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60-635: Kiamitia County was formed in 1850 by the General Council of the Choctaw Nation. It was one of 19 counties established. The county took its name from the Kiamichi River . Historians debate the origin and correct spelling of this word, but most have concluded that it was derived from the French word kamichi , meaning "horned-screamer," a species of water bird. They say it was named by French explorers during

120-520: A base in Texas —went awry in poor weather and two planes crashed. One crashed into the south slope of White Rock Mountain above Moyers, Oklahoma , and the other on Big Mountain between Moyers and Kosoma . Two fliers lost their lives in the latter crash. In 2000 school children from Rattan, Oklahoma erected the AT6 Monument in their honor on Big Mountain. Also during World War II, the U.S. Navy honored

180-595: A capital and adopted the first constitution ever written in what is now Oklahoma. The Choctaw actively supported the Confederacy during the American Civil War , and retained their reservation land in eastern Indian Territory under the new treaty required after the war by the United States. In 1898, after intense pressure from Washington and with no clear alternative, they agreed to an allotment plan administered by

240-621: A catalyst for several other local Republican victories in the region. After the 2000 U.S. Census , Oklahoma lost one seat in Congress. Most of the Little Dixie region was combined with northeastern Oklahoma to become Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district . The region remains strongly Democratic politically, but most of the Democrats in this region are fairly conservative culturally by national standards. A majority of Native Americans generally support

300-572: A circus in Hugo, Oklahoma. They were found at Hugo Lake. Fishing and hunting are common along the river, as is boating . American Whitewater , a private organization, defines seven miles of the river near Big Cedar as a "Class II-III rapid ". In these upper reaches of the river, kayaking is a popular sport among tourists. In Hugo Lake, boating and camping are popular. Sardis Lake has yet to be tapped for large-scale tourism, but its campgrounds are well used. Some boating and waterskiing takes place on

360-598: A corridor. The Native Americans who lived in the region prior to European colonization of the Americas were generally Caddo , who were nomads. The powerful Caddoan Mississippian culture based at Spiro Mounds held sway over the Kiamichi River valley, which formed a part of its trade network. Archeological finds across the Kiamichi River basin attest to early life in its valley. A prehistoric fish weir , or trap, in

420-562: A higher score than set by 26 House Republicans. Josh Brecheen , a Republican from Coalgate, currently holds the 2nd congressional district seat; he is the third Republican elected for this seat since 1921. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump swept the region in the 2020 election , and he also carried the critical Native American vote in Choctaw Country and the state-at-large (most likely due to his conservative and limited-government appeal to both white and Native American voters in

480-755: A massive logjam in the Red River which prevented river traffic from going much beyond Nachitoches . In 1825 the Arkansas legislature petitioned the United States Congress to remove the Great Raft , as the logjam was called, so that boats could ply the Red River as far west as the mouth of the Kiamichi and the newly established Fort Towson . Within several years, the Army Corps of Engineers had done so. Security along

540-552: A newspaper published in what was then Antlers, Indian Territory (now in Oklahoma) first used the spelling "Kiamichi" in November 1900. Prior to this, the newspaper, along with other authoritative sources, spelled the name of the river as "Kiamichia" or "Kiamitia" (the latter is closest to a French spelling). Muriel H. Wright suggested that Kaimichi may be from the French word kamichi , which meant "horned screamer", and possibly referred to

600-452: A treaty signed by the United States on January 20, 1825, with the Choctaw , the land west of a line "one hundred paces east of Fort Smith , and running thence, due south, to Red river" was ceded to the Choctaw . The residents west of the line made a futile attempt to be exempted from the treaty but failed. They burned the courthouse and most of the records before they left. Following passage of

660-515: A unit of local administration. Constitutional officers, all of whom served for two-year terms and were elected by the voters, included the county judge , sheriff , and a ranger. The judge's duties included oversight of overall county administration. The sheriff collected taxes, monitored unlawful intrusion by intruders (usually white Americans from the United States), and conducted the census . The county ranger advertised and sold livestock that

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720-723: Is also an attraction, as travelers pass through the Ouachita National Forest in the Winding Stair Mountains. Per the 2000 census, the region had 305,395 people. Whites equal about 76% of the total, American Indians total a little over 17%, and Blacks, nearly 4%. Many of the African Americans area descendants of Choctaw freedmen (enslaved persons emancipated after the Civil War; a number have mixed Choctaw and African-American ancestry). The median per capita income in

