Fort Gibson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fort Gibson was established 1824 in Indian Territory by Col. Matthew Arbuckle. It was named for Col. George Gibson, head of the Army Commissary Department. The fort was the westernmost in the north–south chain of forts intended to protect the frontier in the American West. The army first abandoned the fort in 1857. During the Civil War Union troops occupied the fort, which they called Fort Blunt. The fort was permanently abandoned in 1890 as the Indian Territory was opening for settlement by non-Indians.
The old fort was located in present Muskogee County, Oklahoma, adjacent to the town of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma.
A number of buildings still remain and the fort is a National Historic Landmark. The Fort Gibson National Cemetery, and the Fort Gibson Historic Site occupy the site.
[edit] Bibliographhy
- Foreman, Grant. "The Centennial of Fort Gibson", Chronicles of Oklahoma 2:2 (June 1924) 119-128 (accessed December 15, 2006).
- Wright, Murial H.; George H. Shirk; Kenny A. Franks. Mark of Heritage. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Historical Society, 1976.
