200 Years of Fort Gibson and Fort Towson

In February 1824, the general-in-chief of the Army authorized the abandonment of Fort Smith and the creation of a new fort in the southwest. Col. Matthew Arbuckle selected a site near the Three Forks and named it Cantonment Gibson. Its mission was to protect white settlers, work for peace between tribes in the region, and establish a diplomatic relationship with Plains tribes. A few months later, Maj. Alexander Cummings established Cantonment Towson near the Kiamichi and Red rivers with a mission of protecting the international border and later, serving as a buffer between the Choctaw and Plains tribes. In this episode, we discuss the important role each fort played as well as what daily life was like for those stationed there. Our guests on this episode are Jennifer Frazee, director at Fort Gibson Historic Site, and Calista Stephens, director at Fort Towson Historic Site.