Valliant, Oklahoma

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.

(January 1, 1782 - September 20, 1816) An Englishwoman who died soon after settling in Jonesboro. Her grave is one of Texas' oldest Caucasian burials.

You're driving past Swink, Oklahoma, and right here, beneath your wheels, lies the forgotten wreck of the steamboat Heroine. Built in 1832, the Heroine was one of the first steamboats to brave the newly cleared Red…

You're driving through Choctaw County, and right here is the story of Swink. Founded by David Randall Swink, who married into the Choctaw Nation, the town's first site had a problem: the land belonged to his young son,…

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 Garvin, Oklahoma, was born Jackie Linwood Ridley, the brilliant mind behind breaking the sound barrier. While you're cruising down the highway, imagine this: it's <say-as interpret-as="date"…

You're driving through southeastern Oklahoma, passing through the community of Garvin. This place started as a trading post back in 1894, named for a former Choctaw chief. But Garvin really boomed when the railroad…

Imagine life on the edge of civilization. That's exactly what Fort Towson was: a crucial outpost on the Permanent Indian Frontier. Established in 1824, Fort Towson served multiple purposes. It was a military post, a…

You're driving through Choctaw County, and right here is the site of Fort Towson. Established in 1824, this wasn't just any old army post. It was a crucial fortification on the border with Mexico, meant to keep the…

You're driving through Choctaw County, and right here is the site of Doaksville, once the principal town of the Choctaw Nation. Founded between 1824 and 1831 by Josiah Doak and his brother, this settlement quickly grew…

You're driving through what was once the heart of Chickasaw territory, near Fort Towson. Right here, George Colbert, a mixed-blood Chickasaw leader, wielded immense power. He was a colonel who fought alongside George…

You're driving through Choctaw County, and right here is Fort Towson. This town owes its existence to a railroad and a good spring. Back in 1902, a group of men wanted a new townsite near the old fort. They found the…

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…

You're driving through what used to be Kanawha, the very first Anglo-American settlement in Lamar County. Legend says French and Spanish forts were here before families like the Pierson, Roberts, and Mason brothers…

Choctaw girls boarding school founded 1832. One of the oldest schools west of the Mississippi.

A 40-foot predatory dinosaur skeleton was excavated in McCurtain County. Now at the Museum of the Red River.

You're driving through southeastern Oklahoma, maybe near Idabel, and you're passing through a place where history almost got made. Back in 1806, this was the edge of the known world! President Jefferson sent the…

You're driving through Idabel, and you might be wondering how this town got its name. It wasn't exactly straightforward! It started in 1902 as Purnell, named after a railroad official. But postal authorities rejected…

The Frisco Railroad created this town in 1902. Named for Ida and Belle the daughters of a Choctaw leader.

You're driving past Sawyer, Oklahoma, a town with a name that changed more than once! It started as Gilbert in 1902, named by its first postmaster after his son. But by 1903, it was renamed Sawyer, honoring an attorney…

Crossroads, Oklahoma, nestled in the Ouachita Mountains of McCurtain County, might seem like just another quiet spot where the pines meet the hardwood forests. But this Lowland South community has seen its share of…

World-class pre-Columbian and Native art in a town of 7000. Nobody expects this.

The route 21000 Choctaw walked during removal in 1831-1833. Hundreds died along this road.

15000 acres of bottomland hardwood. Only NWR in Oklahoma. Bald eagles nest here.

You're driving through southeastern Oklahoma, not far from Broken Bow, the birthplace of baseball legend Harry "The Cat" Brecheen. Brecheen was a star pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, and he made history in the…

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…

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…

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…