Fort Gibson Historic Site - Oklahoma
Fort Gibson - Establishment of the First Fort
The Fort Gibson Cannon
A 19th Century field gun guards
the entrance to the reconstructed
stockade of the first Fort Gibson.
A 19th Century field gun guards
the entrance to the reconstructed
stockade of the first Fort Gibson.
Fort Gibson Blockhouse
Log two-story blockhouses were
the primary defenses of the
original Fort Gibson. Positioned
on diagonal corners of the fort,
these structures allowed
soldiers to sweep the exterior
walls of the fort with musket fire.
Log two-story blockhouses were
the primary defenses of the
original Fort Gibson. Positioned
on diagonal corners of the fort,
these structures allowed
soldiers to sweep the exterior
walls of the fort with musket fire.
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| Parade Ground of the Original Fort Fort Gibson Historic Site Fort Gibson, Oklahoma |
For several years, soldiers stationed
at Fort Smith, Arkansas, had tried to
maintain peace on the border
between the newly arrived western
Cherokee and their neighbors, the
Osage. By 1824, it became necessary
for the garrison at Fort Smith to
relocate further west and the original
Fort Gibson was established.
Located three miles up the Grand or
Neosho River from its confluence with
the Arkansas, the fort stood at the
western border of Cherokee territory.
Constructed and occupied by
Lieutenant Colonel Mathew Arbuckle
and the 7th United States Infantry, the
original Fort Gibson was a complex of
log buildings arranged so that they
faced inward in the form of a large
square. The buildings were
connected by a log stockade and
blockhouses were erected on two of
the corners for additional protection.
This fort was occupied until the 1840s
and was the point from which several
significant exploring expeditions were
launched. The fort was also the final
stop for tens of thousands of Native
Americans forced by the U.S. Army to
walk the "Trail of Tears" to new
homes in what is now Oklahoma.
at Fort Smith, Arkansas, had tried to
maintain peace on the border
between the newly arrived western
Cherokee and their neighbors, the
Osage. By 1824, it became necessary
for the garrison at Fort Smith to
relocate further west and the original
Fort Gibson was established.
Located three miles up the Grand or
Neosho River from its confluence with
the Arkansas, the fort stood at the
western border of Cherokee territory.
Constructed and occupied by
Lieutenant Colonel Mathew Arbuckle
and the 7th United States Infantry, the
original Fort Gibson was a complex of
log buildings arranged so that they
faced inward in the form of a large
square. The buildings were
connected by a log stockade and
blockhouses were erected on two of
the corners for additional protection.
This fort was occupied until the 1840s
and was the point from which several
significant exploring expeditions were
launched. The fort was also the final
stop for tens of thousands of Native
Americans forced by the U.S. Army to
walk the "Trail of Tears" to new
homes in what is now Oklahoma.
The stockade of the original fort was
reconstructed in 1936 and can be toured
today. For many visitors, this is Fort Gibson.
Although much remains to be seen of the
later fort that replaced the original stockade,
the log walls and blockhouses of the
reconstruction provide visitors with a "real
frontier fort" to explore.
To continue your tour of Fort Gibson or to
learn more about Fort Smith, the fort's
predecessor, please follow the links below:
reconstructed in 1936 and can be toured
today. For many visitors, this is Fort Gibson.
Although much remains to be seen of the
later fort that replaced the original stockade,
the log walls and blockhouses of the
reconstruction provide visitors with a "real
frontier fort" to explore.
To continue your tour of Fort Gibson or to
learn more about Fort Smith, the fort's
predecessor, please follow the links below: