Fort Gibson facts for kids
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Fort Gibson
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Fort Gibson Barracks Building in 1934
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 Location in Oklahoma
Location in the United States
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| Location | Fort Gibson, Oklahoma |
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| Area | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| Built | 1824 |
| Architect | Matthew Arbuckle |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000631 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 19, 1960 |
Fort Gibson is an old military fort located near the city of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma in Muskogee County, Oklahoma. From 1824 to 1888, it protected the western border of the United States in a place called Indian Territory. When it was built, Fort Gibson was the westernmost military post in the country.
It was part of a line of forts meant to keep peace in the American West and guard the land bought in the Louisiana Purchase. For over 50 years, the fort helped keep the peace, and no major battles happened there. Today, the Oklahoma Historical Society takes care of Fort Gibson, and it's a special place called a National Historic Landmark.
Contents
Building the Fort: A New Outpost
In 1824, Colonel Matthew Arbuckle led soldiers from Fort Smith, Arkansas. On April 21, 1824, he moved some of his troops to start a new camp called Cantonment Gibson. This camp was built on the Grand River (Oklahoma), close to where it met the Arkansas River.
This was part of a plan to build forts to protect the western border of the United States and the large area gained from the Louisiana Purchase. The U.S. Army named the fort after Colonel George Gibson, who was in charge of army supplies. In 1824, the fort's doctor started recording weather observations. These are the earliest known weather records in Oklahoma! Colonel Arbuckle also helped set up Fort Towson in southern Indian Territory.
In the early years, soldiers built a stockade (a fence of strong posts), barracks (buildings for soldiers), and other facilities. They also built roads. A big part of their job was to help solve problems between the Osage Nation, who had lived in the area for a long time, and the first groups of Cherokee settlers moving west.
Indian Removal: A New Mission
In 1830, the U.S. Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. This law changed the main job of Cantonment Gibson. In 1832, the Army officially named it Fort Gibson. This showed it was no longer a temporary camp but a permanent military base.
Soldiers at Fort Gibson increasingly dealt with Native American tribes who were forced to move from their homes in the eastern states to Indian Territory. These new arrivals often complained about problems with the Osage Nation and other Plains Indian tribes who already lived in the region.
Montfort Stokes, a former governor, held meetings at Fort Gibson to help solve these issues. Soldiers at the fort supported his work. The famous American writer Washington Irving traveled with troops exploring the southern Plains west of Fort Gibson in 1832. He wrote a book called A Tour of the Prairies in 1835 about his experiences.
Exploring the Plains
In 1834, General Henry Leavenworth led the First Dragoon Expedition. This was a peace mission to the west to meet with nomadic Indian tribes. The artist George Catlin traveled with the dragoons and drew many pictures of what he saw. General Leavenworth sadly died during the journey. Colonel Henry Dodge took over command. This expedition finally made contact and signed the first treaty with some of the Indian tribes.
During these years, soldiers at Fort Gibson built roads and provided supplies for the Native Americans arriving from the eastern states. They also worked hard to keep peace among different tribes and groups, including the Osage Nation and the Cherokee Nation.
Fort Gibson During the Texas Revolution
During the Texas Revolution, when Texas fought for independence from Mexico, most of the soldiers at Fort Gibson were sent to the Texas border. Even with fewer soldiers, the fort still managed to keep the area stable.
In the 1830s, during the busiest time of Indian removal, Fort Gibson had the largest group of soldiers in the entire country! Many famous American soldiers were stationed at or visited Fort Gibson. These included Stephen W. Kearny, Robert E. Lee, and Zachary Taylor. Jefferson Davis, who later became president of the Confederate States of America, was also stationed there. More than 100 other young officers from West Point served at the fort. Nathan Boone, son of the famous explorer Daniel Boone, was also assigned to the post. Sam Houston, who later became a key figure in Texas, once owned a trading post nearby.