780-600: Is also in this area. Choctaw Country also houses "The World's Highest Hill," a 1,999-foot peak near Poteau , as the official designation for a "mountain" is land that is 2,000-feet or taller. The region contains Oklahoma's largest lake by surface area, Lake Eufaula . Other major lakes include Robert S. Kerr Reservoir , Sardis Lake , Hugo Lake , McGee Creek Reservoir , Pine Creek Lake , Broken Bow Lake , Lake Wister , Lake Atoka Reservoir , and on Choctaw Country's southwestern border, Lake Texoma . The region's voters are overwhelmingly Democratic —around 80%. Many of

840-448: The American Civil War , the last Confederate Army troops to surrender did so at Fort Towson on June 23, 1865. The Confederate States government had disintegrated by this time, and its individual armies surrendered one by one. While the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, Virginia signaled the end to the conflict, it did not truly end until the surrender of the last fighting Southern troops at Fort Towson. Transportation in

900-535: The Choctaw Nation covers much of this territory. After this area was acquired by the United States from France through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, it was organized as part of the new Arkansas Territory . On April 1, 1820, Arkansas created Miller County , which included most of the land that would be classified as Little Dixie. A post office at Miller Courthouse was established on September 7, 1824. In

960-556: The Dawes Commission . Their lands and those of the allied Chickasaw were thereby opened to settlement by non-Indians. By the Oklahoma Enabling Act of 1906, the United States erected a state government over Choctaw Nation. During the 1900s, state court judges approved and ordered the transfer of tribal allotments in proceedings with under evidentiary rules that enabled systematic probate fraud. A common tactic of settlers

1020-621: The Indian Removal Act of 1830, and ratification of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek with Choctaw leaders in 1830, by which they ceded most of their land in the Southeast, the federal government began forced removal of the Choctaw. By 1834, nearly 8,000 Choctaw had arrived in their new land over the "trail of tears and death". At Nanih Waiya , near the present Tuskahoma Council House, they established

1080-553: The whooping cranes along the river. Other spellings of the name have included: Kiomitchie, Cayameechee, Kiamisha, Kimesha, Kimichy, and Kimishi. Another possibility could be the Kichai tribe of the area and dates back to time of Caddo indians. From Pine Mountain the Kiamichi River flows southwest, past Muse , Whitesboro , Albion , Tuskahoma and Clayton to Antlers , where it turns abruptly southeast, flowing in this direction to its confluence with Red River. For much of its journey

1140-447: The 1700s. The county seat of Kiamitia County was Goodland. The original Choctaw settlement of Goodland was four miles north of present-day Hugo, Oklahoma . A United States Post Office operated at Goodland, Indian Territory from August 21, 1871, to February 28, 1902. The community centered at the county seat no longer exists. Modern Goodland is located three miles south of Hugo. A post office called "Goodland, Oklahoma," located in

1200-535: The 1970s and 1980s the river has suffered in environmental quality . Its mussels decreased significantly below the inflow from Sardis dam, and almost extinguished as a species below the inflow from Hugo dam. Nonetheless 101 species of fish still survive, and in some cases thrive, in the river. Southeastern Oklahoma Choctaw Country is the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation 's official tourism designation for Southeast Oklahoma . The name

1260-517: The 4th District from 1907 until 1915). Its best-known congressman was Carl Albert , from McAlester, who represented the district for 30 years, the last six as Speaker of the House . Albert became synonymous with the region. At 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m) tall, he was known affectionately as the Little Giant from Little Dixie. Albert retired in 1977 and was succeeded by Wes Watkins , who held

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1320-478: The Choctaw Nation ceased to exist and its political subdivisions were eliminated. A Choctaw county was named after the river, although generally using the Choctaws’ spelling, Kiamitia . The river formed the eastern boundary of Jack's Fork County and Kiamitia County , and the western boundary of Cedar County and Towson counties. Navigability of the Kiamichi River was an important goal but proved elusive due to

1380-602: The Choctaw Nation. Framers of the proposed State of Sequoyah , who met in 1905 to propose statehood for the Indian Territory, also recognized the difficulties with some of the Choctaw counties. As proposed by the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention, the State of Seqyoyan would abolish the Choctaw county boundaries and establish new ones. In this case, Kiamitia County was generally retained as a jurisdiction, but

