1896 Map of Coalgate

About this map

Boundary lines for the Chickasaw Nation and Choctaw Nation intersect this late nineteenth-century landscape, a territory defined by the convergence of tribal lands and the arriving infrastructure of the Missouri Kansas and Texas RR. The settlement of Coalgate serves as a primary hub in the south, supported by neighboring Phillips and Cottonwood. This survey, conducted by C.H. Fitch and Van H. Manning, captures the region before Oklahoma statehood, when the Canadian River and Little River marked significant geographical limits in the north. Numerous small communities like Calvin, Stuart, and Gerty are linked by a complex network of waterways including Muddy Boggy Creek and Caney Creek. The map provides a detailed view of the early rail-and-river economy, showing the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe RR crossing through Allen as it heads toward the Indian Territory's interior.