NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions.
1. Name of Property Historic name: _Fort Towson__(Additional Documentation)______Other names/site number: _34CH114______Name of related multiple property listing: ______N/A______(Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing ______2. Location Street & number: ______City or town: _Fort Towson______State: _Oklahoma______County: _Choctaw____ Not For Publication: X Vicinity: X ______3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property _X__ meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: _ X__national _ __statewide ___local Applicable National Register Criteria: _X__A ___B ___C _X__D
Signature of certifying official/Title: Date ______State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government
In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria.
Signature of commenting official: Date
Title : State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government
1
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Fort Towson Choctaw County, OK Name of Property County and State
______4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) ______
______Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ______5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Private:
Public – Local
Public – State X
Public – Federal
Category of Property (Check only one box.)
Building(s)
District
Site X
Structure
Object
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United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
Fort Towson Choctaw County, OK Name of Property County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Noncontributing _____0______7______buildings
_____2______0______sites
_____0______2______structures
_____0______3______objects
_____2______12______Total
Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register ___1______6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) __Defense______Fortification______
Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) __Park______Outdoor Museum______
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______7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) ____N/A______
Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) Principal exterior materials of the property: _Limestone__
Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ______Summary Paragraph Cantonment Towson was established in 1824 to protect a new frontier line from the Plains Indians and to establish federal authority on the international boundary with Mexico. The Cantonment was abandoned briefly in 1829, but was reestablished as Camp Phoenix in 1830 as the site of a permanent fort in the newly established western lands of the Choctaw Nation. This fort figured prominently during the resettlement of the Choctaw in Oklahoma and in 1832 was officially renamed Fort Towson (Lees 1990: 55).
Fort Towson’s major military role came during the war with Mexico (1846-1848). By the close of this conflict, Towson’s place as a frontier outpost was preempted with the establishment of forts farther to the west and its garrison was reduced drastically. In 1854 Fort Towson was abandoned by the US War Department and turned over to the Department of the Interior, which almost immediately turned the property over to the Choctaw Nation. In 1854 the Choctaw council made Fort Towson the capital of the Choctaw Nation and tribal councils were held there in 1855 and 1856. Many of the buildings at the fort, including those on officers’ row, were subsequently destroyed by the fire in 1857. Fort Towson’s last use appears to have been during the Civil War, when it served as the headquarters of Confederate forces operating in the Indian Territory and as a refuge for Indians loyal to the Confederacy (Lees 1990: 55).
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Fort Towson was originally listed in the Nation Register of Historic Places in 1970 at the national level of significance for Aboriginal: Historic, Military, Political and Transportation. The purpose of this additional documentation is to amend the nomination for the following reasons:
1) Archeological investigations were undertaken after the designation of this property on the National Register of Historic Places. The update will provide additional historic information based on these excavations. 2) Additional primary sources have been located since the initial nomination and this update will provide additional historic information based on these sources. 3) In 1970, transportation was the only option for exploration and settlement. This nomination will remove transportation and justify the significance under exploration and settlement.
______Narrative Description
Environment Oklahoma lies entirely within the Mississippi drainage basin. The Red River and Arkansas River are two major tributaries of the Mississippi River that drain the state. Fort Towson is located in Choctaw County, in the Red River Valley of southeast Oklahoma. The headwaters of the Red River are located in Deaf Smith County, Texas and flows along the southern border of Oklahoma from Harmon to McCurtain County. The confluence of the Red River with the Mississippi River is in Louisiana (Hoagland 2006: 10-11). In Choctaw County the Clear Boggy Creek and the Muddy Boggy Creek enter the County from the northwest corner and converge in the approximate center of the County into a single river that drains into the Red River to the south. The Kiamichi River winds around from the northeast to cross through the central portion of the County, meandering back towards the east where it too drains into the Red River that runs along the southern boundary of the County.
In southeastern Oklahoma, the northeast-southwest trending Ouachita Mountains dominate a 90- mile wide band that comprises three-fifths of the region. The Ouachitas are characterized by steep, fault-block ridges of sandstone, chert, and metamorphic rocks and by deep valleys formed on shale or slate. Soils are typically thin and leached but due to heavy annual precipitation, support forests of oak, hickory and pine (Wyckoff and Brooks 1983: 84 and Johnson 2006). South of the Ouachitas lies a narrow band of Gulf Coastal Plains and the Red River Valley. The Gulf Coastal Plains consists of narrow belts of low, north-facing escarpments (Cretaceous sandstones and limestones). Loblolly pine forest prevails over the eastern third, whereas oak- hickory forest and some savannahs occur westward. In contrast, the Red River Valley is a well terraced, alluvial setting with plants and animals common to southern lowlands (Wyckoff and Brooks 1983: 85-6).
The geologic formations of the area consists of both upper and lower Cretaceous formations of non-marine sand and clay and marine limestone and clay which can be up to 3,000 feet thick in the southeastern region of the state (Johnson 2006: 8-9). Archaeological excavations conducted
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at Fort Towson identified the material of the buildings foundations as limestone that was quarried from Gates Creek, which forms the northern boundary of the fort (Hale 1975). The Quaternary formation is found in the region of the Red River and consists of sand, silt, clay and gravel in floodplains and terrace deposits that can range from 25 to 100 feet thick (Johnson 2006: 8-9).
The primary soils of the region consist of alfisols which form in humid regions and are associated with deciduous forests. They are well developed soils with high fertility and are important for agricultural production as they support a variety of crops, including grains, cotton, and minor commodities. A band of vertisols trend from the northwest corner of Choctaw County down to the southeast corner. They have high clay content and are often referred to as shrink/swell soils. Vertisols are often associated with limestone geology. The associated vegetation is a mixture of grassland and oak-hickory forest. Pasture and rangeland tend to predominate on vertisols. In the northeast corner of the county are ultisols. These soils are well- developed moist soils that form in warm to tropical zones and tend to be acidic and leached of minerals. The vegetation is either oak-hickory-pine forest or oak-hickory forest (Hoagland 2006: 16-17).
