Historical Marker Program

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Fort Wayne

Adair County
Location: on US-59, two miles south of Grove
Coordinates: 36.105500, -94.574600
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Topics: American Indians; Military; Westward Expansion, 1803–1861

Established in 1838 and known originally as Camp Illinois, Fort Wayne was originally located northeast of present Watts in Adair County on a hill overlooking the Illinois River. Considered a poor location due to many soldiers having died there, the fort was relocated to Beatie’s Prairie in present Delaware County in 1840. Fort Wayne was abandoned in 1842. At the onset of the Civil War, Stand Watie used the post to form his regiment of Cherokee Mounted Volunteers. Union forces defeated Confederate troops led by Col. Douglas H. Cooper in the Battle of Fort Wayne on October 22, 1862.

Note: Also see Fort Wayne marker in Delaware County.