FORT GIBSON — Fort Gibson Historic Site is calling for interested parties to take part in its first-ever 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Volunteer Regiment.

Fort Gibson and Honey Springs Battlefield have partnered to develop a 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Volunteer Regiment to help conduct programming depicting the all-Black Civil War regiment that was instrumental in helping the United States Army defeat Confederate forces in Indian Territory, most notably in the Battle of Honey Springs.

The 1st Kansas Colored Infantry was made up of free Black and formerly enslaved people. Free and formerly enslaved women were employed by the Army as nurses and laundresses to support the 1st Kansas. There is enough funding to supply seven men and four women with equipment and clothing. Fort Gibson and Honey Springs staff will regularly provide training and support for this volunteer group.

There will be a question-and-answer event on Saturday, June 17, and Saturday, July 22, from 1:30-3 p.m. at the Fort Gibson Historic Site Visitor Center located at 907 N. Garrison Ave. in Fort Gibson.

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and sign up for the program at that time. Volunteers who are eligible will be fitted for uniforms and work with staff to determine the first training date, which we hope to begin in August, with the first program taking place in November of 2023.

This group will conduct educational programming an average of four to five times a year which can include demonstrations at the November Honey Springs event, garrison weekends at Fort Gibson Historic Site, the April 2024 commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Fort Gibson Historic Site and the November 2024 commemoration of the Freedmen Commission.

If you or anyone you know is interested in joining this group, make plans to attend one of the Q&A events or send an email to fortgibson@history. ok.gov.

The Fort Gibson Historic Site is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www. okhistory.org.