means another great service for the Cherokee people,” District 8 Councilor Shawn Crittenden said.
Since its inception, the Cherokee Nation Tax Commission has provided more than $81 million to public schools, more than $7 million for law enforcement, and more than $41 million for road and infrastructure projects through the tribe’s tag office services across the reservation.
“When you think of a tag office, you might not always think of the importance it has for a community, but it’s a great resource to have for all our people, especially in Adair County,” District 7 Councilor Joshua Sam said.
The Cherokee Nation Stilwell Tag Office is located at 400 W. Locust. It can be reached by calling 918-453-5100. For more information on services provided by the Cherokee Nation Tax Commission, visit https://tagoffice.cherokee.org.