Fort Supply (Fort Supply, Oklahoma (Woodward County), Oklahoma)
Fort Supply, Oklahoma (Woodward County) · Oklahoma · Indian Wars
History & Significance
Historic Fort Supply was established on November 18, 1868, as Camp of Supply for the winter campaign against the Southern Plains Indians in what is now western Oklahoma. From this post Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer led the 7th US Cavalry south to the Washita River and destroyed the village of Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle.
The military presence in the region was felt for the next 25 years as troops from the post performed peace-keeping duties monitoring the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservation and the Cherokee Outlet. Camp Supply was the temporary seat of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian Agency in 1869 and early 1870.
The post served as a supply point for the Red River War of 1874–75, the final struggle in the subjugation of the tribes of the Southern Plains. The camp's name was changed to Fort Supply in December 1878 in recognition of its permanent status as a military post.
In 1878 an unsuccessful attempt to stop the flight of Northern Cheyenne from the reservation precipitated the last battle between Plains Indians and US soldiers in Indian Territory. The troops at Fort Supply policed the operation that proved to be the last major task for the soldiers during the Land Run of 1893.
In late 1894, the post was abandoned, and the property turned over to the Department of the Interior. The old post became the State of Oklahoma's first state-operated mental institution with the arrival of the first patients in 1908.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Restored 1868 military compound with original structures including barracks, officer quarters, and parade ground
- Indian Wars-era exhibits and artifacts
- General Custer campaign connections and Southern Plains conflict history
- Oklahoma Historical Society-managed museum
Sources
- https://www.okhistory.org/sites/fshistory
- https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=FO042
- https://www.okhistory.org/sites/fortsupply
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Supply_(Oklahoma)