Historical Marker Program

Battle of the Washita

Roger Mills County
Location: in downtown Cheyenne one block south of US-283 and OK-47 intersection
Material: Granite
Topics: American Indians; Military; Territorial Period, 1861–1907

On November 27, 1868, Colonel George Armstrong Custer led the 7th Cavalry in an attack on Chief Black Kettle's camp on the Washita River. The surprise, early-morning attack decimated the Cheyenne camp and no doubt was the seed for Custer's later meeting with American Indians at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Berlin

Roger Mills County
Location: on E1080 Rd approximately 2 miles west of US-283
Coordinates: 35.450837, -99.624696
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Berlin Extension Homemakers
Topics: Settlement Patterns; Territorial Period, 1861–1907

Originally known as Doxey, a post office was established in the vicinity in January 1894. Post office name changed to Berlin in September 1896. Named for Berlin, Germany, the town name is pronounced locally as “BUR-lin” because of anti-German sentiment during World War I. Berlin’s post office and school closed in 1967. Marker is dedicated to the settlers who persevered through “drought, flood, sickness, debt, and a multitude of other misfortunes” to establish the community.

California Road

Roger Mills County
Location: at junction of US-283 and OK-33, 14 miles north of Cheyenne
Coordinates: 35.797609, -99.723281
Material: Aluminum
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Topics: Government; Environmental/Cultural Ecology; Industrial Period, 1941 to 1982; Settlement Patterns; Transportation; Water; Westward Expansion, 1803–1861

First traveled by gold seekers in the rush for California in the spring of 1849, under military escort commanded by Capt. R. B. Marcy, west from Fort Smith, Arkansas. Antelope Hills, 8 miles northwest, were once a landmark for the international line between the United States and Mexico. Little Robe Creek, northwest of hills, is site of Comanche battle with Texas Rangers, Capt. John S. Ford, in 1858.