Fort Washita OK

Thanks to the Welcome Center, there is plenty of literature on Fort Washita.  Although I didn't get on the grounds, I did manage to get on the fence and get some pictures!  Maybe this is an excuse to make another trip this way sometime. 

In 1841 Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians were building schools and establishing law and order in southeastern Indian territory. However, this stability was threatened by raiding plains Indians and non-Indian intruders. The discovery of gold in California provided the Chikasaw with the safety they needed as the governmant commissioned General Zachary Taylor to select the site for a fort to protect the settlers and provide a safe trail for west-bound white settlers

In the late summer of 1841, Taylor, with a small detachment of mounted troopers, rode into Indian Territory, on a mission to find the best site for a new outpost.  After exploring the area, he selected a site 18 miles north of the Red River on the Washita River, 1 1/2 miles from the stream. At the mouth of the muddy Washita River, just 18 miles north of the Red River, the General marked a site on a ridge overlooking the "Twelve-Mile Prairie". The site was a strategic location as one could see advancing travelers from the prairie, consider bringing supplies by river navigation, and obtain raw material for building from the heavily wooded areas surrounding the site.

Occupied in April 1842, named Fort Washita, it was the southwestern-most military post of the US.  Its mission was to protect the recent arrivals of Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians and maintain the stability in the Chocaw Nation, Indian Territory and to protect the recent arrivals of Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians. 

Even by frontier standards, Fort Washita was isolated.  Securing supplies was difficult.  Local materials had to be used for construction and food had to be obtained locally. Construction, under the leadership of Capt George Blake, was started with Companies A and F of the 2nd Dragoons and was slow due to the lack of materials.  Manufactured supplies had to be shipped overland from St. Louis or New Orleans and then moved up the Red River to the Washita.  Temporary log barracks were built in 1842 to serve until the pemanent buildings were constructed.  However, that didn't happen until 1850 due to the difficulty in getting supplies.  

Fort Washita was active during the 1840s & 1850s.  It served as a staging area for incursions into the western region against raiding plains tribes. The Comanches proved to be the most consistent foes. 

The original fort covered over 7 square miles and contained more than 90 buildings and sites.  The parade ground was enclosed on the south by the South Barracks, enlisted men’s quarters. On the west were the West Barracks used for enlisted men. To the north was the Commanding Officer’s Quarters, and to the east were the Bachelor’s Officers’ Quarters. Behind and north of the Commanding Officer’s Quarters were the Married Officers’ Quarters and the new Hospital. South of the South Barracks was the Commissary, the old Hospital, and the Guard House.  Because units needed at Fort Washita were made up of cavalry and dragoons, the fort had an extensive corral and stable area, as well as shops for blacksmiths and farriers.

Soon after the capture of Fort Sumter in 1861, Fort Washita was abandoned by federal troops. Confederate units from Texas took over on May 1, 1861 and it became a major supply depot for Confederate troops in Indian Territory. The fort was also a regional headquarters and hospital facility for southern troops.

General Douglas Cooper commanded the fort briefly after the Battle of Honey Springs, the largest battle fought in Indian Territory. Cooper remained at Fort Washita and, working on behalf of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations, sued the U.S. government for failed promises that dated as far back as the Indian removals of the 1830s. Cooper died April 29, 1879, and is buried in an unmarked grave at Fort Washita.

General Albert Pike served at the fort for a short period, and commanded near-by Fort McCulloch, named for Confederate General Ben McCulloch. He also made several contacts among the Native American tribes in the area, at one time negotiating an $800,000 settlement between the Creeks and other tribes and the federal government.   At the beginning of the war, Pike was appointed as Confederate envoy to the Native Americans. In this capacity he negotiated several treaties, one of the most important being with Cherokee chief John Ross, which was concluded in 1861.

Stand Watie, born in Georgia, a Chief of the Cherokee Nation, he survived the tribe's Trail of Tears in the 1830s and became the only Native American to achieve the rank of general during the Civil War.

In 1870 the War Department transferred the fort to the Department of the Interior, and it was never reactivated. 

Many prominent men served at Fort Washita during its heyday. Among them were General Zachary Taylor, Captains Randolph B. Marcy and George B. McClellan, and General William G. Belknap. In 1854 Colonel Braxton Bragg, later a Confederate general, commanded the 2nd Artillery Regiment stationed at the fort.

Upon the approval of Chickasaw lands being allotted to individuals, the Department of the Interior turned the land over to the Chickasaw family of Abbie Davis Colbert and her son. The remaining structures of the fort served as farm buildings well into the 20th century. The Colbert family also utilized the cemetery as a family burial ground.   Her husband, Charley Colbert came to Fort Washita with his parents as youth and lived most of life there. His father, James Allen Colbert came to Indian Territory over Trail of Tears in early 1830's.  Holding the office of auditor, Chickasaw Nation, Charley  was recognized as one of the Chickasaw Nations's most distinguished men. 

In 1962, Ward S. Merrick, Sr., of Ardmore, contributed money to the Oklahoma Historical Society for the fort’s purchase. Five years later the state legislature appropriated money for restoration which continues to this day under the guidance of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Fort Washita has a 'resident spirit,' the ghost of "Aunt Jane."  She comes forth at the full moon during March and October.