Idabel, Oklahoma

You're driving through southeastern Oklahoma, an area that was once almost entirely forest. But by the early 1900s, logging entrepreneurs were stripping it bare. That is, until brothers Fred and John Dierks, owners of…

Right here in southeastern Oklahoma, you're passing through Broken Bow. It's a town with a surprising origin story. It wasn't named for any local Native American history, but instead for Broken Bow, Nebraska. That's…

Nestled in the Ouachita Mountains of McCurtain County, Broken Bow offers a sense of escape among the towering pines. It was named for a Choctaw chief, commemorating a broken bow, and officially incorporated in 1911. The…

Right here in McCurtain County, you're passing through the area where Paul Stewart built a remarkable life. Born in Arkansas in 1892, Stewart moved to Indian Territory as a boy. By age thirteen, he was in the mercantile…

You're driving through Haworth, Oklahoma, a town that owes its existence to a railroad and a booming timber industry. Originally surveyed as Harrington in 1902 by the Choctaw Townsite Commission, its development really…

Pull over here for a minute; this unassuming spot was once a beacon of hope and education for young Choctaw women. Wheelock Academy began as a missionary school for Choctaw girls in 1832. Reverend Alfred Wright and his…

Pull over here a sec, you're not gonna believe this. This is the oldest surviving church in Oklahoma! It's called Wheelock Church. Back in the 1840s, the Choctaw Nation was re-establishing itself here after being forced…

You're driving through southeastern Oklahoma, not far from Millerton. Right here, you're passing the site of the Wheelock Church, built between 1844 and 1846. This isn't just any old building; it's the oldest church…

You're driving through Millerton, a town that owes its existence to two things: timber and trains. Right here, in the early 1900s, was a booming hardwood sawmill town. It started as a place called Chula, but in 1902,…

You're driving through McCurtain County, heading north of Broken Bow, and you're passing through the last sizeable expanse of virgin shortleaf pine and hardwood forest in the entire nation. This 14,000-acre area was set…

Right here in McCurtain County, you're passing by the site of Wheelock Academy, a place dedicated to educating Choctaw girls for over a century. It began in 1832 with missionaries Alfred and Harriet Wright, who served…

You're driving through McCurtain County, and right here is the Little River National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1987, this preserve protects vital wetlands and a surprising amount of wildlife. It's one of the few…

Right here in McCurtain County, you're driving past the Grobin Davis Site, a place where ancient Oklahomans lived and worshipped over 700 years ago. This wasn't just a village; it was a major ceremonial center for the…

You're driving through McCurtain County, not far from Wright City, where Joseph Oklahombi, a full-blood Choctaw, became a World War I hero. He was one of the original "Code Talkers," using his native tongue to relay…

You're driving through McCurtain County, passing a place that was once the heart of a massive timber empire. Back in 1906, the Dierks brothers, already successful in the lumber business, arrived here. They established…

You're driving through southeastern Oklahoma, a region once covered in millions of acres of virgin pine. Right here, in McCurtain County, the Dierks brothers, pioneers of the lumber industry, established a major…

You're driving through southeastern Oklahoma, the land of towering pines and a history deeply rooted in the timber industry. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, companies like the Dierks brothers' Choctaw Lumber…

You're driving through Wright City, Oklahoma, a town with a name that changed with the times. It started as Bismark around 1909, named by the Dierks Lumber Company after a town where they used to do business in…

You're driving through Valliant, Oklahoma, and right nearby is a piece of history unique to the entire Indian Territory. Just outside of town once stood the Alice Lee Elliott Memorial Academy, a boarding school founded…

Right here, you're driving past the legacy of the Dierks Lumber and Coal Company. In 1910, they chartered the Texas, Oklahoma and Eastern Railroad, a wholly owned subsidiary. This line, starting at Valliant and reaching…

In this vicinity archeologists have located a large village and ceremonial center occupied between A.D. 1000 and A.D. 1700 by ancestors of the Caddo Indians. Sedentary farmers, the Caddos built villages and farms on…

Right here in McCurtain County, you're passing through the heart of a linguistic revolution! Cyrus Byington, a missionary originally trained as a lawyer, dedicated 31 years of his life to the Choctaw people, starting in…

You're driving through southeastern Oklahoma, not far from the Arkansas border. Right here, you're passing through Eagletown, a place that became a vital hub for the Choctaw Nation after their forced removal from…

You're driving through McCurtain County, near where Eagletown stands today. Right here, in the mid-1800s, lived Peter Pitchlynn, a powerful Choctaw leader. After the forced removal west, he became a key figure in…

14200-acre lake in the Ouachita foothills. Clearest water in Oklahoma.

Mountain Fork River trout fishing and old-growth pine in Oklahoma southeastern corner.

You're driving through Clarksville, near Tuggle Springs Cemetery. Established around 1850 by farmer Andrew Jackson Tuggle, it officially became a burial ground in 1864 when a mother and infant died. The cemetery, named…

Alamo defender Jesse B. Bowman was born in Tennessee about 1785. By 1811 he was living in Illinois where his son Joseph T. Bowman was born that year. Bowman and his family settled in Ouichita County, Arkansas, until it…

In memory of Robert Hamilton - a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence - March 2, 1836 - Born in Blevard, Scotland - March 24, 1783 - Died in Red River County, Texas - 1843

(About a half mile NW was 19th century town) One of first ports of entry into Texas for Anglo-Americans. Opened early as 1814; heavily used by 1817. Named for 1819-21 ferry owner Henry Jones (1789-1861). Claimed by both…

Near here at the Old Jonesboro Crossing, Sam Houston, an envoy of President Andrew Jackson first set foot on Texas soil, December 2, 1832.

You're driving through Red River County, passing the final resting place of Jane Chandler Gill. Born in England in 1782, she came to Texas and settled in Jonesboro. Sadly, her time here was short. Jane died in 1816, not…

Submerged when Broken Bow Lake filled in 1970. Now a cabin resort boom town named after a drowned village.

14000 acres of old-growth forest. Black bears and the only wild population of red-cockaded woodpeckers in OK.

In 1852, Oliver English, and his uncle, Simeon English, brought three families and 30 slaves from Missouri to establish plantations in the area. They crossed the Red River at what was then known as the mill creek…

You're driving past New Haven Cemetery, a final resting place for many area pioneers. The story here starts in 1859 when George M. Sargeant donated land for a church, school, and graveyard. The very first person laid to…