subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Fri, May 16 2008 

Published April 01, 2008 05:44 pm - The four women from Florence, Ala., asked dozens of questions as they watched huge pans of bread being placed into the huge bake oven at the Fort Gibson Historic Site.
They listened with interest as Rory Montgomery, a maintenance technician at the park, talked about the bread-baking process used by the troops stationed there nearly two centuries ago.


Fort Gibson’s history fascinates
Visitors enraptured at tales of the past

By Liz McMahan
Times Editor

The four women from Florence, Ala., asked dozens of questions as they watched huge pans of bread being placed into the huge bake oven at the Fort Gibson Historic Site.

They listened with interest as Rory Montgomery, a maintenance technician at the park, talked about the bread-baking process used by the troops stationed there nearly two centuries ago.

They were fascinated as they learned about how the oldest town in Oklahoma got its start, said Betty Tatum, one of four guests attending the event as guests of Mark and Sherry Young. The Youngs invited the women to tour Fort Gibson during a break in a national Church of Christ workshop being held in Tulsa.

“I love the uniqueness of your town,” Tatum said.

The four were among several dozen visitors to the park for bread baking day. In addition to the women from Alabama, they came from Sapulpa, Oklahoma City and other cities. There were a few from Fort Gibson. The park seldom draws the locals, he said.

He understands that.

“I moved to Fort Gibson in 1983 and started working here in 1989,” he said. “I don’t remember going here until I started working here.”

But no one should overlook the opportunities for learning about history that are offered at the historic site, said Theresa Terron-King, who watched the bread baking from a cane-bottom chair across the room.

She was dressed in clothing of the period when soldiers used the bake oven, but quickly pointed out that as a woman, she would not have been in the bakery when it was in real operation. There were some women at the fort – officers wives and laundresses – not cooks.

Terron-King and her husband, Allen King, have been volunteer re-enactors at the fort for about 10 years.

Both intend to return for the Heritage Days event later this month. She hopes to bring her hand-cranked sewing machine that women at the fort would have used in the later years of its operation.

She hopes there will be a large turnout of young and old – locals and those from throughout the state – to get a taste of what life on the United States’ westernmost military post was like in 1823 and beyond.

Reach Liz McMahan at 684-2926 or lmcmahan @muskogeephoenix.com.



print this story    email this story    comment on this story   

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.




monster
wheels
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide


Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Premier Guide

Premium Jobs

1519-Tower Climber
W.C.I. needs experienced tower climbers & crew leader. Drivers license required. Opportunities from $12.00 to $28.00 per...>MORE

1480-LPN's CMA's & CNA's
Are you looking for more than a job, a home that values your opinions and embraces the concepts of culture change in eve...>MORE

1489-Apartment Manager
Live on site. Experience preferred and some apartment preparation skills required. Call 918-682-0994....>MORE

1477-Lube Tech
Experienced Lube Tech wanted. Call Aaron Duvall - 918-687-1234...>MORE

1521-CDL DRIVERS
All roads lead to HOME! 2 POSITIONS AVAILABLE! BE HOME DAILY. CDL-A required and 1 year experience. Regional Positions a...>MORE

1525-RN Case Manager & PTA
Seeking candidates for RN CASE MANAGER - Sign On Bonus! Immediate positions available at HOMEHealthCare of Oklahoma. Ne...>MORE

1517-Sales
No Experience Needed! $2500 guaranteed monthly income to start. You will receive: Oklahoma's Top Pay Plan, Professional ...>MORE

1484-Office Help
Office help needed. Apply in person Friday or Monday at 165 Auto Auction, 3631 Peak Blvd. in Muskogee....>MORE

1478-Controller
Controller accounting position for Muskogee based franchised company. Experience required in monthly closings, financial...>MORE

1506-Delivery Driver
WAREHOUSE Delivery Driver needed for busy medical company. Experience preferred. Fax resume to 918-686-0345, attn: Kyle....>MORE

1479-Accounting
Full time Accounting position open. Insurance after 6 months. Must have computer experience - Word/Excel & Quickbooks. A...>MORE

1509-Warehouse/Fleet Supervisor
CDL & maintenance experience preferred. Ability to Multi-tasking abilities, excellent organizational skills & good compu...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2008. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

rc