Choctaw County is comprised of a mixture of distinct vegetation types. The primary vegetation consists of post oak-blackjack, known as the Cross Timbers. This vegetation type is a mosaic of forest, woodland, and grassland vegetation. In the northeast corner of the County is found oak pine which is limited to the Ouachita Mountains and Ozark Plateau. The presence of shortleaf pine distinguishes this vegetation type from the oak-hickory forest. Fort Towson is situated on the eastern side of the Kiamichi River and thus the vegetation at the site is a mix of post-oak black jack and oak-pine. In the north-northwest corner of the County may be found oak-hickory and tall grass prairie. Along the river drainages and floodplains are a large variety of vegetation that includes hackberry, red elm, sugarberry and green ash, black gum, boxelder, red maple, river birch, silver maple and sycamore, sweetgums and water and willow oaks (Hoagland 2006: 24- 25).
Historical maps and letters mentioned gardens and fruit trees planted on the fort’s grounds as well as comments pertaining to the wild life that was available for hunting in the surrounding area that included buffalo and deer (Lewis 1972b, McGuigan 1978 and Scott 1983). Archaeological excavations of the sutler store and residence identified a total of 2,725 animal remains (Lees, Kimery-Lees and Martin 1983). Analysis of the remains revealed species diversity in the 15.5% of the assemblage that was identified beyond the class level. Fifteen genera of mammals, eight genera of birds, two genera of fish, one amphibian, one turtle, freshwater mussels and oysters are represented. Domestic animals dominate the assemblage with over 44% of the identified elements being cow, pig and chicken. Also identified were thirteen bones of Old World rat that are indicative of a surprisingly rapid spread of these rodents from the eastern US (Lees, Kimery-Lees and Martin 1983). Project meat yields calculated from the minimum number of individuals (MNI) and from skeletal portions indicate that cattle and bison were the most significant sources of meat, followed in decreasing order by pig and white-tailed deer. Unfortunately, not enough diagnostic large mammal bones were available to determine how important bison was to the diet in comparison to cattle. The diversity of animal species recovered at Fort Towson seems to suggest that hunting and fishing were important recreational
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activities for the inhabitants but domesticated cattle and pigs provided the bulk of the meat (Lees, Kimery-Lees and Martin 1983).
Time Period of Occupation/Use 1824-1829 Cantonment Towson 1830-1840s Camp Phoenix/Fort Towson (Choctaw disbandment center and reconstruction) 1846-1848 Mexican-American War 1854 Closure
Physical Characteristics Currently, the site consists of 120 acres of open manicured lawn that is bounded to the west, northwest and northeast by a wooded area with Gates Creek following the band of woodland from the northeast to the southwest of the site. North-south running County Road D2055 is on the east and east-west running County Road E2060 is on the south. The surrounding area is a mixture of open farmland and wooded areas with small tributaries woven throughout. The Kiamichi River is located approximately six miles to the south-southwest and the winding Red River is located approximately ten miles to the south.
In a letter written in 1826 by James Engle, 2nd Lieutenant with the 4th Infantry stationed at Cantonment Towson, he provided a description of the surrounding landscape:
This is the first opportunity that has afforded itself to address you…I now am distant at least three thousand miles perhaps 4 by water still every sentiment of tenderness remains but not at all the feelings which actuate one, when I reflect upon the differences of our situation, You surrounded by all the pleasures this world can afford while I is buried in oblivion, distant at least 1 thousand miles from what we may call society… The only pleasure we have here is to ride out and view the works of nature which surpass any I have ever beheld – to give you an idea I must inform you that I rode a few days since ten or fifteen miles in the Country of New Mexico to view the progress of things, but witnessed very little for the land for many miles, say 5 or 6 hundred, around belongs to Indians. It was a rare circling tour to travel those thousands of miles of road without meeting with a group of turkeys and a great abundance of other game such as geese and buffalo. The day after I killed the first buffalo about 2 o’clock in the afternoon I perceived a large herd some standing and some lying down and a few on a knoll on the prairie. I succeeded on getting within 90 or a hundred yards of them when I fired and struck one again through the head. I supplied myself with meat for the rest of my journey. I fired several times at deers [sic] but at too great a distance. I will venture to say that I saw at least a hundred deer in one group (Scott 1978: 8-9).
In an 1843 report prepared by Quartermaster Captain Collins, he provided the following description of the surrounding environment:
In front of the Garrison, dotted with groves of scrub oak and hickory, is a fine rolling prairie extending to the Red River…immediately to the rear [North], say 80 yards, runs a small creek [Gates Creek]…to the west is the Kiamichi, a considerable stream, though not navigable…the country to the north for some miles back is gently undulating, the lowlands and bottoms affording a fine growth of oak, hickory, etc., while the higher land is composed of a light, sandy
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soil and covered with scrub oak and pine --- the pine of a sufficiently large growth to supply timber and lumber for building. In all other directions the post is surrounded by prairie, though not so well watered and with such a variety and abundance of forest growth that it may be said to consist in very just proportions of meadow, pasture and wood lands (WD/RG-92/1843/c399; Lewis 1972b: 4).
Historically, transportation of personnel and goods was conducted on pre-Civil War military roads that included one from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Fort Gibson and Fort Towson and another from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Fort Towson” (Lovett 2006: 80). Transportation along waterways was conducted along the Red River by keel boat and steamboat and a boat landing called “Fort Towson on the Red River” was established at the mouth of the Kiamichi River (Lewis 1972: 8).
