Historical Marker
Fort Towson
Choctaw County · Oklahoma
Erected by Oklahoma Historical Society, 1995
The stone's 'Gen. S.B. Maxey, U.S. Army' puts him on the wrong side. Samuel Bell Maxey of Kentucky did graduate from West Point in 1846 and fought in Mexico with the 7th Infantry, but he resigned in 1849 and moved to Paris, Texas in 1857. As a Confederate brigadier general he took command of Indian Territory in December 1863, with headquarters at Fort Towson, and turned the command over to Stand Watie on February 21, 1865. Pardoned in 1867 after an appeal by his classmate Ulysses S. Grant, he represented Texas in the U.S. Senate from 1875 to 1887.
What the plaque says
Fort Towson Established May, 1824, under com- mand of Col. Matthew Arbuckle to guard this region on Spanish border. Headquarters of Gen. S.B. Maxey, U.S. Army; abandoned at close of Civil War. In the vicin- ity, Doaksville was important trad- ing center and one time capital of Choctaw Nation, George Hudson, Principal Chief, 1860. Noted Choctaws included David Folsom and Robert M. Jones. Oklahoma Historical Society 184-1995
Where it stands
34.01768, -95.25399 · Directions
Worth the stop nearby
- Fort Towson Historic Site — 0.8 miThe 1824 Red River post where arriving Choctaw and Chickasaw families were dispersed after removal, beside the site of Doaksville, the Choctaw capital where Stand Watie surrendered in 1865.
More markers nearby
- Fort Towson Landing — steps away
- Transportation Crossroads — 0.7 mi
- Doaksville — 1.5 mi
- Stand Watie's Surrender — 1.5 mi