1440-455: The Kiamichi River include Anderson Creek, Big Cedar Creek, Buck Creek , Buffalo Creek, Gates Creek, Jacks’ Fork Creek, Pine Creek, Tenmile Creek and Waterhole Creek. The area of the river's watershed is 1,830 square miles (4,700 km ). The Kiamichi River defined its region during prehistoric days. Its valley provided the only convenient means of traversing the region from north to south—much as now—and Native American peoples used it as

1500-496: The Kiamichi River valley was revolutionized between 1882 and 1887 with the construction of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad , commonly known as the Frisco. Part of a national network connecting Fort Smith, Arkansas with Paris, Texas , the railway was constructed parallel to the Kiamichi River from Talihina to Kellond , a small settlement three miles north of Antlers, Oklahoma. With

1560-405: The Kiamichi River valley. French explorers were quickly followed by French fur trappers ; they named most of Oklahoma's rivers. American explorers followed French ones, and were the first organized scientific surveys of the Kiamichi River. Thomas Nuttall traversed the Kiamichi and Little River valleys in 1819 and Stephen H. Long explored the Kiamichi River in 1821. Nuttall and Long were

1620-572: The Nation's preeminent historian . She used the term Kiamitia County in her epic history, The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic (1934). Edwin C. McReynolds, in his landmark Historical Atlas of Oklahoma (1965), renders the spelling of the county as "Kiamichi". Kiamitia County's boundaries were designated according to easily recognizable natural landmarks , as was done for all the Choctaw counties. Much of its northern boundary, south of Antlers,

1680-476: The Red River at Hugo, Oklahoma . The origin of the word Kiamichi is a matter of debate and may never be fully known. Most accounts say the word is a French word, which has been transliterated phonetically, for "horned screamer" or "noisy bird," a reference to woodpeckers or other birds living along the river's banks. The spelling of the modern word was not standardized until the twentieth century, making its origin more difficult to determine. The Antlers News ,

1740-531: The Red River, the United States' (US) international frontier with the Spanish Empire was a concern, and the US established a chain of forts along the border. Fort Towson in the Choctaw Nation was one. It was built on Gates Creek near the mouth of the Kiamichi. A military road was built from Fort Smith to Fort Towson through the valley of Little River, switching to the Kiamichi River near its southern terminus. During

1800-570: The Republican Party on social issues, gun rights, limited government and national security. From 2005 to 2013, Dan Boren , son of former Oklahoma governor and United States Senator David Boren , represented the district in the House. According to the Chicago Tribune , Boren of Oklahoma was the Democrat in the House who backed President George W. Bush most often, with 77.9 percent of his votes,

1860-603: The area that they markedly influenced the politics and culture of the region. They made much of what is now southeastern Oklahoma culturally a southern state. Southeast Oklahoma is far more mountainous and forested than any other part of the state, containing most of the Ouachita Mountains in Oklahoma, the Arbuckle Mountains , and five other mountain ranges. The Ouachita National Forest , Oklahoma's only national forest,

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1920-468: The building of the Goodland Indian Orphanage, operated there from April 5, 1915, to July 31, 1944. The spelling and rendering of the county's official name appears to have been Kiamitia, reflecting the fact that the name of the Kiamichi River —for which it was named—was not standardized as such until the 20th century. The Choctaw Nation labeled the county as "Kiamitia," as did Angie Debo ,

1980-461: The citizens refer to themselves as yellow-dog Democrats . But an increasing number of conservative white and American Indian voters have joined the Republican trend in Oklahoma. Others register as Democrats to vote in primaries but vote for Republican candidates in general elections. From statehood until 2003, most of the region was in its own Congressional district, the 3rd District (numbered

2040-538: The county in perhaps hundreds of years. Over 220 archeological sites have been identified in Pushmataha County alone, indicating how widespread ancient and more recent settlement was in the region prior to European settlement. Of those sites, three date from at least 8,000 years ago; 145 date from between 2,000-8,000 years ago; and 22 date from between 500–1000 years ago. Discovery by Europeans occurred in 1719, when French explorer Bernard de la Harpe explored

2100-479: The deceased woman spent or died in possession of the money she allegedly received for the land. And because these proceedings were uncontested—-that is, conducted without any tribal members present—-no one objected and drew attention to whether settlers might have been the cause of the death in the first place, in which case the Slayer Rule would invalidate any claim to the estate. By shutting tribal interests out of

2160-659: The lake. In 1988 Congress created the Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness . Defined as a territory at and below the headwaters of the Kiamichi River at Pine Mountain and Rich Mountain, the wilderness now encompasses 9,754 acres . It is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System . A portion of the river's watershed is also protected by the Ouachita National Forest. Three federally designated endangered species occupy

