Fort Washita (Durant, Oklahoma, Oklahoma)
Durant, Oklahoma · Oklahoma · Indian Wars, Mexican-American War, Civil War
History & Significance
The Chickasaws arrived in Indian Territory in 1837, but they were reluctant to settle in their assigned district because the area was not secure against the plains Indians, since the closest federal garrison at Fort Towson was too far away to protect the area effectively. General Zachary Taylor, as commander of the Second Military Department in the Southwest, chose the site for Fort Washita in 1842 on high ground a mile and a half east of the Washita River and 18 miles north of its junction with the Red River.
Built in 1842 as the southwestern-most military post of the United States, the fort responded to the federal government's treaty promise to protect the removed Southeastern tribes. When the Mexican–American War began in May 1846, activity increased dramatically at Fort Washita, as the United States military post near Texas served as a staging point for the war.
Famous Civil War leaders who served earlier at Fort Washita included Randolph B. Marcy, George McClellan, William G. Belknap, Theophylus H. Holmes, and numerous others. During the Civil War, Fort Washita was abandoned by Federal troops under Lt. Col. William H. Emory in May 1861, and in August 1865 the buildings were burned.
It was never reoccupied by the United States military. In 1962 the State of Oklahoma purchased the land and transferred it to the Oklahoma Historical Society, and restoration of the site began; Fort Washita was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 2016, the Chickasaw Nation partnered with the Oklahoma Historical Society to assume responsibility and management of Fort Washita, and in 2017, the Chickasaw Nation purchased the historic site from OHS.
Key Facts
Map
View larger map ↗ · © OpenStreetMap contributors
🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Reconstructed barracks and military structures from 1840s frontier post
- Cemetery with graves of soldiers and relocated Native Americans
- Museum exhibits on Indian Wars and Civil War era
- Historic site where General Zachary Taylor established protection for Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations
- Grounds hosting reenactments and educational events
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Washita
- https://www.chickasaw.net/Our-Nation/Locations/Fort-Washita.aspx
- https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/fort-washita-historic-site
- https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=FO046
- https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1631491/m1/1/