Fort Wayne (Indian Territory)

Fort Wayne was established 1838 in Indian Territory by Lt. Col. R.B. Mason of the 1st Dragoons. Originally it was ordered to be located on the headwaters of the Illinois River, but before its completion, new orders changed the location to Spavinaw Creek, nearer the Arkansas – Indian Territory border. Named for Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne, it was intended as a link in the great line of forts protecting the American West. The army abandoned the fort in 1842 due to the high incidence of malaria suffered by soldiers assigned there, and turned it over to the Cherokee Nation.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Stand Watie took over the fort site, where he organized the Cherokee Mounted Rifles. The Union met the Confederates near here in 1862 for the Battle of Old Fort Wayne.

The old fort was located in present day Adair County, near U.S. Hwy 59 just north of Watts, Oklahoma. An Oklahoma State Historical site marker can be seen alongside the highway. The marker was placed in the 1970s at the request of area residents. Up until this time most residents had no idea the fort had ever existed.

Nothing remains of the fort and the exact location is not known. Area is located on the Oklahoma/Arkansas border just south of present day Siloam Springs, Arkansas.