Fort Gibson dates to 1824, and 11 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 67% of U.S. towns · #27 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Most of Fort Gibson was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. 11 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Fort Gibson, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 5 buildings. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1842.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fort Gibson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fort Gibson is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #27 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Gibson’s overall grade.
Oklahoma towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oklahoma town has 5.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fort Gibson’s 34.1 sits above most of its state (85% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 13 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1824.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Fort Gibson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
On the map
Fort Gibson on the map, 1896 to 1978
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fort Gibson. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1896Okmulgee sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fort Gibson.
Every building
Fort Gibson, building by building, 1894–1915
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Fort Gibson was originally established as a military garrison, Cantonment Gibson, in April 1824. The camp was set up to facilitate U.S. government policies of westward expansion and Indian removal. After the founding of Fort Gibson in 1824, military families, Indians desiring military protection, and free African Americans settled near the fort, forming a town. After the Army abandoned Fort Gibson in 1857, the Cherokee Nation took over the military stockade and renamed the town Keetoowah.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1824, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Fort Gibson’s post office opened in 1842, and the census of 1900 counted 617 people here.
How does Fort Gibson rank for history?
Fort Gibson is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #27 of 131 in Oklahoma. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Fort Gibson?
11 listings: 8 buildings, 1 historic district, the Fort Gibson, with 5 contributing buildings, and 2 sites. 13 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Fort Gibson?
3% of Fort Gibson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1986.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (12), the National Register of Historic Places (11), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939![Chapel and School House at Fort Gibson, Indian Territory [Oklahoma]](https://images.townratings.com/story/14247/27c5d788ee7c0b4883ea-l.jpg)
