Our Arklahoma Heritage: Starr family play prominent role in founding of Adair County community

Tucked in the Ozark foothills near Stilwell, Starr Springs is more than a natural spring--it’s a cornerstone of Adair County’s Cherokee heritage. As the headwaters of Sallisaw Creek, this site embodies the resilience of a people who faced displacement and division yet forged a lasting legacy.

In a county where over 43% of the population is Native American, Starr Springs tells a story of survival, tragedy, and community. In 1834, as Cherokee families rebuilt after the Trail of Tears, the Benjamin Cooper family settled here, drawn to springs that produce over 500,000 gallons of clean water daily. For these early arrivals, the springs were a vital resource in a new land. But peace was fleeting.

On September 10, 1853, Andrew "Raven" Adair, a mixed-blood Cherokee leader born in 1801, and his son George Washington Adair V were killed at the springs. Andrew, a signer of the Treaty of New Echota that led to Cherokee removal, was targeted by those who viewed him as a collaborator.

Family accounts suggest the killers, possibly full-blood Cherokees, were quickly apprehended and executed. Their graves likely lie in the nearby Adair Cemetery, now a quiet field of faded stones.

The Adair Massacre reflected deep divisions within the Cherokee Nation. Andrew’s family, descended from Scots-Cherokee unions like John Adair of the Deer Clan, was influential but controversial for supporting removal. 

The Adairs’ legacy endures in the county’s name, established in 1906 from the Cherokee Nation’s Going Snake and Flint Districts, with Watt Adair among the first settlers.

In 1867 George Harlan Starr, a farmer from the prominent Starr family, bought the property. Descended from Caleb Starr, a Treaty signer who settled in the Going Snake District, George Harlan turned the springs into a community asset.

 In 1911, his son Samuel J. Starr leased the springs to Stilwell, supplying water for over 50 years and supporting the county’s strawberry farms, a Depression-era economic lifeline. By 1963, growing demand led to Carson Lake’s construction, but the springs’ role in Stilwell’s growth remains undeniable.

The Starr family’s contributions extended beyond water. Emmet Starr (1870–?), a physician and historian from Adair County, documented Cherokee genealogies, preserving the Adairs’ and Starrs’ stories. 

His work connects figures like James Starr, killed in 1845 for his treaty role, to the springs’ history. 

In 1995, a marker was erected at OK-100 and US-59 to honor D.M. "Mack" Starr (1924–1995), George Harlan’s great-grandson and a noted genealogist, noting the springs’ role in the 1853 tragedy.

Today, Starr Springs invites quiet reflection. The nearby Starr Spring Cemetery, begun around 1870, holds about 15 graves, with six markers remaining. Visitors explore the pump house ruins or watch birds along the fern-lined banks.

As Adair County faces modern challenges, Starr Springs remains a testament to Cherokee endurance, linking past struggles to present pride.