Fort Washita, Military fort near Durant, Oklahoma, United States.

Fort Washita is a ruined military post about 12 miles northwest of Durant, Oklahoma, on State Highway 199. Its surviving masonry stands roofless: one long tan, brown and grey stone and brick wall rises to a tall gable with a single dark doorway, and a two-story stone and mortar block shows three upper and three lower window openings beneath vegetation growing along its broken top edge.

The post was founded in 1842 to protect Chickasaw and Choctaw nations from raids by Plains tribes. Confederate forces destroyed the buildings in 1865, leaving the site abandoned for many decades afterward.

The site honors Chickasaw and Choctaw connections through exhibits showing artifacts and documents from the 1800s. You can see how these communities coexisted with the military presence of that era.

The grounds are open to visitors Tuesday through Saturday, with guided tours available when reserved in advance. Plan to arrive early so you can fully explore the sprawling property and see all the buildings at your own pace.

Camp Washita, set up near the mouth of the Washita River for the 1834 Dodge-Leavenworth Expedition, was the first U.S. camp in this area and was abandoned the same year. The fort later became a junction on the Texas Road, the north-south route from Missouri to Texas, and the Butterfield Overland Stage crossed just east of it before the Civil War.