CHECOTAH, Oklv. – The 161st anniversary of the Battle of Honey Springs was commemorated Saturday, July 13 at the Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor’s Center near Rentiesville. The memorial activities were held on the site’s lawn. The site is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society and the event was sponsored in collaboration with the Friends of Honey Springs Battlefield, a non-profit that promotes and supports the historical and cultural significance of Honey Springs Battlefield.
Speakers included Muscogee (Creek) Nation Secretary of Veterans Affairs Grover Wind, who gave the invocation, outgoing site director Adam Lynn, and University of Tulsa Chair of History Dr. Kristen Oertel. Employees from the MCN Department of Culture and Humanities were also in attendance, as well as Civil War reenactors from the Friends of Honey Springs Battlefield. The non-profit also held their annual meeting after the commemoration activities.
“People don’t realize our history in Honey Spring. There were more Native troops involved over there than people realize. There’s a lot of Native history that people don’t realize.” MCN Secretary of Veterans Affairs Grover Wind
The battlefield is the site of the largest Civil War engagement in Indian Country and occurred on July 17, 1863 at the Honey Springs settlement in the Muscogee Nation. The engagement, also known as the “affair at Elk Creek,” ended in a Union victory that was a pivotal moment in control of Indian Territory during the war.
Speaking to Mvskoke Media, Secretary Wind described his involvement as a deep experience. He stated, “It was an honor. When you realize the history of us over there, it’s more than just an opening prayer for an event. It’s actually very meaningful; it’s very sacred to me.”
The events of the American Civil War are of huge historical significance for Mvskoke people. The American Civil War in Indian Territory occupies a complex moment within history as the war divided tribal nations, communities, and families as divisions arose around alliances with Union or Confederate forces. It is estimated that 3,000 Union and 6,000 Confederate troops were involved in the battle, which had around 200 casualties.
Traditional Cultural Property Designation
MCN Chief David Hill declared the site a Traditional Cultural Property on Feb. 24. While the site is already considered a National Historic Landmark and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1970, the TCP designation strengthens the Mvskoke connection. The term is used by the National Register and the National Park Service to define places of cultural value and has particular importance for the preservation of land with Indigenous significance. According to the National Parks Service, “TCPs are rooted in a traditional community’s history and are important in maintaining the continuing cultural identity of the community.”
The TCP designation came on the heels of an almost two-year disagreement between the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the MCN regarding the role of the tribal historic preservation officer during the consultation process for trail and sidewalk improvements. The TCP designation aims to bring the MCN fully into any resource and preservation consultation processes on all site work above and below ground. The disagreement was settled in June and gave preservation consultation jurisdiction to the MCN.
Yet, the site and visitor’s center has maintained an amicable, working relationship with the MCN in recent years despite the disagreement with ODOT, and has collaborated on projects and site interpretation. MCN Oral Historian Midge Dellinger and Lynn recently co-authored a 2023 article, “The American Civil War Ancestors of Indian Territory and the Battle of Honey Springs,” for the Journal of the Civil War Era.
Secretary Wind also shared the importance of Mvskoke perspectives in history, he stated, “But the one thing that encourages me is that in many of these historical sites we’re going back in and saying, ‘Hey, that’s not history. Let’s tell the truth of history.’ I’m excited. We’re getting involved. We’re making things right.”
The Honey Springs Battlefield and Visitor’s Center is located near Rentiesville and Checotah, east of U.S. Highway 69. It is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 pm. For more information on the battle site, visit Battle of Honey Springs or visit their Facebook page.
