Does anyone know the percentage of outlaws that were arrested and placed in the Fort Sill Stockade versus malcontents in the U.S. army who were arrested in placed in the same abode.

Hey there Art,

Back in 1995-1996, I spent the better part of 3 months combined combing through all of the existing guard reports at the Fort Sill Museum Archives. Unfortunately, the guard reports for the post during the mid-1880s to mid-1890s are gone. Supposedly, in the 1920s or 1930s, the post librarian stumbled across several enlisted men BURNING ORIGINAL RECORDS of the old post which had been stored and neglected for years in the basement of one of the post's warehouses. Luckily, many of them were rescued from destruction...anyway...

In my review of the guard reports, I would say that at any given time, there were no more than 1-20 civilian prisoners incarcerated with the majority of days leaning more toward 1-5. It just fluctuated depending on the activity of the cavalry as well as the deputy marshals. I'd say the ratio of civilians to military prisoners would be around 1 civilian to every 5 or 10 military prisoners. As I said though it fluctuated greatly and pinning down a solid number would be difficult to confirm.

Hope this helps
On the Trail
Diron L. Ahlquist
Secretary/Editor Oklahombres Journal

It is good to know on the froniter that a military stockade was mostly filled with military personnel. By the way Diron, do you know what the capacity of the stockade was at that time?

In the basement, the Fort Sill Guardhouse originally contained four cells on the south with a capacity of probably 5-10 and two on the north side with a capacity of probably 10-30. Upstairs (which is actually the first floor), there were two large "holding" cells on the north side each of which could probably hold about 10-30 prisoners. So all total I'd say anywhere from 60-160.
On the Trail
Diron Ahlquist
Secretary/Editor Oklahombres Journal
OKC, OK

One part of the stockade had high walls with an open top...I know this as my Grandparents told me our ancestors were held there following the surrender....the soldiers threw raw and rancid meat over the walls to our people

Flaco, who were your ancestors?

Our Geneology goes back to Iron Shirt.I am Comanche/Scotch/Irish

The Guardhouse and stockade are two seperate facilities. The Guardhouse was/is a building that was used as a jail and the location of the officer of the day after normal duty hours. The stockade was a very large stone corral. Comanche prisoners were held in the stockade during and after the Red River War. Comanches were also held captive in the Post Icehouse. The Icehouse was a large stone building. At the time captives were held in the Icehouse it was not completely built and did not have a roof. There is a record from a guards journal that meat was thrown over the Icehouse walls to the captives.

The icehouse was located just west of current I-44 and the white stone marker can be seen from the highway just as you approach the plateau where the old post is located. The icehouse was at the foot of the hill. I also saw in the original records at Fort Sill that there was one door on the icehouse and it had a window that was used for observation of the prisoners. Indications in the original records point to only one guard being on duty at a time during the Indians' incarceration in the icehouse.