Press Release
October 8, 2025
Contact: Jennifer Frazee
Fort Gibson Historic Site, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 918-478-4088
[email protected]
okhistory.org/fortgibson
Learn About 19th Century Pastimes in Living History Programs at Fort Gibson Historic Site
FORT GIBSON, Okla. — Fort Gibson Historic Site’s living history programs in October will focus on 19th-century pastimes. On Saturday, October 18, and Saturday, October 25, from 10 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m., guests will learn how soldiers and civilians entertained themselves in the 1800s.
Entertainments such as card games, dice, and baseball were welcome diversions from the monotonous life of an enlisted soldier. Historical interpreter Seth Goff will teach visitors to play period-correct games and sports from the 1840s.
On Saturday, October 18, the program will focus on card games, one of the most prolific entertainments associated with the American frontier. Whether soldiers played a shady game of poker under the nose of their commanding officers when they were supposed to be working or honest folks played an innocent game of “beat your neighbor with a stick,” card games have been a steady source of entertainment for centuries.
The program on Saturday, October 25, will focus on baseball and how to play it in smaller groups. While many enlisted soldiers’ entertainments, like gambling, were discouraged by their commanding officers, some entertainments were encouraged. Baseball was one such activity that, in most cases, was sanctioned and encouraged by officers because it provided exercise and promoted team building among the enlisted men. A baseball game with “teams of one rules” is playable with at least three visitors.
The programs are included with paid admission to the site and will take place at or near the log palisade located at 110 E. Ash Ave. in Fort Gibson. All guests should check in at the palisade office to find out where the program is being held each day. For more information, please call 918-478-4088.
The Fort Gibson Historic Site is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications, the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit okhistory.org.
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