Editing Fort Towson, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
The fort was first established to protect the southern border of the [[Indian Territory]] against Spanish colonies to the south. After [[Indian Removal]] and the resettlement of the [[Choctaw]] in the area, the fort was revived to protect [[Doaksville]], a mile to the west. It became the economic capital of the [[Chocktaw|Choctaw Nation]]. Fort Towson Landing was located at the head of navigable waters of the [[Red River of the South|Red River]]. The site was located in [[Towson County, Choctaw Nation|Towson County]], one of the constituent counties comprising the [[Apukshunnubbee District]] of the Choctaw Nation.

The Choctaw allied with the Confederacy in the Civil War. Chief [[Peter Pitchlynn]] surrendered on behalf of the Choctaw in June 1865.

Fort Towson was the site of the surrender of the last Confederate land forces in the [[American Civil War]]. On June 23, 1865, Brigadier General [[Stand Watie]], a [[Cherokee]] chief, agreed to terms and took his Choctaw Battalion out of the war.<ref>''April 1865, The Month that Saved America'' by Jay Winik, HarperCollins, 2001 loc 55666 Kindle Edition</ref>

During the 1950s, [[Raymond Gary Lake]] and [[Raymond Gary State Park]] were created, and in 1979, Fort Towson's town limits were extended to include the lake's residents. Thus, the 1980 census recorded a population of 789.<ref name="EOHC-Ft. Towson Town"/>