Appearance of Property During Use 1824-1829 An 1826 report from Major Cummings described the post as consisting:
Of two rows of buildings parallel to each other, that occupied by the officers is one and a half stories high, the men’s quarters one story; the latter are divided into two rooms for each company with a passage of twelve feet between them, they are high and airy and very comfortable either for summer or winter quarters; at each end of the barracks is a storehouse, with a bastian [sic] on the NE and one on SW corner, they were deemed better than blockhouses for defence [sic], as the latter in the event of an attack would be so soon filled with smoke as to render them untenable; the flanks are protected by pickets (PR/Fort Towson/May 1826 from Lewis 1972a: 273 and 1972b: 7).
Colonel George Croghan, Inspector General of the Army, visited the post in 1827 and confirmed the presence of a garrison hospital as well as a stone magazine at the post (IG/1827/m624; Lewis 1972a: 273 and 1972b: 7). “The stone magazine was presumably the only non-log building at the post. The bastions were presumably built of earth and logs” (Lewis 1972a: 273 and 1972b: 8).
1830-1854 When the cantonment was closed in 1829, the buildings were burned down by irate settlers. When it was ordered reopened in November, 1830, it was reconstructed on the burned site of the old post. On November 20, 1831, it was named again for paymaster Nathan Towson. Then on February 8, 1832, the post for the first time was designated a fort” (McGuigan 1978: 13-14).
Throughout 1833, the fort was under construction that included new officers’ quarters, four barracks, a guardhouse, a quartermaster’s storehouse, and laundresses’ quarters were constructed (McGuigan 1978: 15). The officers’ quarters consisted of three buildings that extended along the bluff above Gates Creek that formed the north side of the parade ground. The Commanding Officers Quarters was located in the center of officer’s row and was described in 1835 as:
Dwellings of married officers have each three sets of quarters with four rooms and a kitchen underneath the excavation being the whole length of the building but half the width – that of the Commanding Officers has four rooms, one basement, with two rooms in the attic and two kitchens underneath excavated as above (QM/1835; Scott 1983: 16).
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The structures were constructed of logs and by 1836 had deteriorated significantly. Captain Edward Babbit, the post quartermaster, wrote:
The kitchens appertaining to the officers’ quarters are constructed by excavating under the backrooms of the several blocks; the embankment of earth on the back of the kitchens being supported by logs…these logs are decaying rapidly and will soon render the kitchens useless without extensive repairs or an entire reconstruction (QM 1837; Scott 1983: 16).
An 1839 letter from the Post Commander, Major Wilson, mentions officers’ and mens’ quarters, storehouses, and outhouses as well as an “old hospital located inside the garrison and so near the mens’ quarters.” Post Assistant Surgeon Robert Southgate described the hospital as a building which “forms part of the hollow square that constitutes the Cantonment” (QM/1839; Lewis 1972a: 273 and 1972b: 9). These descriptions suggest that the post was built in the shape of a square composed of inward-facing buildings in a manner similar to the earlier cantonment. An 1833 map shows such a hollow square of structures with two rectangular buildings on the east, south and north sides (AG/1833; Lewis 1972a: 273 and 1972b: 9). Three smaller buildings were on the north side. Outbuildings, sheds, and stables were located east of the fort and a “cholera hospital” stood some distance to the west (Lewis 1972a: 273 and 1972b: 9). In addition, numerous gardens were planted about the post, and several private buildings appeared, such as a sutler’s store, stables and servants quarters (McGuigan 1978: 15).
When General Ethan Allen Hitchcock visited the post in 1842, he described it as “not a fort, but some buildings in a rectangle, one side devoted to officer’s quarters” (Lewis 1972b: 10). And in 1843, the Post Quartermaster, Captain Collins described the fort as being in a dilapidated condition, “with fewer comforts, and fewer means of being made comfortable.” He explained that: The reason of the early and great decay of the buildings, is owing to the foundations having been laid with logs instead of stone…as the foundations gave way, the log walls lost their positions, the consequences of which were that the doors, windows, and floors were even in want of repairs --- until at last it became necessary to raise the buildings --- build stone foundations, and then overhaul and repair so generally that expense will more than half equal the original cost (QM/1843/c399; Lewis 1972b: 10).
And therefore, to correct and avoid the problem of decay, all the buildings were reconstructed and built upon stone foundations. The stone used for the foundations was cut from the bluff behind the officers’ quarters (McGuigan 1978: 23). The reconstruction not only provided new buildings but also reconfigured the layout of the fort from its 1830s square arrangement to a rectangular arrangement.
As described in Captain Collins 1843 report, the layout of the fort was comprised of four single- storied buildings that faced each other in two parallel rows on the east and west sides of the parade, two barracks faced north and were located between the rows, a commanding officer’s quarters of one and a half stories, and two other officers’ quarters faced south on the north side of the parade. The magazine remained located in the northeast corner of the quadrangle (QM/1842; Lewis 1972a: 275). Directly to the east of the magazine was a small ordinance
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storehouse. A bakehouse and a building containing carpenter and blacksmith shops were roughly southeast of the ordinance store. Further to the east were the stables, carriage house, harness room and corn crib (QM/1842; Lewis 1972a: 275).
Two other barracks were built on the south end of the east and west rows facing one another (QM/1844/c280; Lewis 1972a: 275 and 1972b: 9). As observed by Lewis, “their position suggests that they may be later than the buildings that composed the original quadrangle. A hospital and commissary storehouse were located several hundred yards south of the main complex of buildings. The hospital seems to be a recent addition that included a kitchen and it is very possible that the two barracks built south of the old hollow square and the commissary storehouse also represent new buildings necessitated by the expansion of the original fort (Lewis 1972a: 275 and 1972b: 9).
In June 1844, Colonel Croghan, the Inspector General, reported that:
There are but few bunks at the post and such as there are worth nothing. The men, to avoid bedbugs, which are in countless numbers, sleep either upon the galleries or the floor of their quarters. Captain Collins (the post quartermaster) will later in the course of the summer furnish all the quarters with new bunks, so constructed as to be easily taken down, an essential quality where they require to be so frequently overhauled. The arms racks are but little better than the bunks and improperly made as well as badly arranged. They too will be attended to by the assistant quartermaster in due season (Lewis 1972b: 10; Prucha 1958: 51).
