French explorers and traders named this part of North America in the seventeenth century.

The site of present-day Sallisaw fell within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation after the tribe was forced to emigrate from its former home in the Southeastern U.S.

[5] Other early businesses included the Economy Store and McDonald Mercantile Company, operated by William Henry McDonald, who also owned a bank; Matthews Brothers, a grocery, was opened in 1898 by Henry and Arch Matthews; W. D. Mayo and E. M. Pointer founded Mayo and Company, a mercantile and farm implement business.

[5] After 1920, lumber and its byproducts began playing a major role in the town's economy, along with coal and petroleum products (including natural gas).

[5] The name Sallisaw was taken from the French word salaison, meaning "salt provisions" in English.

The French, who hunted in the area long before the town was founded, called Sallisaw Creek Salaiseau because hunters salted bison meat there.

English naturalist Thomas Nuttall recorded the name as Salaiseau, in his journal during his exploration of the area in 1819.

[5] The Sequoyah County Times, founded by Wheeler Mayo in 1932, is called "the largest-circulation, non-metro, non-daily newspaper in Oklahoma."

Blue Ribbon Downs (BRD), a horse racing venue, was established in Sallisaw during the 1960s by Bill Hedge.

The Choctaw Nation bought the facility in 2003 for $4.25 million, put in more capital and converted it to a "racino" that combined the race track with a casino.

[5] Despite the improvements, BRD was not a financial success and closed permanently in 2010. the Choctaw Nation tried to sell the operation on two occasions, but the deals fell through.

Then, just one day before the track was to be sold at a sheriff's auction in November 2003, the Cherokee Nation purchased the property for $2.5 million.

The Cherokee chief, Chad Smith, said that his nation did not plan to resume horse racing at the site, but is considering other options for using the land.

[9] The only commercial manufacturing reported in Sallisaw has been the BorgWarner Morse Tech, a maker of auto parts and plastic foam packing materials.

In higher education, it features a branch of Carl Albert State College, based in Poteau.

[12] Rail freight service is provided by both the Union Pacific and the Kansas City Southern Railway.