Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Fort Gibson is a town in Cherokee
and Muskogee
counties in the U.S. state
of Oklahoma
. The population was 4,054 at the 2000 census
. It is the location of Fort Gibson National Cemetery
and is located near at the end of the Cherokee
s' Trail of Tears
at Tahlequah, Oklahoma
.
Colonel Matthew Arbuckle
of United States Army established Fort Gibson
in 1824. The Army abandoned the fort in 1890. Some of the original fort still stands at the historic site.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 14.0 square miles (36.3 km²). 13.4 square miles (34.8 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²) of it (4.14%) is water.
, military families, Indians desiring military protection, and free African-Americans settled near the fort, forming a town. After the Army abandoned Fort Gibson in 1857, the Cherokee Nation took over the military stockade and renamed the town Keetoowah. The Army reoccupied Fort Gibson during the American Civil War, and the town again prospered as refugees from fighting elsewhere fled to the relative safety of the fort.
On May 20, 1898, the Articles of Incorporation for the town of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma were established under the Arkansas Statutes, placing all of the densely settled areas under one jurisdiction.
Fires, mosquitoes, and other afflictions beset the poorly located town of Fort Gibson, and the town moved to higher ground around 1900. The first buildings, including "Black Town" (an African American
section), faced west toward the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks. In 1904 the town of Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, was surveyed and platted. In 1904 the town was turned around and situated one block east when J. C. Pierce built the first brick building. In 1906 John C. Berd constructed a brick-and-stone building for his drugstore, and the commercial district grew around these two permanent features. Its 1907 population comprised 1,063 residents.
One of the oldest non-Indian settlements in Oklahoma, Fort Gibson had other firsts, such as the first telephone, first drama theater, first steamboat landing, first school for the blind, first highway to Fort Smith, the first interurban, which connected Fort Gibson to Muskogee, and one of the first post offices. In 1896 J. S. Holden began publishing a weekly newspaper, the Post. At least six other newspapers followed in the early 20th century; the Fort Gibson Times carried this tradition into the 21st century.
In 1940, 1,233 people populated the town, and by 1970 there were 1,418 citizens. Home to twenty-six churches and fourteen civic clubs and organizations at the beginning of the 21st century, the town boasted a strong civic spirit. The town has a board of trustees type of government. The manufacturing industry supports the majority of laborers, with the health care sector a close second. The 2000 census listed 4,054 residents, and the school system housed nineteen hundred students at a teacher-student ratio of one to fifteen.
of 2000, there were 4,054 people, 1,467 households, and 1,113 families residing in the town. The population density
was 301.8 inhabitants per square mile (116.5/km²). There were 1,563 housing units at an average density of 116.4 per square mile (44.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 68.75% White, 2.00% African American, 19.76% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 2.54% from other races
, and 6.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.88% of the population.
There were 1,467 households out of which 43.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples
living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,975, and the median income for a family was $36,944. Males had a median income of $30,362 versus $21,525 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,042. About 14.2% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 23.9% of those age 65 or over.
, Senator Jim Inhofe
, Representative Dan Boren
Cherokee County, Oklahoma
Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 42,521. Its county seat is Tahlequah.Cherokee County was established in 1907.-Geography:...
and Muskogee
Muskogee County, Oklahoma
Muskogee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 70,990. Its county seat is Muskogee.-Government:...
counties in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. The population was 4,054 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. It is the location of Fort Gibson National Cemetery
Fort Gibson National Cemetery
Fort Gibson National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located inside of the town of Fort Gibson, in Muskogee County, Oklahoma. It encompasses , and through fiscal year 2008 there were 19,102 interments.-History:...
and is located near at the end of the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
s' Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
at Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census. It...
.
Colonel Matthew Arbuckle
Matthew Arbuckle
Matthew Arbuckle was a career soldier in the U.S. Army closely identified with the Indian Territory for the last thirty years of his life.-Early life:...
of United States Army established Fort Gibson
Fort Gibson
Fort Gibson, now located in Oklahoma and designated Fort Gibson Historical Site, guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 until 1890...
in 1824. The Army abandoned the fort in 1890. Some of the original fort still stands at the historic site.
Geography
Fort Gibson is located at 35°47′41"N 95°15′11"W (35.794861, -95.253090).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 14.0 square miles (36.3 km²). 13.4 square miles (34.8 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²) of it (4.14%) is water.
