Discover Wagoner County: Nature and History

Fort Gibson Lake extends into Wagoner County and covers 19,900 acres of water at normal pool. In addition to the lake, historical topics and seasonal activities offer other reasons to visit. The following features can help you narrow down the purpose of your trip.

Fort Gibson Lake, Nature, and Trails

Scenic Highway 80 runs along the east side of Fort Gibson Lake. Depending on the season, it offers views of fall foliage, dogwoods and redbuds, as well as pelicans and bald eagles. These changing scenes make the season a useful consideration when planning: the plants and birds mentioned are not all seen at the same time of year.

At the lake, the Corps of Engineers offers a hiking trail from Overlook to Dam Site Campground, rated as moderate. The Jean Pierre Chouteau Trail is different: it is no longer maintained. If you include a trail in your plans, keep these distinctions in mind rather than treating both routes as equivalent outings.

Sequoyah Bay State Park is located in Wagoner, Oklahoma, and offers water sports on Fort Gibson Lake. Chouteau Lock is also relevant for recreational boaters: they can pass through the lock around the clock. However, when commercial traffic is heavy, they may have to wait or be locked through with commercial vessels. Fort Gibson Lake also has storage available for motorboats and sailboats at concession areas and on adjacent private property. The lake-related topics mentioned here range from water sports and boating to seasonal views and a rated hiking trail.

Places and History

The Norman Site is located near Taylor Ferry, east of Wagoner. From about A.D. 1200 to 1400, it was a sociopolitical center. Another historical site is Tullahassee Mission, founded in 1848 as a Creek mission. Tullahassee is considered the oldest surviving All-Black town in Indian Territory.

Koweta Mission was founded in 1842 near the community of Coweta and abandoned in 1861. Its buildings were burned during the Civil War and never rebuilt. The old mission building also housed a college. These sites make the missions a distinct historical topic: their founding and abandonment, along with the later use of the old building, are part of the recorded history, while the loss of the mission buildings marks the disruption of the Civil War.

Wagoner Armory, also known as Wagoner National Guard Armory, is associated with the Works Progress Administration of the 1930s and the Oklahoma National Guard. The Wagoner City Historical Museum presents local history and historical fashions. On display are dresses and outfits spanning a period from about 150 years ago to the pre-Civil War era. Rotating exhibits feature special objects, including dolls and toys. At the Chouteau Lock & Dam 17 Visitor Center, interactive exhibits cover the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and the Tulsa District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

At Three Forks, the Arkansas River, Grand River (Neosho), and Verdigris River meet near their confluence. The area was a trading center for trappers, Indigenous peoples, the French, and other groups. A marker at Three Forks commemorates the crossing of the Old Texas Road and the former Three Forks Landing trading post. This place thus connects the river landscape with the history of trade and transportation.

Seasonal Activities and Events

From June to mid-August, Livesay Orchards offers the opportunity to pick your own peaches. The dates may shift slightly depending on harvest conditions. In Wagoner, the annual Summerfest Carnival is among the celebrations organized by the city; the city also hosts an annual Tractor Pull and citywide Christmas celebrations. Exact event dates are not provided. If an event is essential to your trip, check the current dates before making plans.

When searching for a hotel in Wagoner County, you can use these distinctions as a starting point: the season matters for peach picking, event dates matter for celebrations, and commercial traffic can affect passage through Chouteau Lock. Lake and nature interests involve different topics than a stay focused on missions, local history, or museum exhibits. Shape your search around the reason that matters most to you.

Discover more destinations: Wagoner, Coweta, Mcclain County, Beckham County, Seminole County, Okmulgee County, Craig County, Garfield County.

For the broader travel overview: Oklahoma.