Military Sites

  Cannon on the grounds of Fort Washita

Even before statehood Oklahoma was an important military outpost. Fort Gibson was established in 1824 to protect the "removed" Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians from the indigenous Plains Indians. Oklahoma was also pivotal in the Civil War and was the site of the last surrender of the Confederates. Honey Springs Battlefield is often referred to as the 'Gettysburg of the West'.