by Kristi Eaton, NBCBLK
Oklahoma historically had more all-black towns than any other state in the country, and an annual tour highlights the communities still in existence today and their unique history.
The Oklahoma All-Black Town Tour commemorates Juneteenth each year. This year’s tour took place in Fort Gibson and Muskogee, in eastern Oklahoma.
Oklahoma’s unique history with the all-black towns came about starting with the Trail of Tears, the forced removal of Native American tribes from the Southeastern part of the country to Indian Territory, which is now present-day Oklahoma. Many African-Americans were enslaved by the tribes and made the journey to Indian Territory with the tribes.
A group of 500 African-Americans agreed to move to Indian Territory in exchange for their freedom. Following the Civil War, the former slaves of the Five Civilized Tribes settled together. Known as “Freedmen,” they created farming communities that supported a variety of businesses. Between 1865 and 1920, African-Americans created more than 50 all-black towns and settlements.
But the Great Depression devastated many of the towns and settlements, forcing the residents to go elsewhere for work. Many of the towns ended up not surviving. Today, there are 13 still in existence.
Though this year’s tour didn’t travel to the 13 black towns still surviving, it offered a unique perspective showing how communities shaped the early days of settlement in Indian Territory.
“These communities of Fort Gibson and Muskogee, they were instrumental in the beginnings of the black towns because that’s where most of the blacks came with the Indian removal and the Indians bringing their slaves or runaway slaves,” said historian Shirley Nero, one of the tour guides during the daylong tour.
The tour started at Four Mile Branch Missionary Baptist Church and Cemetery, which was established in 1867 by Creek and Cherokee Freedmen. A scavenger hunt for gravesites through the historic all-black cemetery helped showcase some of the site’s history. Next was a stop at Fort Gibson Historic Site, the first military post in what would become the state of Oklahoma.
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