Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 14,458 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cherokee County^GR6. Tahlequah also has the distinction of being the capital of the Cherokee Nation. Tahlequah is also the capital of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. The name, according to legend, derives from the Cherokee word "Ta'ligwu" meaning "just two," or "two is enough." The "two" refers to a meeting between elders that presumably took place shortly after the Trail of Tears. Three tribal elders had planned to meet to determine the location of the Cherokee Nation's permanent capital. Two elders arrived and waited for the third. As dusk approached, they decided that "two is enough." Tahlequah is also home to Northeastern State University, The Tsa-La-Gi Ancient Village (a living museum), and the final resting place of Bamboo Harvester, the horse who portrayed Mister Ed. The county was also the setting for the Wilson Rawls book, Where the Red Fern Grows and was also the filming location for the movies by the same name.