At the Edge of Indian Country

In 1825, this place stood between Arkansas Territory and a vast domain traded to the Choctaw Nation for their ancestral lands in the east. Fort Smith’s location at the edge of Indian country was a major factor in its evolution and vitality. The history of the fort and of the town growing up around it was shaped by the forced migrations of eastern tribes to Indian Country, the booming border trade in contraband goods, the white settlers’ relentless push for land, and the military’s efforts to maintain order. The Choctaw lands remained part of Indian Country until 1907, when the state of Oklahoma was established. The cubic stone monument marks the initial point 100 paces east of the first Fort Smith from which the Choctaw line was surveyed, as specified in the 1825 treaty.

Moffett, Oklahoma · United States