According to the information I have Arbuckle Island was named after General Mathew Arbuckle... this following info is quoted from "Among the Cherokees", by CW West... "Colonel Mathew Arbuckle was directed in 1817 to establish a garrison at Belle Point, later to become Fort Smith. The purpose was to protect the Cherokees and the Osage from each other. Since this location was not exactly between the two, it was decided to establish a new site at the confluece of the Neosho (Grand) and Arkansas Rivers. He established Cantonment Gibson on 21 April 1824. The Cherokees welcomed the installation at first, but later, because of the carousing of some of the soldiers and Arbuckle's meddling in internal affairs of the Cherokees, they urged the removal of the fort. He was promoted to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General in 1830. He was given a farewell party 7 June 1834, as he given a leave of absence due to ill health. He was soon re-instated to active duty and continued to be in charge of Fort Gibson with occasional interruptions until he died of cholera in 1851. He was buried on his plantation south of Fort Smith, Arkansas.