By November 1845, all of the major construction had been completed, as stated by Captain Edward Babbitt, who was then the Quartermaster of Fort Towson: “Fort Towson is now completed with the exception of a small guard house and the erection of two or three cisterns for water” (QM/1845/c284; Lewis 1972b: 12).
There were several civilian owned buildings that were erected on the fort grounds. The first was that of the post sutler, George C. Gooding, who was also the postmaster at Fort Towson from 1832 until 1847 when that office was transferred to the nearby town of Doaksville. His residence and store were located west of the fort near the edge of the bluff overlooking Gates Creek near the position of the old cholera hospital. A second civilian building at the fort was that of a Mr. Miller, the quartermaster clerk at Towson in 1845 and was described as:
A private dwelling house immediately adjacent to the public quarters (north about fifty yards from the N.W. angle of the garrison)…the house is 1 ½ stories --- two good rooms on lower floor and good space for baggage above (QM/1845/c139; Lewis 1972a: 275 and 1972b: 12-13).
Additional descriptions of the post were provided in a letter in 1849 by Mary Marcy, wife of the post commander, Captain Randolph E. Marcy, in which she wrote that as one approached the fort from the south, a long raised walkway led up toward the main complex of buildings where gardens were planted on either side to the rear of the two rows of structures:
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The parade is very large and the few people who are on it seem quite lost. The ground is laid opposite in squares and sodded. Great walks, running in every direction. There are also many trees within the enclosure, which add much to the beauty of the place (Hollon 1955: 49; Lewis 1972b: 12).
In 1914, Antlers American newspaper published an interview from 1853 with Henry L. Gooding who was the son of the post sutler and provided a detailed description of Fort Towson: Goodings’ description confirms the presence of the blacksmith shops and stables east of the post. He speaks of a “garrison fence” that surrounded all of the main buildings of the fort including the hospital and commissary. It contained at least five gates, two along the east and west sides and one at the south end. Gooding’s statement that he “could see many of the buildings of the fort, see men, wagons, and other things moving about” from outside the fence suggests an open work construction rather than a stockade. There would have been no reason for the addition of a heavy fence in the fort’s latter years and it seems likely that this fence served to demarcate rather than protect the garrison. Understood in this sense, the fence may easily have been overlooked in earlier reports by visitors more accustomed to heavier walls (Gardner 1932; Lewis 1972b: 13).
The three officers’ quarters still stood to the north along the hill, built of log and being one and a half story buildings on three foot stone foundations. The eight main buildings on the east and west rows completed the main structures of the fort. All of these were logs resting on stone foundations that rose from three to nine feet so that the tops of buildings would remain even on the gentle slope of the hill. As noted by Gooding in his interview, “the natural slope of the land descended southward and to keep the porches of all the buildings on a level, a rock foundation was built…(and) this formed a basement…the buildings above the rock foundations were made of logs, well constructed, chincked [sic] and daubed, and covered with clap boards, and had been painted a light blue but faded to a light grey about the color of the limestone foundation. The hospital and commissary were also apparently log buildings on stone foundations” (Gardner 1932; Lewis 1972a: 277 and 1972b: 13 and 18).
Gooding located the main post well in the center of the parade 200 feet east of a point half way along the west row of buildings. He described it as being “the busiest place of the enclosure. Men from all the buildings came to the well after water, and there were many there sitting or standing about” (Gardner 1932; Lewis 1972b: 13). The post cemetery was situated west of Fort Towson and was, according to Gooding, visible from the south end of the west row of buildings (Gardner 1932; Lewis 1972b: 14).
Closure On December 28, 1857, Agent Douglas Cooper reported that:
On the morning of the 19th of November last, the range of buildings formerly occupied by the officers took fire by accident from sparks falling on them from a chimney in a house adjoining the one occupied by John Page, US Interpreter. At the time the wind was blowing a gale and the fire spread so rapidly, it was impossible to extinguish it or even to stay its ravages. All the public buildings at this place except the hospital, one set of soldiers quarters and the blacksmith shop were entirely consumed within two hours’ time (OIA/1857/c285; Scott 1983: 20).
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Based upon archaeological excavations conducted by Scott in 1975 of the Commanding Officers’ Quarters and by Hale in 1975 of the east kitchen of the Commanding Officers’ Quarters, it has been determined that the fire started on officer’s row. The Chief Interpreter, John Page “had been living in one of the quarters and based upon the excavations it was confirmed that the fire started adjacent to the house he was occupying” (Scott 1983: 20).
Current and Past Impacts The fort is located in southeastern Oklahoma, Choctaw County and in 1968 the Oklahoma Historical Society obtained the site as part of its responsibility for administering and preserving sites of historical importance.
The remains of the fort lie on a gentle sloping prairie on the east bank of Gates Creek approximately a mile and a half northeast of the present town of Fort Towson. The site extends over an area of several acres and the northern side of the grounds rests on a bluff almost 150 feet above the bed of the creek. The limestone block foundations of all of the main buildings [that were rebuilt during the 1840s] remain intact, though often obscured by overgrowth and disturbed by tree roots. The foundations have suffered much due to the adverse effects of weather and the convenience of the stone to local builders in the past century. A circular road runs around the edge of the parade ground area and has caused some disturbance to the ground directly in front of the east row of buildings. There are no visible traces of the stables, sutler’s house, or any of the outbuildings described in nineteenth century accounts, although scattered limestone blocks and surface artifacts suggest the presence of a wide area of former historic habitation (Lewis 1972a: 277 and 1972b: 17).
Fort Towson is currently utilized as a historic Fort Site operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society. Modern buildings were constructed on the site which assists with site interpretation and maintenance.
