Traveling the back roads has almost always led us to find unexpected places and events. That is why we LOVE ‘Rambling’ so much! One of those recent rambles led us past the Fort Washita Historic Site.
We were coming back to the Wichita Falls area from Durant, Oklahoma. As we were driving on the small two-lane country road, we passed a sign that said Fort Washita.
We turned around and were amazed as we drove through this little park out in the middle of nowhere. The area intrigued us, but we learned it has a long, complicated history.
Long Before it was Fort Washita Historic Site
Indigenous plains tribes hunted and traveled throughout what would become Oklahoma Territory long before the Indian Removal Act of 1830. These nations didn’t consider the environment- including land, as a possession. To them, the area was a resource to be used and shared but never dominated, by a group or individual to the exclusion of others.
Whites displaced the Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, and Choctaw nations. Those nations, in turn, displaced the Cheyenne, Wichita, and Kiowa, from their hunting grounds.
Add to that, trappers and outlaws found it easier to their lifestyle to live in unsettled lands on the north side of the Red River and east of the Washita River. Other unscrupulous intruders evaded the Republic of Texas Militia. They did so by hiding out in these new lands.
Nobody approved of it when tens of thousands of members of eastern tribes were forced down the trail of tears, into Oklahoma Territory.
Tensions ran high from multiple angles: within and among Indian tribes and outside threats in the new home of the Chickasaw people. Choctaw tribes fared no better. Southern plains Indians constantly raided the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations.
Activity on the Post
The Indian Territory wasn’t a safe place for peaceful people. In 1842, General Zachary Taylor-later President Zachary Taylor selected a site and established Fort Washita.
The United States Military sent federal forces to Fort Washita. It was the westernmost military post of the United States. The mission of Fort Washita was to protect the displaced Chickasaw Nation from the plains tribes. The plains tribes were squeezed out of their traditional hunting lands.
Federal Troops & Indian Agencies
The garrison averaged 150 federal troops for the first few years until the beginning of the Mexican-American war. In 1846 the number of U.S. forces rose to 2000. The fort served as a staging area and became a major supply depot for the war. The Choctaw and Chickasaw Indian Agencies resided at the fort during this time as well.
California Gold Rush
The war ended in February 1848, and they discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in California the same year. The gold rush brought traffic through Fort Washita along the lower branch of the southern California Road.
The permanent building of the fort continued until 1858. At that time the Indian relations eased, the relocated tribes became more settled, and westward expansion moved beyond the area. The fort briefly closed in 1858 and reopened in the same year because of increased tensions from the Cherokee.
Confederate Troops Took Possession
Confederate troops overtook the post in 1861 at the beginning of the American Civil War when the Union forces abandoned it. The confederate army maintained control throughout the war.
The Choctaw Indians and Chickasaw sided with the confederacy. Fort Washita became an important asset to the South. It served as a supply station and military hospital. A confederate cemetery remains on the grounds of Fort Washita today.
The End of Fort Washita
When the confederacy dissolved at the end of the war, the forces burned and abandoned many of the buildings. The United States never reoccupied the fort. By 1870, the property was turned over to the Department of the Interior. In 1887 the Dawes Act provided for allotment of lands to individual families.
The property was placed in private hands when tribe members, the Abbie Davis Colbert family received the allotment including the fort from the Dawes Commission. The Charles Colbert family used the remaining structures as headquarters for their farm and the east barracks as their home until 1917 when the building was destroyed by fire.
Oklahoma Historical Society
In 1962 the Oklahoma Historical Society purchased the grounds from the Colbert family. In 1965 Fort Washita Historic Site was placed on the national register of historic places and the federal government declared a National Historic Landmark. Several of the restored structures and a gift shop opened on site.
The fort is a mere 2 1/2 hours from either Fort Gibson or Oklahoma City. The site is a tourist attraction suitable for the whole family.
There are two cemeteries and restored buildings including surgeon’s quarters. Additionally, there are officer’s quarters, wooden structures, and log structures for viewing today.
The premises have educational stations for individual or group tours, civil war reenactments. You may plan your trip to coincide with a yearly fur trade era rendezvous or ghost tour.
The Guests Who Will Not Leave
Thankfully, since we were there during the day, we did realize that it was considered to be a haunted place. Aunt Jane is a greenish-hued specter, sans head, who wanders the fort grounds during the full moons in February and March.
The ghost has been unsuccessful with her attempts to strangle victims. However, she drove a Miss Steele who lived on the property at one time, totally insane. And stories say that Aunt Jane’s spirit possessed Molly Stalcup. Molly was a child who lived near the fort.
And there are still other ghost stories associated with the fort.
Conclusion
Odds are slim that many of you will accidentally drive by Fort Washington Historic Site. However, it’s an interesting and complicated enough place that it’s worth making a purposeful trip to visit.
And if you do happen to find yourself in the area, it’s a great place to stop, even if you aren’t interested in history. The grounds are kept immaculate and there are public bathrooms.
The mailing address is:
Fort Washita Historic Site
3348 State Road 199
Durant, Oklahoma 74701
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