Washington Irving Memorial Park and Arboretum - Irving in Oklahoma

Irving in Oklahoma

Ellsworth arrived at Fort Gibson in Oklahoma on October 8, 1832, along with Irving, naturalist Charles La Trobe, and Swiss nobleman Albert de Pourtalès. He promised the trio would have ample adventures in what was then Indian Territory. Irving had been absent from the United States for seventeen years before returning to New York only a few months earlier. Upon his return, he became interested in the country's efforts for westward expansion. Irving's experience in Oklahoma included scouting for prairie hens, hunting wolves, and trading with members of the Osage Nation. He also met Sam Houston, who Irving described as a "well formed fresh looking man".

Irving wrote of his experiences in Tour of the Prairies, published in 1835. The North American Review called the book "a sort of sentimental journey". The book was a popular success, and the author's first book written and initially published in the United States since A History of New York in 1809.