Site Integrity Fort Towson has integrity of location, design, materials, feeling and association. First, integrity of location can be observed in the undisturbed setting of most of the site. While there has been minimal damage by the installation of a circular road through the parade ground and disturbance by hogs, the location remains intact. Based on surveys, historical records, and visible surface artifacts, additional features may be present. Integrity of materials is apparent in the amount and location of materials present at Fort Towson. The large extant of artifacts can provide information on the lifestyle of the people who occupied Fort Towson. Additionally, various features that are present at the site have the potential to reveal more information on structures, occupation periods and activity areas. While there are no original extant buildings or structures, the site has been preserved as an outdoor museum with very little change to its landscape so that visitors to the fort may experience a feel for what the environmental conditions may have been like during the fort’s occupation during the nineteenth century. Thus, the site retains integrity with regard to feeling and association.
Previous Investigations
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Artifacts that were recovered from the archaeological excavations are housed on-site at the museum/visitor center. For further information on the archaeological studies conducted at the fort, please see the historic background section and the archaeology reports that have been appended to the bibliography.
Resource Descriptions:
1) Visitor Center, building, non-contributing, 2015
This one-story gable front building has a concrete foundation, horizontal siding and asphalt clad roof. The façade has two shed roofs wings sloping to the northwest and southeast respectively. The large plate glass windows and aluminum framed glass entry door is sheltered by a shed roof sloping southwest. The southwest corner of the façade has three square windows. The main body of the façade has a steel door at each corner. The northwest elevation has three square windows. The northeast elevation has a projecting gable front wing with a large plate glass window and metal frame glass door. The southeast elevation has no openings.
2) Old Visitor Center, building, non-contributing, 1972
The rectangular one story building has a concrete block foundation and wood log horizontal siding. The façade, northwest elevation has a steel pane and panel door and two, two-over-two hung windows. The door is accessed via a modern wood handicap ramp. The northeast elevation has two, two-over-two hung windows. The southeast elevation has a steel pane and panel door and two, two-over-two hung windows. This elevation is sheltered by a flat roof open air porch. The southwest elevation has two steel doors and an exterior water fountain.
3) Picnic Shelter, structure, non-contributing, 1994
The long side of the rectangular picnic shelter is supported by seven large wood posts. The gable end of the shelter has an additional large wood post providing support. The roof is clad with wood and has log rafters. The foundation is a smooth concrete surface. The picnic shelter measures 20 feet by 60 feet.
4) Reconstructed Sutler Store, building, non-contributing, 1982
The rectangular, one story building has a stone foundation, horizontal wood clapboards and a wood shingle side gable roof. The façade, northeast elevation, has a nine-over-nine hung window at each corner. Located in the center, sheltered by a shed roof, are two wood panel doors. The doors area accessed via a wood porch floor supported by rock piers. The southeast and northwest elevations each have two nine-over-nine hung windows. The southwest elevation has a wood panel door at each corner. Located in the center of the elevation are two nine-over-nine hung windows. Located in the center of the building is a square stone chimney.
5) Maintenance Building #1, building, non-contributing, 1970
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This one story side gabled building has a concrete foundation, vertical board-and-batten siding and an asphalt shingle roof. The façade, southeast elevation, has two metal doors and a six-over- six hung window. The southwest and northwest elevations have no openings. The northeast elevation has a single six-over-six hung window.
6) Maintenance Building #2, building, non-contributing, 1996
This one story steel building has a steel door on the southeast elevation. There are no other openings on the building.
7) Maintenance Building #3, building, non-contributing, 1999
This is a one story gambrel roof shed with wood panel siding and an asphalt shingle roof. The southeast elevation has a steel door.
8) Maintenance Building #4, building, non-contributing, 1970
This one story building has a shed roof with exposed rafter tails. The southwest elevation is open while the northeast elevation has vertical wood board-and-batten siding. The southeast elevation has a wood panel door and a rectangular window opening. The northwest elevation has a multi- pane window.
9) Historic Markers (2), object, non-contributing, 1975, 2005
Located between the Visitor Center, Old Visitor Center and Sutler Store are two historic markers with a masonry base. One has a pink granite slab while the other has a gray granite slab.
10) Flag pole, object, non-contributing, 2015
Located between the Visitor Center, Old Visitor Center and Sutler Store is a large metal flag pole.
11) Canon, object, non-contributing, 1985
Located northeast of the Visitor Center is a pyramidal roof shelter covering a 1862 Napoleon period canon. The wood shingled roof is supported by a log post at each corner and rests on a smooth concrete foundation.
12) Cellar, structure, non-contributing, ca. 1850
The barrel vaulted shelter has a concrete roof and wing walls that extend below ground via steps. The interior walls are stone with wood log supports. The structure started as a cistern for the hospital but was capped with cement ca. 1920.
13) Cemetery, site, contributing, 1824
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Located southwest of the modern entrance to the Fort, is a small cemetery, just west of E2060 Road. The cemetery is a small square clearly surrounded to the south and west by trees and a residential property to the east. Mature trees are located throughout the small cemetery with headstone located randomly throughout the small space. There were roughly 50 burials in the cemetery. Ca. 1870, the headstones were moved to the National Cemetery in Fort Gibson. There are many indications that there are still burials intact.
14) Fort Towson, site, contributing, 1824-1854
The overall site extends over multiple acres on a bluff over the creek. Limestone block foundations, occasional stone walls and occasional brick steps and wing walls are located throughout the site. They indicate Commanding Officer’s Quarter, Officer’s Quarter, Storeroom, Offices, School Rooms, Guard House, Barracks, Bake House, Carpenter/Blacksmith Shops, Commissary Storehouse, Hospital, and a Magazine.
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______8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.)
X A. Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.
B. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
C. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction.
X D. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
Criteria Considerations (Mark “x” in all the boxes that apply.)
A. Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes
B. Removed from its original location
C. A birthplace or grave
X D. A cemetery
X E. A reconstructed building, object, or structure
F. A commemorative property
G. Less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years
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Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions.) _Exploration/Settlement_ _Military______Politics/Government_ _Native American______
Period of Significance _1824-1854______
Significant Dates _1824______1830______1846-1848______
Significant Person (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.) ______
Cultural Affiliation _Euro-American______Choctaw______
Architect/Builder _U.S. Army______
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Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance, applicable criteria, justification for the period of significance, and any applicable criteria considerations.)
Fort Towson is significant at the national level under Criteria A and D for its role as a military outpost on the frontier during the nineteenth century westward expansion into Indian Territory, its association as a disbandment center for the arriving Choctaw who were removed from their homelands in the southeast of the United States and for housing and supplying military personnel involved with the Mexican American War. While there are no original extant buildings or structures, the site has been preserved as an outdoor museum with very little change to its landscape so that visitors to the fort may experience a feel for what the environmental conditions may have been like during the fort’s occupation during the nineteenth century. Thus, the site retains integrity with regard to its sense of place as well as with the potential to yield further archaeological information. ______Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.)
Criteria A Fort Towson is significant at the national level under Criteria A for its role as a 19th century military outpost during the westward expansion into Indian Territory, its association as a disbandment center for the arriving Choctaw who were removed from their homelands in the southeast of the United States and for housing and supplying military personnel involved with the Mexican American War. The forced settlement of Native Americans into territories defined by the Federal government and the subsequent unique distribution of land prior to statehood is a central theme in Oklahoma history. No other state had the allocation of land by commission, lottery, or “run” to the extent utilized in Oklahoma. Likewise, no other state was a target for the forced relocation of tribes from the entire North American continent (Gettys 1995). These individual events represent the impact that nineteenth century politics had on the cultural developments in the western frontier which shaped the political unit that in 1907 became the State of Oklahoma.
Criteria D Fort Towson is significant at the national level under Criteria D for its potential to yield further information on the frontier life of its military personnel, civilian residents and Native American Indian tribes that were removed from their homelands in the east to the Southern Plains region. This is due to the changes in theoretical orientations in the discipline of historic archaeology wherein avenues of research that were not explored previously during the 1970s and 1980s have become central to the pursuit of developing a well-rounded archaeological context for the frontier period.
In 1968 the Oklahoma Historical Society obtained the site as part of its responsibility for administering and preserving sites of historical importance. Plans for conservation and restoration were implemented and through the 1970s up until the 1980s the fort was under extensive on-site research as part of the interpretative development of the site. This type of planning for conservation and restoration was the primary objective for historic archaeological
Section 8 page 18
work during this period, the intent of which was to recover structural data and material remains in order to enhance documentary data and existing remains, so that a site could be accurately reconstructed or restored and interpreted for the public. This is exemplified by Lewis’s 1972 report regarding the excavation of Barrack #2 located on the east wing of buildings. According to the report, the objectives of the excavation were to define the architectural features of the building and its associated artifacts in order to reconstruct a tentative picture of the original building with which to develop interpretive exhibits.
Since Lewis’s work in the 1970s, additional archaeological research has been conducted at the fort (Gettys and Cheek 1978; Hale 1975; Lees, Kimery-Lees and Martin 1983; Lees 1990; Lewis 1972a and 1972b and Scott 1975 and 1983). However, the research was focused primarily on the military personnel and the “interior” life of the fort. But as is evident from the historical literature and records, there were a variety of people and activities that occurred at the fort that helped to define the mission that have as yet been identified within the archaeological record. Such as, during the fort’s period of operation, one of its main missions was to protect and provide supplies as a disbandment center to the Choctaw as they were being removed from their lands in the southeast. Although, to date, there has not been any archaeological evidence identified related to this particular activity, the museum at Fort Towson has received donations of Choctaw heirlooms dating from this period that include household items such as a wooden bread bowl and cloth (Personal communication John Davis 4/16/2015; Lewis 1972a and 1972b and Hale 1975).
Other research considerations include the non-military personnel who worked to help keep the fort running. From review of historical maps of the fort and reports prepared by several of the quartermaster generals, several non-military buildings were identified that include: a tailor & shoemaker shop, teamsters house, cooper shop, carpenter shop, blacksmith, public stables and “cabins for camp women” that may be referring to the laundresses. This suggests quite a mixed community at the fort and research directed at how forts were demarcated between the military and civilian areas, dietary, economic, and social differences between military and civilian occupations could prove productive and significant to the understanding of life on the frontier.
Another area of research would focus on the state of frontier medical care and the health of the occupants at the fort. According to maps and reports, there were two phases of hospitals at the fort and they supported a surgeon and an assistant surgeon. The hospitals also had their own gardens as opposed to the gardens that were planted at the officer’s quarters and a company garden. An associated question would look at whether the hospital and its staff were exclusively for the military personnel or if it was open to the civilians as well.
And finally, another research area would update what has been previously recorded regarding transportation and commerce in the region. The period of Fort Towson’s occupation was before the railroad and so transportation was undertaken by overland trails and by riverboats and keel boats along the Red River and Arkansas River. Recent information from the underwater archaeological work conducted on the wreck of the steamboat Heroine that had been sent to supply the fort in 1838 indicates that the fort may not have been entirely self-sufficient. Even though some of the sunken supplies were retrieved from the wreck, the majority was spoiled from it being submerged and according to correspondence, there was concern that the fort would experience some lean months due to the loss of supplies (Crisman, Chick and Davis 2013).
Section 8 page 19
Research would look into the use and dependency of the steamboat and where the new roads were put in, what were the connections established and how these new connections affected the region by facilitating the movement of people and goods.
The period of significance for Fort Towson is focused on its 30-year period (1824-1854) as a frontier military outpost in Indian Territory where its major role was as a disbandment center for the Choctaw who were forcibly removed from their homeland in the southeast of the United States. Its period of significance also includes the fort’s use as a staging center during the Mexican American War (1846-1848). After the fort was closed in 1854 the land was transferred to the United States Department of the Interior for Indian Administration thus closing the military history of the site and providing the end point for its period of significance as a frontier military outpost.
