In the early 1800s, treaties with the Cherokee, Osage, and Choctaw gave the tribes allotments in Indian Territory in the region that would become Oklahoma.

In 1870, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad started construction in the Cherokee Nation along the Kansas border, laying tracks to Texas.

[13] A post office was eventually established naming the town Coo-y-yah, Indian Territory.

[13] On April 27, 1942, a tornado swept along Pryor's main street from the western edge of the business district to the eastern edge of the city, destroying nearly every building and causing extensive damage to the residential section.

[13] The F4 tornado struck about 5 p.m. (17:00) local time, an hour and a half after one hit near Talala, Oklahoma, and mowed a path about 5 miles (8 km) long, killing three and injuring 12.

Governor Leon C. Phillips put the area under martial law, but because the Oklahoma National Guard had been activated for service during World War II, he sent state troopers to rescue victims, maintain order and prevent looting.

[16] In 1951, voters approved the present city charter of a mayor-council government system, which provided for the election of a mayor, clerk, treasurer, police chief and eight councilors.

The stream known as Pryor Creek flows past the west and south sides of the city.

[13][21] Pryor is the location of the administrative office and one of the four campuses of Northeast Tech, a vocational and technical school.

[25] The Thunderbird Youth Academy, funded by the Federal Government and operated by the Oklahoma National Guard, is a twenty-two-week program to help high school dropouts restructure their lives.

[27] The facility includes its own airfield, the MidAmerica Industrial Park Airport, featuring a 5,000 foot runway refurbished in 2016.

[28] In May 2007 Google announced its plans to build a large Internet data center at the Mid-America Industrial Park.

[33] According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, manufacturing employs about 40 percent of the city's workforce.

[14] Pryor is host to Rocklahoma, an annual music festival located 4 miles (6.4 km) north of town.

[34] The Coo-Y-Yah Museum is housed in the old Katy Railroad Depot, operated by the Mayes County Historical Society, and contains various Native American and pioneer exhibits.

[7] Pryor was a shooting site for Season 3 of the FX comedy series Reservation Dogs from filmmaker Sterlin Harjo.