2220-407: The land of Choctaw women who died with no living heirs, and proving ownership by claiming a cash transaction occurred just prior to her death, the receipt to which signed only with her X, and accepted as valid by the court. In normal circumstances, a judge presented with such a claim would not accept the story as true without substantial evidence that the receipt for the land sale was authentic, or that

2280-495: The legal process for legitimating and recording land ownership, significant land reserved for Choctaw Nation was transferred to settlers and US corporations in violation of the terms of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek . To wit, the majority opinion authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch in McGirt v. Oklahoma devotes substantial attention to the role of state courts during this period in violating this binding and living treaty. This chapter

2340-470: The meantime, the United States was organizing to remove the Five Civilized Tribes from the Southeast, in order to make their lands available for development by European Americans. There was great pressure on these tribes as settlers encroached on their lands and competed for resources. Some Choctaw had started moving into the region from Mississippi since the Treaty of Doak's Stand in 1820. Per

2400-492: The next several decades, they cleared the old-growth forest in the Kiamichi Mountains . Forestry remains the area's chief industry . Numerous rail spurs were developed from the Frisco outward along the creek valleys stretching away from the river. Large saw mill operations became common in the valleys for processing the lumber. During World War II, a training flight conducted by Britain's Royal Air Force —flying from

2460-428: The post- Civil War Reconstruction era, Choctaw Country developed a culture that is more southern than the rest of the state. This region has also been called " Little Dixie ". Lightly populated, heavily mountainous and forested, the region is popular for outdoor recreation. It supports water sports, mountain biking, hiking, hunting, horse back riding, fishing, and national scenic drives. The area of jurisdiction of

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2520-545: The precursors of empire; the region was actively settled by Choctaw Indians displaced from elsewhere in the United States starting in 1832. After the relocation of the Choctaw Nation to the Indian Territory in 1832, the river defined the political boundary or border between counties and districts. Forming an easily recognizable geographic frontier, it served in this capacity until Oklahoma's statehood in 1907, when

2580-552: The region). According to Associated Press exit polls, Trump also won the Native American vote nationally over Joe Biden by a narrow 7 point margin. Choctaw Country bills itself as the "Deer Capital of the World." Main tourism draws include award-winning scenic drives through the Ouachita Mountains , 13 major lakes, the nearby Chickasaw National Recreation Area , state parks, and whitewater rapids sports. The Talimena Scenic Drive

2640-472: The river flows through the picturesque and highly defined Kiamichi River valley, framed by mountains of the same name. Pine Mountain, at approximately 2,600 feet (790 m), is the highest, although the mountains lining its course, such as Flagpole Mountain at Clayton, are significant, rising generally between 900 feet (270 m) and 1,800 feet (550 m). At Antlers the river meets the massive geological formation known as Standpipe Hill, forcing its turn to

2700-572: The river in Pushmataha County , excavated by the Oklahoma Archeological Survey , is a particularly revealing site. Ancient Indians diverted the flow of the river with walls of stone to create a chute into which fish would flow. Radiocarbon dating of charred hickory and pecan hulls found at the site indicate a date of approximately 1,200 BC. Also found were stumps of cypress trees, a tree which has not grown in that portion of

2760-490: The river itself. Both are flood-control reservoirs built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . Additional, smaller dams have impounded the waters of the tributaries over time, mostly for the purpose of powering sawmills and other light, localized industry. Notable geological features of the Kiamichi River valley include McKinley Rocks, the Potato Hills, Rock Town, and Lost Mountain . Major tributaries of

2820-468: The river valley – the Indiana bat , red-cockaded woodpecker and leopard darter . It is also home to a variety of mussels , including several that are somewhat rare. The Kiamichi River has been studied since at least 1894, when the first scientific fish collection was made at Walnut Creek at Albion, Oklahoma . This collection netted 36 different kinds of fish. Since construction of Sardis and Hugo dams in

2880-509: The river with the launch of the USS Kiamichi , hull number AOG-73, built by St. Johns River Shipbuilding in Jacksonville, Florida . She launched on August 17, 1945, three days after the surrender of Japan. Because of the end of the war, completion of the ship was canceled on August 29. A Klickitat-class gasoline tanker , she was later completed for International Tankers of Panama . The ship