In 1836, a meeting took place at Fort Gibson where the majority of the Muscogee (Creek) tribe reluctantly accepted their tribal government. Colonel Arbuckle also tried to prevent fighting within the Cherokee tribe. Officials at Fort Gibson also helped keep peace among the Seminole people who arrived in Indian Territory after fighting the U.S. Army.
Keeping the Peace and First Closure
When Colonel Arbuckle left Fort Gibson in 1841, he reported that peace had been kept on the frontier. He said that even with 40,000 Native Americans arriving, the area was very quiet and safe. Over time, the Native American nations who had been moved there felt less need for American military protection.
In the 1850s, the Cherokee tribe complained about alcohol being sold at Fort Gibson. They tried to stop it from being sold to their people. The Cherokee eventually asked Congress to close Fort Gibson. The War Department agreed. On May 7, 1857, the fort was closed for the first time. The Cherokee Nation received the land and buildings. They then started a village called Kee-too-wah at the site. This village became a center for traditional Cherokee ways.
Fort Gibson During the Civil War
During the American Civil War, Union (Northern) troops sometimes occupied Fort Gibson. In the summer of 1862, Union soldiers fought off a Confederate (Southern) invasion of Indian Territory. They then left the fort and went to Kansas.
In April 1863, Colonel William A. Phillips and his Indian Home Guard (a Union Indian Brigade) took back Fort Gibson. They kept it in Union hands for the rest of the war. The Army briefly renamed the fort Fort Blunt to honor Brigadier General James G. Blunt. The fort was important because it controlled the area where the Arkansas River and Texas Road met. Confederates never directly attacked the fort itself. However, a fight over the fort's livestock grew into a larger battle nearby, known as the battle of Fort Gibson. In July 1863, troops from Fort Gibson, led by General Blunt, marched south and won the Battle of Honey Springs. This was the most important battle in Indian Territory.
In the summer of 1864, a steamboat came up the Arkansas River with a thousand barrels of flour and 15 tons of bacon to resupply the Union troops at Fort Gibson. Cherokee General Stand Watie, who was mostly cut off from the rest of the Confederacy, wanted to capture the boat and its supplies. The battle that followed is the only naval battle ever fought in Oklahoma/Indian Territory history.
After the American Civil War, the U.S. Army continued to use Fort Gibson. American soldiers finally made lasting peace with the Indian tribes of the southern Plains after 1870. However, forts farther west began to take on more of the job of securing that peace. For over 50 years, Fort Gibson had kept peace in its area. In 1871, most troops were moved elsewhere, leaving only a small group to manage supplies.
Cavalry and Final Closure
In 1872, the Tenth Cavalry moved back into Fort Gibson. Soon after, workers came to the area to build the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad. This railroad went from Baxter Springs, Kansas, a "cow town" in Kansas, to the Red River crossing at Colbert's Ferry in Indian Territory, near the Texas border. This railroad would make it easier to transport cattle and goods. The cavalry from Fort Gibson helped police the camps of the railroad workers. Soldiers also tried to deal with outlaws, white settlers moving onto Indian lands, and arguments between tribes. The number of soldiers at the fort changed depending on how much work there was to do.
The Kansas and Arkansas Valley Railway built tracks through the area in 1888. Around this time, the town of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma began to grow. In the summer of 1890, the Army left Fort Gibson for the last time. Soldiers would sometimes camp at the site if there was trouble in the town, which had taken the fort's name. After the military left for good, the town grew and spread into the old fort grounds.
Fort Gibson: A Historic Site Today
In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, the Works Project Administration (a government program) helped rebuild some of the buildings at the fort. This was part of an effort to preserve history and create jobs. In 1960, the National Park Service recognized Fort Gibson as a National Historic Landmark.
The old fort is located in present-day Muskogee County, Oklahoma, at Lee and Ash Streets in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Historical Society manages the site. It includes a rebuilt version of the early log fort, original buildings from the 1840s to the 1870s, and a visitor center with museum exhibits about the fort's history. The site also hosts special living history events and programs, where you can see what life was like back then.
Fort Gibson National Cemetery is located a few miles away.
Images for kids
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Fort Gibson Historical Area in 2001
See also
