“Washington Irving” living history programs

The living history programs in November at Fort Gibson Historic Site will focus on American author Washington Irving (1783–1859) and the expeditions he joined during the 1830s, leaving from Fort Gibson. The fort was the westernmost US military outpost at that time—established 200 years ago in 1824, just 8 years before Irving’s expeditions.

The programs will be held on November 7–9, 14–16, and 21–23 from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m.

Washington Irving published the American classic A Tour on the Prairies in 1835. The book was based on notes he took during an expedition to what later became Oklahoma in the autumn of 1832 when it was still defined as Indian Territory.

Irving was accompanied by US Indian Commissioner H. L. Ellsworth (1791–1858),  British explorer Charles J. Latrobe (1801–75), and Swiss nobleman Count Albert-Alexandre de Pourtalès (1812–61). This group made westward excursions from Fort Gibson, exploring the lands west of the fort including the areas we now define as Guthrie, Tulsa, Muscogee, Arcadia, Oklahoma City, and Norman, among others.

The living history programs are included with paid admission to the site. For more information, please call 918-478-4088.

See the pictured map and read the complete article “Centennial of a Tour on the Prairies” in The Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 10, Number 3, September 1932, available on The Gateway to Oklahoma History.