Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
| Fort Gibson, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
| Motto: "The Oldest Town in Oklahoma." | |
 Location of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma |
|
| Coordinates: 35°47′41″N 95°15′11″W / 35.79472°N 95.25306°WCoordinates: 35°47′41″N 95°15′11″W / 35.79472°N 95.25306°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| Counties | Muskogee, Cherokee |
| Area | |
| • Total | 14.2 sq mi (36.8 km2) |
| • Land | 13.6 sq mi (35.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 4,154 |
| • Density | 306/sq mi (118.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 74434 |
| Area code(s) | 539/918 |
| FIPS code | 40-27200 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1092958 |
| Website | Chamber |
Fort Gibson is a town in Muskogee County which has expanded into Cherokee County as it grew in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 4,154 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.5 percent from 4,054 at the 2000 census. It is the location of Fort Gibson Historical Site and Fort Gibson National Cemetery and is located near the end of the Cherokees' Trail of Tears at Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
Colonel Matthew Arbuckle of the United States Army established Fort Gibson in 1824. The Army abandoned the fort in 1890. Some of the original fort still stands at the historic site.
The town calls itself, "The Oldest Town in Oklahoma."
After the founding of Fort Gibson in 1824, military families, Indians desiring military protection, and free African-Americans settled near the fort, forming a town. After the Army abandoned Fort Gibson in 1857, the Cherokee Nation took over the military stockade and renamed the town Keetoowah. The Army reoccupied Fort Gibson during the American Civil War, and the town again prospered as refugees from fighting elsewhere fled to the relative safety of the fort.
On May 20, 1898, the Articles of Incorporation for the town of Fort Gibson were established under the Arkansas Statutes, placing all of the densely settled areas under one jurisdiction.
The townspeople considered Fort Gibson poorly located after suffering fires, mosquitoes, and other afflictions. They moved the town to higher ground around 1900. The first buildings had faced west toward the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks. In 1904 the town of Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, was surveyed and platted. In 1904 the town was turned around and situated one block east when J. C. Pierce built the first brick building. In 1906 John C. Berd constructed a brick-and-stone building for his drugstore, and the commercial district grew around these two permanent features. It had 1,063 residents in 1907.
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