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Category: Choctaw Nation
Nail’s Crossing
Nail’s Crossing also known as Nail’s Station was named for Jonathan Nail who moved from Doaksville to Blue County in the early 1850s. He built a six room double cabin on the east side of the Blue River. Jonathan, his wife Catherine, and son Joel were listed in Blue County in the 1855 Choctaw Census.…
Oklahoma Presbyterian College
In 1894, Rev. C. J. Ralston gave money to build a school in Durant in memory of his young son, Calvin, who had drowned at Armstrong Academy. The school operated for a few years as Calvin Institute, was renamed Durant Presbyterian College, and later became Oklahoma Presbyterian College. The administration building, a three story red…
Fort Washita
Intended to protect the Chickasaws from Comanche and Kiowa raiding parties, Fort Washita was constructed in 1842 on the site selected by General Zachary Taylor, a ridge above the Washita River overlooking the open prairie. Various companies of infantry, dragoons, riflemen, cavalry, and artillery were stationed at the Fort until it was abandoned by Union…
Colbert’s Ferry
In 1853, Benjamin Franklin Colbert received permission from the Chickasaw Nation to operate a ferry where the Texas Road crossed the Red River. When the Butterfield Overland Mail began in 1858, Colbert’s Ferry became the last stage stop in the Indian Territory. Colbert maintained the road and transported the stage across the river free of…
Bloomfield Seminary
Rev. J. H. Carr, a Methodist missionary, was sent to the Chickasaw Nation to establish a boarding school for girls. In the spring of 1852 he selected a site on a wooded hill surrounded by prairie. Rev. Carr lived in a tent while supervising the building. He was visited by Jackson Kemp who called the…
Armstrong Academy
The Choctaw Nation opened Armstrong Academy December 2, 1845 as a school for boys. Named for the Indian agent William Armstrong, the Academy was located three miles northeast of the present town of Bokchito. In addition to studying reading, writing, geography, and math, the boys spent two or three hours a day in manual farm…