Fort Towson is a town in 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 ...

, United States. The population was 510 at the 2010 census, a 15.1 percent decline from the figure of 611 recorded in 2000. It was named for nearby

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 ...

, which had been established in May 1824 and named for General

Nathan Towson Nathaniel Towson (; January 22, 1784 July 20, 1854), also known as Nathan Towson, was a brevet major general in the United States Army. A career soldier, he fought in the War of 1812 as an artillery officer. He served as paymaster of the Army a ...

, a hero of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

.Tolman, Keith. ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.'' "Fort Towson." Retrieved September 17, 201

The town of Fort Towson was established in 1902, after the St. Louis, San Francisco and New Orleans Railroad, Arkansas and Choctaw Railway reached eastern Choctaw County.O'Keefe, Marilyn Fleck. ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. "Fort Towson (Town)." Retrieved September 17, 201

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History

The fort was first established to protect the southern border of 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, ...

against Spanish colonies to the south. After Indian Removal and the resettlement of the

Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...

in the area, the fort was revived to protect

Doaksville 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 ...

, a mile to the west. It became the economic capital 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 ...

. Fort Towson Landing was located at the head of navigable waters of the Red River. The site was located in Towson County, one of the constituent counties comprising the

Apukshunnubbee District Apukshunnubbee District was one of three provinces, or districts, 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 was ...

of the Choctaw Nation. The Choctaw allied with the Confederacy in the Civil War. Chief

Peter Pitchlynn Peter Pitchlynn (, ) (January 30, 1806 – January 17, 1881) was a Choctaw military and political leader. A long-time diplomat between his tribe and the federal government, he served as principal chief of the Choctaw Republic from 1864 to 1866 ...

surrendered on behalf of the Choctaw in June 1865. Fort Towson was the site of the surrender of the last Confederate land forces in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. On June 23, 1865, Brigadier 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 ...

, a

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

chief, agreed to terms and took his Choctaw Battalion out of the war.''April 1865, The Month that Saved America'' by Jay Winik, HarperCollins, 2001 loc 55666 Kindle Edition During the 1950s, Raymond Gary Lake and Raymond Gary State Park were created, and in 1979, Fort Towson's town limits were extended to include the lake's residents. Thus, the 1980 census recorded a population of 789.

Geography

Fort Towson is located east of Hugo. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (6.23%) is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 611 people, 255 households, and 181 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 319 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 86.42%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.15%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 8.02% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 3.76% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.29% of the population. There were 255 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.87. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $19,676, and the median income for a family was $21,705. Males had a median income of $19,583 versus $16,389 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $12,612. About 25.1% of families and 31.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 99.9% of those under age 18 and 184.1% of those age 65 or over.

NRHP Sites

* Doaksville Site *

* Spencer Academy * Willie W. Wilson House

Notable person

* Frank Abercrombie, Baseball player

References

External links

City of Fort Towson Official WebsiteChoctaw County: Official Website

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Fort Towson (town)
{{authority control Towns in Choctaw County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma