Finley is a community

Community

The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...

 in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma

Pushmataha County, Oklahoma

-Administrative History:* Ca. 1000-1500: Caddoan Mississippian civilization at Spiro Mounds* 1492-1718: Spain* 1718-1763: France* 1763-1800: Spain* 1800-1803: France* 1803–present: United States...

, 10 miles northeast of Antlers, Oklahoma

Antlers, Oklahoma

Antlers is a city in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. The population was 2,552 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pushmataha County.-Geography:Antlers is located at...

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A United States Post Office was established at Finley, Indian Territory on April 30, 1903. It was named for Sidney W. Finley (1869-1914), local merchant

Merchant

A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...

 and first postmaster

Postmaster

A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...

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Finley was originally called Cedar Church, and then Old Cedar Church, the name of a longstanding Choctaw Indian Methodist congregation established there during Indian Territory

Indian Territory

The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...

 days. The congregation took its name from nearby Big Cedar Creek—then known as Cedar Creek. The church appears to have waned during the latter days of the Choctaw Nation

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a semi-autonomous Native American homeland comprising twelve tribal districts. The Choctaw Nation maintains a special relationship with both the United States and Oklahoma governments...

, probably giving rise to the opportunity to rename the settlement after its first postmaster.

Finley successfully retains its status as a cohesive community, long after losing its school

School

A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...

. It hosts cemetery

Cemetery

A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...

 clean-up days and community dinners in its community center. It continues to have a post office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

 and store

Store

Store may refer to:*a retail store*a place where things are stored, e.g. a ship's paint store*expendables released from an aircraft, such as ordnance or countermeasures*Štore, a town and a municipality in eastern Slovenia...

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More information on Finley and the Big Cedar Creek valley may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society

Pushmataha County Historical Society

The Pushmataha County Historical Society is a historical society devoted to collecting and preserving the history of Pushmataha County, Oklahoma...

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