Little Dixie is a name given to southeast Oklahoma, which in the past was strongly influenced by Southern ("

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cove ...

") culture, as its white settlers were chiefly Southerners seeking a start in new lands following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. In addition, it incorporated lands of some of the

Five Civilized Tribes The term Five Civilized Tribes was applied by European Americans in the colonial and early federal period in the history of the United States to the five major Native American nations in the Southeast—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cree ...

, which had been removed from the Southeast. A number of its white settlers were slaveholders, and they generally allied with the Confederacy during the Civil War. The Oklahoma tourism department also refers to this area as "Choctaw Country," formerly " Kiamichi Country," but the Little Dixie region is not clearly defined: Its exact boundaries vary by source. It falls mostly within the

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma 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 ...

's tribal area, as well as some

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classified as ...

and

Muscogee Creek The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsCarl Albert Carl Bert Albert (May 10, 1908 – February 4, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 46th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977 and represented Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district as a ...

, it was still the 3rd Congressional district of Oklahoma. Redistricting has since changed the district's geographical boundaries Several towns and cities in southeast Oklahoma use the ''Little Dixie'' name, and that helps to define the boundaries. A radio station in McAlester is owned by "Little Dixie Radio, Inc." The band at the public high school in Tishomingo, former capital of the

Chickasaw Nation The Chickasaw Nation (Chickasaw: Chikashsha I̠yaakni) is a federally recognized Native American tribe, with its headquarters located in Ada, Oklahoma in the United States. They are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, originally ...

, is called ''The Pride of Little Dixie''. When President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

visited Marietta in Love County in 1948, he gave a speech saying it was a pleasure to be in the Little Dixie region of Oklahoma.Truman Library - Public Papers of the Presidents: Harry S. Truman
/ref> ''

Leaves of Grass ''Leaves of Grass'' is a poetry collection by American poet Walt Whitman. Though it was first published in 1855, Whitman spent most of his professional life writing and rewriting ''Leaves of Grass'', revising it multiple times until his death. T ...

,'' a 2010 film starring Edward Norton, is set mostly in Little Dixie.

References

{{Coord, 34.5, N, 95.0, W, format=dec, display=title, scale:4000000_region:US-OK Regions of Oklahoma Regions of the Southern United States

See also

References