Little Dixie (Oklahoma)
Little Dixie is a name given to southeast Oklahoma, which in the past was strongly influenced by southern "Dixie" culture as its white settlers were chiefly Southerners seeking a start in new lands following the American Civil War. In addition, it incorporated lands of some of the Five Civilized Tribes who had been removed from the Southeast. A number were slaveholders, and they generally allied with the Confederacy during the Civil War.
![](../I/Little_Dixie%252C_Oklahoma.svg.png.webp)
The Oklahoma tourism department also refers to this area as "Choctaw Country," formerly "Kiamichi Country," but the Little Dixie region is not clearly defined: its exact boundaries vary by source. It falls mostly within the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma's tribal area, as well as some Chickasaw and Muscogee Creek lands.[1] During the tenure of US Representative Carl Albert, it was still the 3rd Congressional district of Oklahoma. Redistricting has since changed the geographical boundaries[2]
Several towns and cities in southeast Oklahoma use the Little Dixie name, and that helps to define the boundaries. A radio station in McAlester is owned by "Little Dixie Radio, Inc."[3] The band at the public high school in Tishomingo, former capital of the Chickasaw Nation, is called The Pride of Little Dixie.[4] When President Harry Truman visited Marietta in Love County in 1948, he gave a speech saying it was a pleasure to be in the Little Dixie region of Oklahoma.[5]
Leaves of Grass, a 2010 film starring Edward Norton, is set mostly in Little Dixie.
See also
- Choctaw Country
- Franks, Kenny Arthru and Lambert, Paul F. Oklahoma: The Land and Its People, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. 1997.
References
- Extensions Archived 2007-03-20 at the Wayback Machine
- Carl Albert Online Exhibit Archived 2007-07-08 at the Wayback Machine
- http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Public_Notices/Brdcst_Actions/ac970703.txt
- The Official Site of Tishomingo Public Schools /Band Archived 2006-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- Truman Library - Public Papers of the Presidents: Harry S. Truman