Established by the first state legislature in 1908, Eastern Oklahoma State College first opened its doors in Wilburton, Oklahoma, on January 11, 1909, as the Oklahoma School of Mines and Metallurgy. Dr. George E. Ladd served as the school’s first president. The prevalence of the coal industry in Southeastern Oklahoma created a need for technical training in mining and related subjects. The school was forced to closed briefly curing the first World War due to low enrollment, but it reopened again in 1920. Over the years, more liberal arts programs were added, and due to the decline of mining in the area, the mining programs were phased out. In 1927 the school’s name was changed to Eastern Oklahoma College to reflect these changes, although the Wilburton campus continues as the home of the Oklahoma Miner Training Institute, which provides training in mine safety and health. In 1941 the school’s name was changed again to the Eastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, then again in 1967 to Eastern Oklahoma State College (EOSC). Fifty years later, the college offers more than forty associates degrees and certificate programs at four different locations: Wilburton, McAlester, Idabel, and Antlers.

During its early years as a mining school, EOSC printed the Oklahoma Miner with student and school news. The third issue was dated December 25, 1916, and it was published every two weeks. In 1932, a new student newspaper was established and titled the Mountaineer, which offered stories on campus activities, faculty news, sports, and student government, along with advertising from Wilburton, McAlester, Hartshorne, and Idabel. The Mountaineer was published monthly or bi-monthly during the regular school year. In 1960, it won the Best All-Around Oklahoma Junior College Newspaper Award from the Oklahoma Collegiate Press Association. In January 1961, the school’s name was added to the publication’s title: the Eastern A&M Mountaineer. With the final change in the institution’s name in 1967, the paper also received its final title change to the Eastern Statesman. The print edition continued into the 2018-2019 school year as a member of the Oklahoma Collegiate Press Association, the Community College Journalism Association, the Student Press Law Center, and the Oklahoma Interscholastic Press Association. By 2021-2022, the publication shifted to online only where it provides local stories, campus news, sports, and entertainment: https://www.statesman.eosc.edu/.