At the Canebrake you can regroup and rejuvenate amid the splendor of northeast Oklahoma’s Green Country. The varied topography of the region, from marshy wetlands to leafy forests and rolling hills, provides breath-taking views at every turn. Wander the various trails winding through the Canebrake grounds and you’ll be treated to gently-sloping pastures, stands of post oak trees, and stacked layers of limestone as well as some of Oklahoma’s legendary sunsets.
You can also soak up centuries of history during your stay at the Canebrake. The area has been a crossroads of culture and commerce ever since Mississippian Culture mound-builders dotted the Arkansas and Neosho River valleys with trading villages and ceremonial mounds beginning around 850 AD. Pre-Columbian artifacts and evidence of a mound were discovered on the grounds of the Canebrake by a survey conducted during the construction of Fort Gibson Lake.
The mound-builders were followed in the 17th and 18th Centuries by French trappers and traders like Jean-Pierre Chouteau who cooperated with the Osage Indians to develop a lucrative fur trade. Many flint arrow tips have been found among the limestone outcrops on the Canebrake’s trails which were likely used to hunt deer and other game to feed Osage hunting parties and supply the nearby trading posts. During this era, French explorers and traders described this area as heavily wooded with thickets of cane along the many creeks.
The French and Osage trade routes later developed into a veritable interstate highway with the coming of the Americans and the Creek and Cherokee tribes. The Texas Road was built by military engineers to connect Fort Scott, Kansas with Fort Gibson, Indian Territory and on down to North Texas in the 1820s. Early travelers like Washington Irving reported seeing hundreds of wagons as far as the eye could see carting military supplies and settlers up and down the Texas Road.
The route was also very active during the Civil War as Confederate raiders like Stand Watie menaced the Union supply lines. In September of 1864, just north of the Canebrake on ground now under the Lake, Watie’s Cherokee Mounted Rifles massacred troops of the 4th Kansas Colored Infantry and 4th Kansas Cavalry in one of the bloodiest battles in the region.
After the Civil War, the area turned to agricultural life and families such as the Frenchs and Taylors ran successful farms on the rich loam along the Neosho River bottoms. These two families also ran ferries across the river very near the Canebrake – Taylor’s Ferry still survives in name.
Today the area is a place to relax, regroup and rejuvenate.