Historical Marker Program

---

Peter Folsom

Haskell County
Location: in Keota (OBHC)
Topics: American Indians; Religion/Philosophy

Reverend Peter Folsom was instrumental in the establishment of the First Choctaw Baptist Church.

---

Sinking of the J. R. Williams

Haskell County
Location: on OK-9, four miles east of Stigler
Topics: American Indians; Indian and Frontier Trade; Industry/Business; Military; Territorial Period, 1861–1907; Transportation

On June 15, 1864, Confederate forces led by Brigadier General Stand Watie captured and sunk the Union steamboat J. R. Williams on the Arkansas River. The cargo was valued at $120,000. Southern troops included Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks, and Seminoles in what is known as the most inland naval battle of the Civil War.

---

Tamaha Jail and Ferry Landing

Haskell County
Location: on OK-9, four miles east of Stigler
Topics: American Indians; Government; Territorial Period, 1861–1907; Transportation; Westward Expansion, 1803–1861

Tamaha was an important port and ferry crossing on the Arkansas River in the 1830s. Steamboats brought Choctaw Indians from the Mississippi River up the Arkansas to Tamaha in 1831. The post office opened in 1884 and a jail was built at Tamaha in 1886. The last steamboat touched at Tamaha Landing in 1912.