National Register Listing

Fort Cobb Site

1 mi. E of Fort Cobb, Fort Cobb, OK
Promptly at 2 o'clock we formed in battalions of three companies each on the parade ground and rode in front of the officers - Gens, Sheridan, Custer, Hazen and our regimental officers. About fifty feet to their right stood the Indian chiefs, Satanta, Lone Wolf of the Kiowas and Ten Bears, a Comanche chief. A son of Satanta was also with them. The Indians were on horse back and wore the chiefs headdress of beads and feathers.

Satanta's son had on pants and shirt and a red and black blanket over his shoulders. He is his father's messenger and a fine looking boy, straight as an arrow and appears about 20 years old, Satanta is quite large and very strongly built, much more noble looking than the others who are darker and just ordinary looking Indians, only finely dressed.

Thus did an army private, D. L. Spots, in his Journal for Saturday, December 19, 1868, describe a final day of glory in the brief, but exciting--and not insignificant--life of Fort Cobb. It was an impressive assemblage. In and about the post parade ground were some 3,000 Kiowas and Comanches, hundreds of Wichitas, Cheyennes, Arapahoes and other tribes, some nominally friendly, other fiercely resentful because of the devastating early morning attack a few weeks before by General Custer on the sleeping Cheyennes camp of Chief Black Kettle a hundred miles to the northwest. Facing them were some 2,000 troops led by Generals Philip H, Sheridan, George A. Custer and William B. Hazen.

The hostiles had been cowed and peace on the Southern Plains had been, for all practical purposes, achieved. Ironically, however, Fort Cobb itself had outlived its usefulness, In the last week of December the rains came and the post became a sea of mud. Shortly General Sheridan was to follow the advice of earlier military men on the scene and establish a permanent base near Medicine Bluff in the Wichita Mountains about 30 miles to the south. Stakes for Camp Wichita (present Fort Sill) were driven January 8, 1869. On March 13, Fort Cobb was abandoned.
Local significance of the site:
Military; Politics/government; Social History

Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.

Audiobooks about the history of Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 was the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. The bombing, which was carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, killed 168 people and injured hundreds more.
Oklahoma random facts
Caddo County, located in the central part of Oklahoma, has a rich and diverse history that stretches back thousands of years. The land was originally inhabited by various Native American tribes, including the Wichita and Caddo peoples, who relied on the fertile soil and abundant resources for sustenance. European exploration began in the 16th century, with Spanish explorers venturing into the area in search of gold and other riches.

In the early 19th century, the area experienced significant upheaval as the US government forcibly removed the Native American tribes from their ancestral lands, including the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Many tribes, including the Caddo Nation, were relocated to present-day Oklahoma under the policy of Indian Territory. During this time, the land became a crossroads for trade, with various trails and routes passing through the area.

The establishment of Caddo County came with the opening of the Unassigned Lands of Indian Territory in 1889, when settlers rushed into the area to claim land during the Land Run. The county was named after the Caddo Nation, whose history remains intertwined with the region. Soon after, towns such as Anadarko, the county seat, began to emerge as centers of commerce and government.

In the early 20th century, oil was discovered in Caddo County, leading to a boom in the local economy. Oil derricks dotted the landscape, and the black gold brought wealth and prosperity to the region. Agriculture, particularly wheat and cattle farming, also played a significant role in the county's economy throughout its history. Today, Caddo County continues to be a vibrant and diverse community, with a rich cultural heritage and a mix of urban and rural areas.

This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Caddo County, Oklahoma.

  • 1834: Caddo County is established as part of Indian Territory.
  • 1855: The region is designated as part of the Caddo Nation reservation.
  • 1867: The Caddo Nation is forced to sign a treaty ceding their land to the federal government.
  • 1901: Oklahoma becomes a state, and Caddo County is included in its boundaries.
  • 1902: Anadarko is established as the county seat of Caddo County.
  • 1911: The discovery of oil leads to a rapid economic boom in the county.
  • 1938: The Washita River flood causes significant damage in Caddo County.
  • 1959: The National Register of Historic Places lists the Caddo County Courthouse.
  • 1976: The Caddo County Historical Society is formed to preserve local history.
  • 2009: Crosslin Park in Chickasha is dedicated as a memorial to fallen military members.