On July 11, 1945 the late C.L. Weatherford, Sequoyah County agent, met with 48 rural leaders at the Sequoyah County Court House. Following a full explanation of the Rural Electrification Program by Lloyd M. Adcock, REA representative from Stillwater, the farmers voted in a group to accept the plan. They organized to run rural electric lines to all parts of the county.

The first meeting of the Board of Trustees was held October 16, 1945 at Stigler, Oklahoma. Those present were W.L. Brockman, Vian; F.E. Butler, Kinta; Leonard Miller, Quinton; Alex Foreman, Sallisaw; Lee Tyer, Keota; Russsell Overstreet, Cartersville.

The year end report of December 21, 1948 showed 599 consumers billed in December, with sales of $1,796.76. The average usage per consumer was 40 kWh.

Ten years later, the December 1958 report showed 4,522 consumers billed for $28,645.21 for the month with the December average kWh usage of 104 kWh per meter. At this time, 1,480 miles of line had been energized.

December 1968 showed the number of meters billed had increased to 6,164 with the amount of sales at $68,191.16. Residential consumers used an average of 367 kWh for the month and the total miles of line increased to 1,757.

Thirty years from the date the first line was energized, the December 1978 monthly report reflected sales of $317,328.00 with 9,689 meters in place. Residential consumers averaged 507 kWh per month.

The Cooperative is member-owned and as of December 2004 has paid back all margins to members through the year 1985.

Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. has over 2,773 miles of line and serves 16,835 meters in all or parts of Sequoyah, Haskell, Cherokee, Adair, Pittsburg, LeFlore and Muskogee countries. For the year ending December 2005 sales were $20,924,405.00 with kWh purchased of 310,200,786. Residential consumers average 1,202 kilowatt-hours per month.

Current number of combined work staff from the main office at Stigler and the branch office in Sallisaw is 51.