2940-581: The seat for 14 years. He decided to run for governor in 1990. However, the Democratic campaign tactics during the primary forced Watkins from the race (and eventually from the Democratic Party ). Watkins later shifted his party affiliation and registered as a Republican. In 1996, he easily won back his seat on the strength of his personal connection with the region's voters. He was the first Republican to win this seat since statehood. Watkins's victory seemed

3000-465: The southeast. From Antlers to the Red River the Kiamichi is generally characterized by flowing through a broad alluvial plain , particularly on its approach to the Red. Two lakes impound the river or its tributaries: Sardis Lake and Hugo Lake . Sardis Lake, named for the small settlement displaced during its construction, impounds Jack's Fork Creek. Hugo Lake, named for the nearby town of Hugo , impounds

3060-400: The time of Oklahoma's statehood in 1907, its county seat existed as the site to hold county court , as well as for educational and religious purposes, but it had not developed as a population center. Hugo , although by then the area's largest town, was until statehood cut off from some of its natural economic hinterland . This area fell within neighboring Red River and Towson counties of

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3120-534: The train came the telegraph and later the telephone. The coming of the Frisco stimulated settlement in the Choctaw Nation by European Americans and European immigrants. Population centers formed around each of the railroad's station stops, stimulated by trade and new markets. The river was important as a source of fresh, plentiful water for the trains, several of which ran daily. The frequent Frisco service encouraged developers to come for resource extraction. Timber companies and individual loggers soon moved in. Over

3180-571: Was a deep loss and is continuing pain for the Choctaw. The damage of the Civil War and a long decline in cotton prices meant years of a poor economy in the mostly rural South. Many persons migrated from the South to seek opportunities in new western lands. When the Indian lands were opened, Southerners flocked to the Indian Nations for a new start, especially to the old Choctaw reserve. So many homesteaded in

3240-415: Was applied by French explorers who came to the area in the early 18th century. They discovered, among other things, a very large, noisy woodpecker that they called Kiamichi , their word for "raucous bird." This name was also applied to the Kiamichi Mountains (Choctaw: Nʋnih Chaha Kiamitia ), a subset of the Ouachita Mountains . Due to an influx of southerners seeking less expensive frontier lands during

3300-580: Was collected after straying from its owner's territory. Kiamichi River The Kiamichi River is a river in southeastern Oklahoma , United States of America. A tributary of the Red River of the South , its headwaters rise on Pine Mountain in the Ouachita Mountains near the Arkansas border. From its source in Polk County, Arkansas , it flows approximately 177 miles (285 km) to its confluence with

3360-554: Was formed by Beaver Creek. Much of its western boundary was Muddy Boggy Creek . Its eastern boundary, in part, was formed by the Kiamichi River, and its southern boundary was the Red River of the South . As Oklahoma's admission to statehood approached, its representatives participating in the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention and laying out the future state's counties, realized that Kiamitia County could not exist as an economically viable political subdivision. By

3420-507: Was previously Kiamichi Country until changed in honor of the Choctaw Nation headquartered there. The current definition of Choctaw Country includes ten counties, being Coal , Atoka , Bryan , Choctaw , McCurtain , Pushmataha , Le Flore , Latimer , Haskell , and Pittsburg counties. The department created the term as one of six designated travel regions within the state. However, other definitions of Southeastern Oklahoma may include additional counties. The original name of Kiamichi

3480-407: Was renamed Transmere in 1951 and in 1952 was sold to Colombia ; it was renamed Sancho Jimeno . On October 29, 1961, President John F. Kennedy visited Big Cedar, east of Talihina, Oklahoma to give a speech marking the opening of U.S. Route 259 . In August 1975 the Kiamichi River made national news when its bottomlands were the scene of a days-long hunt for two elephants that had escaped from

3540-476: Was to take newly orphaned Choctaw girls, marry them, and have them intervene in the state court’s administration of the land allotment inherited by the orphan. In at least some cases, demonstrably fake identities were named as the plaintiff and wife of the settler to achieve the transfer of tribal land to settlers. Court orders disposing of property in this way frequently describe highly dubious land transactions, such as settlers obtaining court ordered transfers of

3600-486: Was to be expanded to the east and west; it was renamed as Hitchcock County , and the proposed county seat was the population center - Hugo. Oklahoma's framers largely adopted the proposed boundaries for Hitchcock County but called it Choctaw County, Oklahoma , and designated Hugo as its county seat. Like all Choctaw counties, Kiamitia County served as an election district for members of the National Council, and as

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