History
After the founding of Fort GibsonFort Gibson
Fort Gibson, now located in Oklahoma and designated Fort Gibson Historical Site, guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 until 1890...
, military families, Indians desiring military protection, and free African-Americans settled near the fort, forming a town. After the Army abandoned Fort Gibson in 1857, the Cherokee Nation took over the military stockade and renamed the town Keetoowah. The Army reoccupied Fort Gibson during the American Civil War, and the town again prospered as refugees from fighting elsewhere fled to the relative safety of the fort.
On May 20, 1898, the Articles of Incorporation for the town of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma were established under the Arkansas Statutes, placing all of the densely settled areas under one jurisdiction.
Fires, mosquitoes, and other afflictions beset the poorly located town of Fort Gibson, and the town moved to higher ground around 1900. The first buildings, including "Black Town" (an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
section), faced west toward the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks. In 1904 the town of Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, was surveyed and platted. In 1904 the town was turned around and situated one block east when J. C. Pierce built the first brick building. In 1906 John C. Berd constructed a brick-and-stone building for his drugstore, and the commercial district grew around these two permanent features. Its 1907 population comprised 1,063 residents.
One of the oldest non-Indian settlements in Oklahoma, Fort Gibson had other firsts, such as the first telephone, first drama theater, first steamboat landing, first school for the blind, first highway to Fort Smith, the first interurban, which connected Fort Gibson to Muskogee, and one of the first post offices. In 1896 J. S. Holden began publishing a weekly newspaper, the Post. At least six other newspapers followed in the early 20th century; the Fort Gibson Times carried this tradition into the 21st century.
In 1940, 1,233 people populated the town, and by 1970 there were 1,418 citizens. Home to twenty-six churches and fourteen civic clubs and organizations at the beginning of the 21st century, the town boasted a strong civic spirit. The town has a board of trustees type of government. The manufacturing industry supports the majority of laborers, with the health care sector a close second. The 2000 census listed 4,054 residents, and the school system housed nineteen hundred students at a teacher-student ratio of one to fifteen.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,054 people, 1,467 households, and 1,113 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 301.8 inhabitants per square mile (116.5/km²). There were 1,563 housing units at an average density of 116.4 per square mile (44.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 68.75% White, 2.00% African American, 19.76% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 2.54% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 6.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.88% of the population.
There were 1,467 households out of which 43.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,975, and the median income for a family was $36,944. Males had a median income of $30,362 versus $21,525 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $14,042. About 14.2% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 23.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government Representation
Federal: Senator Tom CoburnTom Coburn
Thomas Allen "Tom" Coburn, M.D. , is an American politician, medical doctor, and Southern Baptist deacon. A member of the Republican Party, he currently serves as the junior U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. In the Senate, he is known as "Dr. No" for his tendency to place holds on and vote against bills...
, Senator Jim Inhofe
Jim Inhofe
James Mountain "Jim" Inhofe is the senior Senator from Oklahoma and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1994, he is the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and was its chairman from 2003 to 2007. Inhofe served eight...
, Representative Dan Boren
Dan Boren
Daniel David "Dan" Boren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. The district includes most of the eastern part of the state outside of Tulsa...
Notable residents
- Junior KennedyJunior KennedyJunior Raymond Kennedy was a Major League Baseball second baseman for seven seasons, five with the Cincinnati Reds and two with the Chicago Cubs ....
, MLB player were born in Fort Gibson. - Teddy LehmanTeddy LehmanTeddy Lehman is an American football linebacker for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
, professional football player - Lee WileyLee WileyLee Wiley was an American jazz singer popular in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.Wiley was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. While still in her early teens, she left home to pursue a singing career with the Leo Reisman band. Her career was temporarily interrupted by a fall while horseback riding...
, jazz singer
See also
- Black SeminolesBlack SeminolesThe Black Seminoles is a term used by modern historians for the descendants of free blacks and some runaway slaves , mostly Gullahs who escaped from coastal South Carolina and Georgia rice plantations into the Spanish Florida wilderness beginning as early as the late 17th century...
(Cimarrones) - Buffalo SoldierBuffalo SoldierBuffalo Soldiers originally were members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas....
s at Fort Leavenworth
External links
- Fort Gibson information, photos and videos on TravelOK.com Official travel and tourism website for the State of Oklahoma
- Kansas Territory: Frontier Military Scenic Byway
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Fort Gibson (town)