Located in the heart of the Chickasaw Nation, Murray County and its neighbor to the north, Garvin County, have played crucial roles in the progress of the Chickasaw Nation.
The natural springs and healing waters of what is now Sulphur, the county seat of Murray County, drew people to the area. Chickasaws, who arrived in Indian Territory following forced Removal from their historic Homeland in the 1830s, revered the area for the springs and natural beauty.
The first residence in Sulphur was on a ranch south of Pavilion Springs established by Noah Lael, son-in-law of former Chickasaw Nation Governor Cyrus Harris. He sold the ranch in 1882 to a Chickasaw family. Lael's wife, Lucy Harris Lael, daughter of Governor Harris, is interred at Oaklawn Cemetery in the Garvin County community of Wynnewood.