Section 8 page 20
______9. Major Bibliographical References
Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.)
Baird, W. David 2009 “Westward Expansion,” Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, www.okhistory.org (accessed June 24, 2015).
Choctaw Intelligencer, The 1977 Wednesday, March 19, 1851, Doaksville. Microfilm in the Oklahoma Historical Society Library, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Crisman, Kevin, Chick, Nina and Davis, John 2013 Shipwrecked in Oklahoma: The Last Voyage of the Steamboat Heroine, 1838 in Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume XCI, Number 3, Fall 2013: 260-295.
DeWitt, Willie 1923 The Ghosts of Old Fort Towson Trail. The Daily Oklahoman. July 8, 1923, p. 4D.
Fleck-O’Keefe, Marlynn Ann 1997 Fort Towson Indian Territory: A Link to the West. Henington Publishing Company: Wolfe City.
Franks, Kenny A. 2012 “Watie, Stand”, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, www.okhistory.org (accessed May 24, 2015).
Gardner, James J. 1932 Old Fort Towson. Antlers American. August 25, 1932, pp 7-8.
Gettys, Marshall and Cheek, Annetta 1978 Excavations of the 1824 Barracks at Fort Towson in Bulletin of the Oklahoma Anthropological Society edited by Don G. Wyckoff, 1984, Volume XXXIII: 75-95.
Gettys, Marshall 1982 Fort Towson: A Self Guiding Tour. On file at the Oklahoma Historic Preservation Office.
Gettys, Marshall 1995 Historical Archaeology in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Anthropological Society Bulletin, Volume 44.
Graham, Stanley Silton 1972 Life of the Enlisted Soldier on the Western Frontier, 1815-1845. Unpublished PhD dissertation, Department of History, North Texas State University, Denton.
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Hale, Duane 1975 Fort Towson: 1975 Archeological Investigations of the East Kitchen, Commanding Officer’s Quarters. Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma: Norman. On file at the Oklahoma Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Hoagland, Allison K. 2004 Army Architecture in the West: Forts Laramie, Bridger, and D.A. Russell, 1849-1912. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman.
Hoagland, Bruce W. 2006 Arkansas and Red River Basins in Historical Atlas of Oklahoma edited by Charles Robert Goins and Danney Goble, pp: 10-11, University of Oklahoma Press: Norman.
2006 Soils in Historical Atlas of Oklahoma edited by Charles Robert Goins and Danney Goble, pp: 16-17, University of Oklahoma Press: Norman.
2006 Vegetation in Historical Atlas of Oklahoma edited by Charles Robert Goins and Danney Goble, pp: 24-25, University of Oklahoma Press: Norman.
Hughes, Michael A. 2015 Military, Nineteenth Century, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, www.okhistory.org (accessed October 12, 2015).
Johnson, Kenneth S. 2006 Geomorphic Provinces in Historical Atlas of Oklahoma edited by Charles Robert Goins and Danney Goble, pp: 4-5, University of Oklahoma Press: Norman.
2006 Topography and Principal Landforms in Historical Atlas of Oklahoma edited by Charles Robert Goins and Danney Goble, pp: 6-7, University of Oklahoma Press: Norman.
2006 Geologic Formations in Historical Atlas of Oklahoma edited by Charles Robert Goins and Danney Goble, pp: 8-9, University of Oklahoma Press: Norman.
Lees, William B., Kimery-Lees, Kathryn M. and Martin, Terrance J. 1983 Fort Towson, The Sutler’s Store 1978-1980 Collections: Studies in architecture, faunal analysis, and regional patterning in antebellum eastern Oklahoma. On file at the Oklahoma Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Lees, William B. 1990 Flames on the Frontier: Archeology at the Fort Towson Commanding Officer’s Quarters, Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 68, Number 1, Spring 1990: 54-71.
Lewis, Kenneth E. 1972a Archaeological Investigations at Fort Towson, Choctaw County, Oklahoma, 1971, The
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Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 50, Number 3, Autumn 1972: 270-288.
Lewis, Kenneth E. 1972b 1971 Archaeological Investigations at Fort Towson, Choctaw County, Oklahoma. Oklahoma Archaeological Survey, Studies in Oklahoma’s Past 2. On file at the Oklahoma Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Lovett, John R. 2006 Forts, Camps, and Military Roads, 1816-1865 in Historical Atlas of Oklahoma edited by Charles Robert Goins and Danney Goble, pp: 80-81, University of Oklahoma Press: Norman.
McGuigan, Patrick B. 1978 Bulwark of the American Frontier: A History of Fort Towson in Early Military Forts and Posts in Oklahoma. Edited by: Faulk, Odie B., Franks, Kenny A. and Lambert, Paul F. pp: 9-25. Oklahoma Historical Society: Oklahoma City.
Morrison, W.B. 1930a Fort Towson in Chronicles of Oklahoma, June Volume 8, Number 2: 226-232.
Morrison, W.B. 1930b The Location of Cantonment Towson – A Correction in Chronicles of Oklahoma, September Volume 8, Number 3: 255-256.
Morrison, William B. 1936 Military Posts and Camps in Oklahoma. Harlow Publishing Corporation: Oklahoma City.
Nichols, Roger L. 1969 The Missouri Expedition, 1818-1820: The Journal of Surgeon John Gale with Related Documents. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman.
Northern Standard, The 1845 June 7, 1845, Clarksville, Texas. Microfilm in Oklahoma Historical Society Library, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Prucha, Francis Paul, editor 1958 Army Life On The Western Frontier: Selections from the Official Reports Made Between 1826 and 1845 by Colonel George Croghan. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman.
