|Fort Calendar||Fort Blogs||
Camp Radziminski (1858-1859, 1860) - A U.S. Army Camp first established by Bvt. Major Earl Van Dorn (Cullum 1162), 2nd U.S. Cavalry in 1858 on Otter Creek in present day Tillman County, Oklahoma. Named Camp Radziminski after 1st Lt. Charles Radziminski, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, who died of tuberculosis on 18 Aug 1858. Camp moved twice with final location in present day Kiowa County. Abandoned in 1859. Also known as Camp Otter Creek and Otter Creek Station.
History of Camp Radziminski
First established 13 Sep 1858 by Bvt. Major Earl Van Dorn and troops from the 2nd U.S. Cavalry and 1st U.S. Infantry from Fort Belknap, Texas. Built with a log stockade protecting animals and supplies. First built on the left bank of Otter Creek in Tillman County Oklahoma (September 1858 to November 1858). Twice moved to new locations with the final location on the right bank of Otter Creek in present day Kiowa County, Oklahoma (March 1859 to December 1859).
Troops from the camp engaged hostile Indians at the Battle of Wichita Village near present day Rush Springs, Oklahoma, in October 1858, and at Crooked Creek in southwestern Kansas in May 1859.
Abandoned in 1859 after the completion of Fort Cobb but used by Texas Rangers in 1860.
No remains in Tillman County, Oklahoma, roadside marker in Kiowa County, Oklahoma.
Location: Four miles northwest of present Mountain Park, Kiowa County, Oklahoma. Map point is for the Kiowa County marker.
Maps & Images
Lat: 34.72494 Long: -98.94922
- Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 656
- Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 125
- North American Forts - Camp Radziminski
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture - Camp Radziminski
- The Handbook of Texas Online - Camp Radziminski
- Exploring Oklahoma History - Camp Radziminski
Camp Radziminski Picture Gallery
Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!