The history of Claremore goes back before Oklahoma Statehood. In the early 1800's, what is now Claremore was a vast wilderness practically uninhabited, except for wild animals.

Major Jean Pierre Chouteau, founder of Saint Louis and Kansas City, established the first permanent white settlement in Salina. In 1802, Chouteau encouraged a band of Osage Indians to locate to a 25 acre mound along the Verdigris River to hunt and trap animals for trade. The area eventually became known as Clermont Mound.

In 1883, the Indian Commission granted a square mile for the present site of Claremore to be platted and sold, with the money to go the Cherokee Treasurer. At the turn of the century, Claremore was larger than Tulsa and shortly afterwards, the white population grew in size and took control of the town.