FORT GIBSON
A BRIEF HISTORY
GRANT FOREMAN
CAROLYN THOMAS FOREMAN
To the Friends whose assistance has made possible the restoration now in evidence in Fort Gibson
Copyright by Carolyn Thomas Foreman
Books by GRANT FOREMAN Published by the University of Oklahoma Press
Norman, Oklahoma
- INDIAN REMOVAL (Out of Print)
- ADVANCING THE FRONTIER 1830-1860
- THE FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES
- INDIANS AND PIONEERS
- FORT GIBSON
- DOWN THE TEXAS ROAD
- ADVENTURE ON RED RIVER (Editor)
- MARCY AND THE GOLD SEEKERS
- A TRAVELER IN INDIAN TERRITORY (Editor: Privately Printed)
- SEQUOYAH
- A PATHFINDER IN THE SOUTHWEST (Editor)
- A HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA
- MUSKOGEE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF AN OKLAHOMA TOWN
- PIONEER DAYS IN THE EARLY SOUTHWEST (Editor: Cleveland, Ohio)
- INDIAN JUSTICE (Editor: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
HOFFMAN-SPEED PRINTING CO., MUSKOGEE, OKLA.
Fort Gibson was not only the oldest and most celebratedmilitary establishment in the annals of Oklahomabut in its early days it was the farthest west outpost ofthe United States, and in many respects continued for yearsto be one of the most important on that frontier. It was oneof the chain of forts reaching from the northern to the southernboundaries of the nation, which included Fort Snelling,Fort Leavenworth, Fort Gibson, Fort Towson, and Fort Jesup,at times there were as many soldiers stationed at Fort Gibsonas in all the other forts together. It was constructed in a wildernessfrequented by bears, wolves, and panthers, while theneighboring prairies were the feeding grounds of wild horses,buffalo and deer. The nearby streams were rich in beaver,and furs were shipped by trappers and traders to easternmarkets.
This fort actually owed its establishment to the indomitablespirit of the Osage Indians who ranged the surroundingcountry and claimed exclusive right to the game in that locality;consequently they challenged the hunters from easternIndian tribes, notably the Cherokees, and were constantlyengaging in savage battles with them. This situation resultedin the establishment, in 1817, of a garrison at BellePoint, subsequently called Fort Smith, which it was hopedwould be able to abate the warlike activities of the Osages.As it was not able to achieve the desired results, the garrisonwas abandoned and the troops were directed to find a newlocation at the mouth of the Verdigris River, where theywould be near the towns of the Osages and better able towatch and control their movements.
When Colonel Matthew Arbuckle came up the ArkansasRiver with his command of the Seventh Infantry, hefound the best boat landing on the Verdigris River, and adjacentterritory for three miles above its mouth, occupied by4a considerable settlement of white traders and trappers, theearliest trading settlement within the limits of Oklahoma.Most conspicuous among the settlers was Colonel A.