Tahlequah in Cherokee County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

The Blacksmith Shop

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 12, 2024

1. The Blacksmith Shop Marker

Inscription.
Blacksmithing was one of the trades taught to prisoners at the Cherokee National Prison during their incarceration. The thought was to give men and women a skill set they could use upon their release to better their lives and not continue to commit crimes. As such, a blacksmith shop was built in the Prison yard after 1877, as decreed by the first High Sheriff, Samuel Sixkiller.

It is not known exactly what type of blacksmithing the prisoners were taught, but several items recovered in the ground during the restoration of the prison, which can be viewed in the Prison on the second floor, included horseshoes, gardening implements, tools, and hardware. The blacksmith shop you see today is not where the original shop was located. That site would have been a little further to the west with the other workshops.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Law Enforcement. A significant historical year for this entry is 1877.

Location. 35° 54.629′ N, 94° 58.26′ W. Marker is in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in Cherokee County. It can be reached from the intersection

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of East Choctaw Street and South Water Avenue, on the left when traveling east. The marker and blacksmith shop are on the Cherokee National Prison Museum grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 124 East Choctaw Street, Tahlequah OK 74464, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Cherokee Nation

and in Northeast Oklahoma — Green Country.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Ozarks,

on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Veterans Memorial (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); John Ross ᎫᏫᏍᎫᏫ (about 700 feet away); Historic Tahlequah (about 700 feet away); Judge John Martin, Jr. (about 700 feet away); Cherokee Advocate (about 700 feet away); Replica of the Statue of Liberty (about 700

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 12, 2024

2. The Blacksmith Shop Marker

The marker is located in front of the Cherokee National Prison Museum blacksmith shop exhibit.

feet away); Cherokee National Capitol (about 800 feet away); Thompson House (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tahlequah.

Cherokee National Prison Museum image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 12, 2024

3. Cherokee National Prison Museum

Looking southwest from Choctaw Street; the blacksmith shop and marker are visible in the far-left background.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 159 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.