Blackjack Mountain (Oklahoma) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blackjack Mountain |
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 Blackjack Mountain
Location in Oklahoma
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,250 ft (380 m) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Parent range | Ouachita Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS Wildhorse Mountain, Kosoma, Finley, Cloudy and Nashoba |
Blackjack Mountain is a long mountain ridge in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. It stretches about 17 miles (27 km) from northeast to southwest. This mountain is part of the Ouachita Mountains, a range with many similar ridges. The highest point of Blackjack Mountain reaches about 1,250 feet (381 meters) high. The small town of Rattan, Oklahoma is located just south of the mountain.
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Why is it Called Blackjack Mountain?
The exact reason for the name "Blackjack Mountain" is not fully known. However, many people believe it was named after a type of tree called the Blackjack oak (also known as Quercus marilandica).
This tree is very common in the eastern and southern parts of the United States. It grows from Maryland all the way down to Florida and west to Texas and eastern Oklahoma. The Choctaw people, who lived in this area, would have known this tree well. They saw it in both their old homelands and their new ones.
The History of Blackjack Mountain
Blackjack Mountain is famous for being a place where mustangs have lived freely for many years. Many stories say that these wild horses are descendants of horses left behind by Spanish explorers. These explorers, called conquistadores, traveled through North America in the early 1500s.
Louisiana Purchase and Native American Lands
Later, this area became part of the huge Louisiana Purchase. The United States government bought this land from France in 1803. By the 1830s, many people from Europe were moving to the United States. This caused problems with the Native American tribes who had lived in the southeastern states for a long time.
The U.S. government, especially under President Andrew Jackson, decided to move these tribes. This policy was called "Indian Removal." The idea was to resettle Native Americans to land west of the Mississippi River. This land was then called "Indian Territory."
The Choctaw Nation and Their Horses
One of the tribes moved was the Choctaw. They were given a large part of the Indian Territory. This land was bordered by Arkansas Territory to the east and the Red River of the South to the south. In 1831, the U.S. Army helped the Choctaws move from their old homes to this new area. Because of this, Blackjack Mountain and its wild horses became part of the Choctaw Nation.
Over time, the original Spanish horses on the mountain began to breed with other horses. This changed their genes. By the mid-1800s, these horses became known as "Choctaw ponies." They were a unique group of horses that had adapted to the mountain environment.
