Fort Gibson Encampment Set for October 10 and 11

Contact: Chris Morgan and Omar Reed
(918) 478-4088

Fort Gibson, OK
September 29, 2008
For Immediate Release

On Friday, October 10, and Saturday, October 11, 1840s troops will once again garrison Fort Gibson for the 2008 Fall Encampment. The event portrays frontier garrison life in the later part of the Indian Removal period. Living history presenters from Oklahoma and Arkansas will encamp in and around the log fort to show visitors the roles played by the U.S. Army Infantry, Dragoons, and various civilians attached to the army during the 1840s.

Planned presentations include infantry demonstrations, horsemanship, medicine, cooking, and military music. Friday, October 10 will be set aside as Education Day. Educators may bring classes to the site from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m.

This year's program will include demonstrations of nineteenth-century blacksmithing. In the frontier period the blacksmith was an important member of any community, including military posts.

The Fall Encampment is presented by the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Sixth Infantry Living History Association. Fort Gibson Historic Site is on State Highway 80 in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. For more information or for directions, call 918/478-4088 or e-mail fortgibson@okhistory.org.