Stone Gardens: Choctaw Principal Chief Samuel Garland and wife were buried in isolated McCurtain County cemetery

In the quiet woods near Tom (McCurtain County) where a gravel road winds close to the Oklahoma-Arkansas border, the Garland Family Cemetery stands as a modest yet significant historical site.

Marked by a striking 16-foot marble obelisk, this small, fenced plot holds the graves of Samuel Garland and his wife, Mary (Pitchlynn) Garland--figures who helped forge Choctaw heritage in the 19th century.

Their story blends practical leadership with deep family ties, offering a window into Oklahoma’s Native past.

Samuel Garland served as Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation from 1862 to 1864, a turbulent period during the Civil War. The Choctaw’s alliance with the Confederacy reflected economic ties and a bid to preserve tribal sovereignty.

Before and after his tenure, Samuel established a cotton plantation using enslaved labor, a key economic base for the tribe in Indian Territory after the Trail of Tears migration of the 1830s. He died on May 20, 1870, and his burial site, the last remnant of that plantation, symbolizes his influence.

Mary (Pitchlynn) Garland, who passed in June 1886, brought her own legacy. Daughter of interpreter Major John Pitchlynn and Sophie Folsom--whose December 27, 1773, birth date is Oklahoma’s oldest recorded--Mary’s marriage to Samuel linked the Pitchlynn and Garland families, weaving a network of Choctaw leadership.

Their significance to Oklahoma history lies in their contributions to tribal stability. Samuel’s plantation and wartime leadership helped the Choctaw adapt economically, while Mary’s lineage connected influential figures across generations.

The cemetery, maintained by the Oklahoma Historical Society and located off County Road N4815 near Highway 3, preserves this history.

Though the use of enslaved labor reflects

a complex past shared by some Native groups, it highlights the practical choices of the era.

Today, the site--accessible with local guidance despite being on private land--invites reflection on their role in shaping McCurtain County and Oklahoma’s Choctaw heritage.