Wealaka was established about 1880 on a tributary of the Arkansas River, within the territory of the Creek Nation. It was about northwest of present-day Leonard, Oklahoma. The name is a Muskogee language word meaning "Rising Water."Anderson, Dan. One Hundred Oklahoma Outlaws, Gangsters, and Lawmen, 1839-1939 p. 12. 2007. Retrieved April 24, 2013. Available on Google Books. W. L. Gilcrease was a European-American merchant who platted the town and chose the name Wealaka. He was also co-owner of a cotton gin. One of his sons was Thomas Gilcrease, who became an oilman in Oklahoma after it was admitted as a state.