Ruth, Kent 1970 National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form for Fort Towson, Choctaw County, Oklahoma. Available online at: http://nr_shpo.okstate.edu/shpopic.asp?id=70000531
Scott, Douglas D. 1975 Archaeological and Historical Investigations at the Fort Towson Powder Magazine, The
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Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 53, Number 4, Winter 1975-1976: 516-527.
Scott, Douglas D. 1978 Fort Towson --- A Glimpse Into the Past. Paper presented at Fort Towson Anthropological Conference, Fort Towson, Oklahoma, September 2, 1978. On file at the Oklahoma Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Scott, Douglas D. 1983 Excavations on Officers Row – Fort Towson, Oklahoma. Fort Towson Historic Site, Fort Towson, Oklahoma. On file at the Oklahoma Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Tolman, Keith 2003-04 Tea Kettle on a Raft: A History of Navigation on the Upper Red River in The Chronicles of Oklahoma Volume LXXXI, Number 4, Winter 2003-04: 388-435.
Wright, Muriel H. 1928 The Removal of the Choctaws to Indian Territory in Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume VI, Number 2, June 1928: 103-128.
Wright, Murial H. 1930 Early Navigation and Commerce Along the Arkansas and Red Rivers in Oklahoma in Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume VIII, Number 1, March 1930: 65-88.
Wyckoff, Don G. and Brooks, Robert L. 1983 Oklahoma Archeology: A 1981 Perspective of the State’s Archeological Resources, Their Significance, Their Problems and Some Proposed Solutions. Archeological Survey Report Number 16, Oklahoma Archeological Survey, University of Oklahoma: Norman.
U.S. War Department 1824-1854 Post Returns for Fort Towson, June 1824 – May 1854. Office of the Adjutant General, Consolidated Correspondence Files, Record Group 94, National Archives, Washington. 1824-1854 Records of the Office of the Inspector General. Consolidated Correspondence Files, Record Group 159, National Archives, Washington. 1824-1854 Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General. Consolidated Correspondence Files, Record Group 92, National Archives, Washington.
Personal Communication John Davis, Regional Director, Museum and Sites Division, Oklahoma Historical Society, Fort Towson, Oklahoma. April 16, 2015. ______
Previous documentation on file (NPS): ____ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested __X previously listed in the National Register (NRIS # 70000531) ____ previously determined eligible by the National Register
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____ designated a National Historic Landmark ____ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #______recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # ______recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # ______
Primary location of additional data: _X__State Historic Preservation Office ____ Other State agency ____ Federal agency ____ Local government ____ University ____ Other Name of repository: ______
Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): ______
10. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property __120______
Use either the UTM system or latitude/longitude coordinates
Latitude/Longitude Coordinates (decimal degrees) Datum if other than WGS84:______(enter coordinates to 6 decimal places)
Point Latitude Longitude A 34.02653 -95.252436 B 34.026507 -95.258975 C 34.025728 -95.258929 D 34.025609 -95.259620 E 34.026529 -95.259632 F 34.026606 -95.264013 G 34.030610 -95.263836 H 34.030610 -95.259660 I 34.032787 -95.259612 J 34.032703 -95.256563 K 34.033728 -95.256563 L 34.033728 -95.252525
Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.) From Point A, the southeast corner of the eastern boundary of Fort Towson in Sections 18 & 19, Township 6 South, Range 20 East, go west approximately 1,950 feet to Point B, then travel south approximately 275 feet to Point C, then travel west approximately 195 feet to Point D, then
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travel north approximately 366 feet to Point E, then go west approximately 1,330 feet to Point F, then go north approximately 1,445 feet to point G, then go east approximately 1,270 feet to Point H, then travel north approximately 805 feet to Point I. From Point I go east approximately 925 feet to Point J, turning north for approximately 375 feet to Point K, then go east approximately 1,220 feet to Point L. From Point L travel approximately 2,585 feet to the Point A, the point of origin.
Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.) The boundary is delineated by property owned by the Oklahoma Historical Society. The boundaries include 120 acres that serve as the primary core of Fort Towson identified through archival research and archeological surveys completed by the Oklahoma State Historical Society, Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office and Oklahoma Archeological Survey in 1972a, 1972b, 1975, 1978, 1983, and 1990.
______11. Form Prepared By
name/title: Catharine M. Wood, Historical Archaeologist/Section 106 Program Coordinator; edited by Lynda S. Ozan, National Register Coordinator organization: Oklahoma Historic Preservation Office street & number: 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive city or town: Oklahoma City __ state: _OK____ zip code:_73105-7917_ e-mail: [email protected] telephone: (405) 521-6381 date:_July 22, 2016 ______
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______
Additional Documentation
Submit the following items with the completed form:
Maps: A USGS map or equivalent (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location.
Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Key all photographs to this map.
Additional items: (Check with the SHPO, TPO, or FPO for any additional items.)
Photographs Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 1600x1200 pixels (minimum), 3000x2000 preferred, at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the sketch map. Each photograph must be numbered and that number must correspond to the photograph number on the photo log. For simplicity, the name of the photographer, photo date, etc. may be listed once on the photograph log and doesn’t need to be labeled on every photograph.
Photo Log
Name of Property: Fort Towson
City or Vicinity: Fort Towson Vicinity
County: Choctaw State: Oklahoma
Photographer: Catharine Wood/Lynda Ozan
Date Photographed: 16 April 2013 & 25 March 2016
Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of camera:
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Number Subject Direction 0001 OV of compound SE 0002 Cemetery headstones W 0003 OV of East Officer’s quarters, commanding officer’s quarters & W west officer’s quarters (Gates Creek to the right of photo/north boundary of fort) 0004 Powder magazine entrance N 0005 OV of compound, well & flag pole SE 0006 NW barracks SW 0007 OV of original road through fort S 0008 SE barracks & fireplace ESE 0009 Gates Creek on north side of fort W 0010 Commissary in foreground, OV of compound NE 0011 Visitors Center Plaza NW 0012 Visitors Center E 0013 Sutler’s Store SW 0014 Canon SW
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 100 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, DC.
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