In 1919 the U.S. Department of the Interior, which had trust responsibility for Creek lands, sold the building and site to the city of Okmulgee.

In 1992, it was included again on the National Register as a contributing building in the listing of the Okmulgee Downtown Historic District.

[6] In 1837 the majority of the Muscogee tribe members were forced to remove from their territory in the Southeast to west of the Mississippi River by the U.S. government, during what is known as the Trail of Tears.

Survivors of the trek reached Indian Territory and held a meeting at the historic Council Oak Tree, in an area that developed as present-day Tulsa.

During the American Civil War, tribal unity was tested as members divided over alliance with the Confederacy.

In 1908 the U.S. Congress authorized the Secretary of the Interior to "take possession of all lands belonging to the Five Civilized Tribes, now or heretofore used for government, school, or other tribal purposes...".

This redevelopment was ended after popular entertainer Will Rogers (Cherokee) visited the city and called for the Council House to be preserved, appealing to supporters of this view.

On April 24, 1923, activists founded the Creek Indian Memorial Association (CIMA) to protect the historical monuments of the Muscogee tribe.

From the 1930s into 1960s, the City of Okmulgee used the Creek Council House variously as a sheriff's office, a Boy Scout meeting room, and a YMCA.

In August 2010, after several months of negotiations, the City of Okmulgee agreed to sell the Council House back to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation for $3.2 million.