Doaksville is a former settlement, now a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

, located in present-day Choctaw County,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. It was founded between 1824 and 1831, by people of the Choctaw Indian tribe who were forced to leave their homes in the Southeastern United States and relocate in an area designated for their resettlement in Indian Territory. The community was named for Josiah Stuart Doak, co-owner of the local trading post. The town flourished until the U.S. Army abandoned nearby Fort Towson in 1854, though it remained as the Choctaw capital until 1859, then declined precipitately after being bypassed by a new railroad in 1870. It is now a ghost town and an archaeological preservation site.

History

Accessibility to steamboat traffic on the Red River made Doaksville a principal town of the

Choctaw Nation The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Native American reservation occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. At roughly , it is the second-largest reservation in area after the Navajo, exceeding t ...

in the

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

. In the 1820s and 30s, it was a major destination for Choctaws who were required to move from their homes in the Southeast and move to

.Oklahoma Historical Society. "Doaksville." Retrieved April 3, 2013
Oklahoma Historical Society - Doaksville
/ref> Josiah and his brother originally established the post at the mouth of the

Kiamichi River The Kiamichi River is a river in southeastern Oklahoma, United States of America. A tributary of the Red River of the South, its headwaters rise on Pine Mountain in the Ouachita Mountains near the Arkansas border. From its source in Polk County, ...

, then relocated one mile west of the Fort Towson-Doaksville Cemetery, after the U.S. Army established

Fort Towson Fort Towson was a frontier outpost for Frontier Army Quartermasters along the Permanent Indian Frontier located about two miles (3 km) northeast of the present community of Fort Towson, Oklahoma. Located on Gates Creek near the confluen ...

in 1824.Jon D. May, "Doaksville" ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
/ref> The community began significant growth in 1831, when the Army reactivated Fort Towson nearby, across the creek to the east. 0297160-a6ea-456b-a49d-9fb8c7f70b95Original NRHP Fort Towson. National Register of Historic Places Inventory Form. U.S. Department of the Interior Nomination Form: Fort Towson or Cantonment Towson.Retrieved November 28, 2015. In 1837, the Chickasaws and the Choctaws signed the Treaty of Doaksville, which allowed the Chickasaw Nation to lease the western part of the Choctaw Nation for settlement."Oklahoma Legends: Doaksville Archaeological Site." Legends of America.
Retrieved July 21, 2021. By 1840, the town had several stores, a gristmill, a blacksmith and a hotel. The Choctaw agent, William Armstrong, reported in 1842 on the unusual nature of the town: A post office opened in Doaksville in 1847. Colonel Stand Watie

By 1850, it was the largest town in Indian Territory. It then had more than thirty buildings There were two newspapers, at least one of which, the ''Choctaw Intelligencer'', was printed in the Choctaw language. In 1855, the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations formally separated. Doaksville served as the capital of the Choctaw Nation between 1860 and 1863. An 1860 convention in Doaksville ratified the

Doaksville Constitution Doaksville is a former settlement, now a ghost town, located in present-day Choctaw County, Oklahoma. It was founded between 1824 and 1831, by people of the Choctaw Indian tribe who were forced to leave their homes in the Southeastern United St ...

that guided the Choctaw Nation until 1906. The capital moved to Mayhew Mission in 1859, then to Chahta Tamaha in 1863., The Oklahoma Historical Society claims that Doaksville began to decline in importance in 1854, when the U.S. Army abandoned Fort Towson."Doaksville." Oklahoma Historical Society.
Retrieved August 7, 2014. Confederate General

Stand Watie Brigadier-General Stand Watie (; December 12, 1806September 9, 1871), also known as Standhope Uwatie and Isaac S. Watie, was a Cherokee politician who served as the second principal chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1862 to 1866. The Cherokee ...

surrendered his command at Doaksville on June 23, 1865. After the war, Doaksville declined economically. The war had destroyed the plantation-based economy of the surrounding area. In 1870 a railroad line bypassed Doaksville, causing most businesses to move to the town of

, which was on the rail line. One source claims that the town disappeared during the 1890s. The post office closed in 1903. Nothing remains of the town except the cemetery.

Current status

The Oklahoma Historical Society acquired the Doaksville site in 1960 and sponsored archaeological digs during the 1990s. It maintains an archeological preservative site at Doaksville. A walkway and explanatory signs were put in place during 2001, so that visitors can view the foundations of several structures and many artifacts that were discovered during digs in 1995, 1996 and 1997. A site known as the Doaksville Site (NRID = 75001561) in the town of Fort Towson, Oklahoma was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 1975.National Register Properties in Oklahoma
Accessed November 28, 2015

Notable people

Jane Austin McCurtain Jane Austin McCurtain (August 19, 1842 – October 27, 1924) was a Choctaw educator and political advisor within the Choctaw Nation, known for her influence on educational and tribal governance throughout her life. Serving as a close advisor to he ...

(1842–1924), educator and political advisor

Notes

References

0297160-a6ea-456b-a49d-9fb8c7f70b95Original Fort Towson. National Register of Historic Places Inventory Form. U.S. Department of the Interior Nomination Form: Fort Towson or Cantonment Towson.Retrieved November 28, 2015.

External links