Fort Wayne was established in 1839 and named in honor of General Anthony Wayne. The main purpose of the establishment was to provide security to the Americans in the western part of Oklahoma. However three years after it was established, the Wayne fort was abandoned and left to decay in despair.

Birth of Fort Wayne

Lieutenant Colonel R.B. Mason of the Dragoons troops established the fort in honor of General Antony Wayne and named it after him in 1839. The main purpose of the establishment of the Fort was to protect the Americans who lived on the western side of Oklahoma. The colonel was ordered to build the Fort and the construction started immediately after the order was released but before the completion of the Fort was done, he was ordered to relocate to a new place in 1840. 

The Fort was built to protect the military road and its people from the Cherokees attacks who lived on the Indian Territory. Life at the fort was not a walk in the park as most soldiers suffered from malaria due to a large number of mosquitoes in the area. This led to the desertion of the place by the troops in 1842. The Cherokee nation took over the left fort. Stand Watie who was the leader of the Cherokee community and his followers relocated to Fort Wayne making it their own. 

The fort later in the years came to their advantage as they used it in the civil war. Stand Watie took over the fort at the beginning of the civil war where he was able to organize the Cherokee rifles. With the protection of the fort, they defeated the Confederate troops as they were more united and organized than their rival enemies. There were no permanent buildings in the area thus no ruins were left in the Fort to mark the location.

The current condition of the area 

The area residents in the 1970s requested a historical site marker of Fort Wayne from the authorities in the area. The authorities in the area received the request and erected a historical marker where the Fort was. This was to commemorate the ever existing Fort in the area and to honor the American troops who fought in the place. The marker is in present-day Adair County north of Watts, Oklahoma.  Until now, most of the residents are not aware of the existence of a Fort by the name Wayne. The newly established camp after the relocation of the 1st Dragoons troops is in the present-day Delaware County in the Maysville community in Arkansas. Neither the location nor the buildings mark the old camp since there was no permanent construction of the buildings. The site is currently not visitable as there is not much to see.