Cabin Creek Battlefield, Big Cabin

The Cabin Creek Battlefield is one of the oldest historical sites in the state of Oklahoma. Admission is FREE.

In addition to being the site of at least six Civil War battles, two of them engagements, the 10-acre park is located near the Cabin Creek ford of the Texas Road. Once a trail used by Native American tribes, including the Osage and the Cherokee, the Texas Road was a major highway as tens of thousands of pioneers in covered wagons made their trek west.

Once a part of the "Greenbrier Joe" Martin's plantation of more than 100,000 acres, the battlefield is located near the campsite of Washington Irving. The author of "Sleepy Hollow" also wrote about his early trek west in the best-selling book, "A Tour of the Prairies."

The historic site includes a monument to the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry, who saw blood and fire in several battles and skirmishes, including the First Battle of Cabin Creek fought July 1-2, 1863. This occurred a full two weeks before the 54th Massachusetts Infantry made their storied attempt to lead Federal troops in the attack on Fort Wagner, S.C. Their efforts were documented in the major motion picture "GLORY."

The battlefield drive also contains a large granite monument to the Confederate victory at the Second Battle of Cabin Creek fought Sept. 19, 1864. A ragtag force of Confederate Texas and Indian cavalry captured a 300-wagon Union supply train after a fierce night battle, which was a rare occurence during the American Civil War.

The circular drive also has other markers noting the battle positions of both the Federal and Confederate units engaged at the second battle in 1864.

The land was purchased by the Vinita chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and dedicated on Sept. 19, 1964 on 100th anniversary of the Second Battle of Cabin Creek.

The Cabin Creek Battlefield was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 (NR 71000669).

The battlefield is listed as one of the 600 historic sites on The Civil War Discovery Trail by the Civil War Trust. In 2012, the Civil War Trust completed the purchase of adding 88 acres to the present 10-acre site. This includes the site of the Martin home, the Cabin Creek ford, the Texas Road as well as the Confederate positions during the First Battle of Cabin Creek.

Admission to the site is FREE. The site is open 365 days a year from dawn to dusk. When visiting the battlefield, remember there are no facilities available. Metal detecting or artifact hunting of any type is not allowed. Bring your picnic basket and your fishing pole and enjoy some local Civil War history.

In order to visit the battlefield, recommend plugging these coordinates into Google Maps etc. in order to find the battlefield (N 36° 29.340 W 095° 07.295).

Choose to start, finish, or center your holiday on a trip to Cabin Creek Battlefield by using our Big Cabin trip itinerary builder site.
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