Honobia is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

on the border between western LeFlore County and eastern Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States, 15 miles southeast of Talihina.

History

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...

was established here on August 30, 1919. Located on the county line of Pushmataha County, the post office has at times operated in Pushmataha County. The community is named for O-no-bi-a, Choctaw Indian land allottee. The name of the community is pronounced locally ''“Hoe-nubby.”'' Following the Choctaw Indians' relocation to the area over the

Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was an ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of approximately 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850 by the United States government. As part of the Indian removal, members of the Cherokee, ...

, and the establishment of the Choctaw Nation there, Honobia became home to a Choctaw settlement. Until statehood the area was part of

Wade County Wade County was a political subdivision of the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory, prior to Oklahoma being admitted as a state. The county formed part of the Nation's Apukshunnubbee District, or First District, one of three administrative super-reg ...

in the

Apukshunnubbee District Apukshunnubbee District was one of three administrative super-regions comprising the former Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory. Also called the Second District, it encompassed the southeastern one-third of the nation. The Apukshunnubbee District ...

of the Choctaw Nation. Although the national capital and its stately

Choctaw Capitol Building The Choctaw Capitol Building ( cho, Chuka Hanta Chahta) is a historic building built in 1884 that housed the government of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma from 1884 to 1907. The building is located in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, two miles north ...

were located only 32 miles away, at Tuskahoma, Honobia was (and remains) isolated.

Geography

Honobia is located on

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

, near its confluences with Honobia Creek and Rock Creek. The community is located in a particularly picturesque part of the Little River valley. The river at this point is a fast-flowing mountain stream, and its narrow valley is framed by steep mountains on both north and south whose summits reach between 1,600 and 1,800 feet in elevation. The mountains are part of the

Kiamichi Mountains The Kiamichi Mountains (Choctaw: ''Nʋnih Chaha Kiamitia'') are a mountain range in southeastern Oklahoma. A subrange within the larger Ouachita Mountains that extend from Oklahoma to western Arkansas, the Kiamichi Mountains sit within Le Flore, ...

Oklahoma State Highway 144 State Highway 144 (abbreviated SH-144) is a state highway in the Little Dixie region of Oklahoma. It runs in Pushmataha and Le Flore Counties. It does not have any lettered spur routes. Route description SH-144 begins at US-271, nine miles ...

connects Honobia with the rural communities of Fewell, Nolia, and Nashoba on the west—and with U.S. Highway 271 at Nashoba—and with the even more sparsely populated Octavia on the east, then with U.S. Highway 259. During recent years, the

Choctaw Nation The Choctaw Nation (Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Native American territory covering about , occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. The Choctaw Nation is the third-largest federally recognized tribe in the United St ...

has improved transportation in the Honobia area significantly by constructing a paved, all-weather road over the mountains from U.S. Highway 271 near Albion south over the steep mountain range to Honobia. Locals refer to this as the "Indian Highway." To accomplish its route the Indian Highway travels in a series of switchbacks up the northern side of the mountains and down again on the southern side, allowing for scenic views and vistas.

Economy

Most of the areas to the North and South of Honobia are vast tree plantations owned by timber companies. As such these areas remain wildernesses covering many square miles. Logging provides an important source of jobs for residents. Additionally, locals promote an annual Bigfoot Festival and Conference dedicated to the

cryptozoological Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness ...

creature, as popularized locally by an alleged 2000 sighting known as "The Siege of Honobia." This is one of the only mainstay boosts to the Honobia area economy. More information on Honobia and the

valley may be found in the Pushmataha County Historical Society.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Oklahoma Unincorporated communities in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma Unincorporated communities in Le Flore County, Oklahoma Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma