The Choctaws in Florida originally inhabited the southeast states including Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. Most of the American Indian tribes of Choctaws, along with other tribes like the Cherokees, were forced to relocate to Oklahoma during the 1800s. The journey was called the Trail of Tears because of the sufferings this relocation brought to the migrants. Some of the devastation they faced include famine, disease and exhaustion. Thousands of native Americans died during the journey. Some of the original regions the Choctaws occupied in Florida are presently called the Choctaw Reservation or Choctaw Nation.
The Choctaw Nation in Florida maintains an agriculture rich in grapefruits, oranges, yellow plums, bay leaves, pecans, miracle berries and sassafras. Other crops cultivated by the Choctaws in the reservation are cotton, sweet potatoes and sugar. The Choctaw Nation has mounds in Lake Jackson State Park, Florida Caverns State Park and Choctaw Beach.
The tribe celebrates an annual weekend gathering at the Choctaw Jackson County Conference Center. The event features arts and crafts, food, costumes, games and raffle prizes.
The citizens of Choctaw Nation are located in Big Springs of Marianna in Jackson County, Florida. This area was originally called Choctawhatchee in the 1800s. Other territories of the reservation include Fort Brooks at Tampa Bay, Jackson Heights and Fort Cooper at Hawthorne.
Learn more about the tribe and visit the Indian Temple Mound at Fort Walton Beach. The museum opened in 1962 and features interpretive exhibits with more than 6,000 Native American artifacts.
Florida Caverns State Park in Marianna, Jackson County offer cave tours that the Choctaws used for shelter. The cave features displays of many cultural artifacts that highlight the natural history of the state park area.
