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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY OKLAHOMA
GEO R. CRISSMAN
Le compliments of To Polo insurance
The Trail of Tears
stustile
After the Cherokees had suffered heart-breaking insults, abuses and robbery, Pres. Jackson, in 1838 ordered Gen. Scott to remove them by force. The story is one of the saddest in all history. See Chapter II, "The Removal of the Cherokees."
A HISTORY
of
Woods County, Oklahoma by
GEORGE R. CRISSMAN Department of History and Political Science Northwestern State Teachers' College Alva, Oklahoma
RUTH DAVIES, Co-operator Department of English Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, Ohio
WANIS K
INTER
VAL
We Build
TO The KIWANIANS of Alva
Thislittle volume of local history stories is affectionately dedicated. To their cheerful and benevolent patronage the author is much indebted. By their generous support this history is made available, without charge, to every school in the county. A more public-spirited, a more unselfish group of men can nowhere be found. If ever the boys and girls of Woods county need a friend we commend to them the KIWANIANS.
PREFACE
TO SCHOOL AUTHORITIES AND TEACHERS
These local history stories have been prepared for use in the fifth or sixth grade. While we believe they stand the test of accuracy and truthfulness this little volume is in no sense a compendium of the historical facts of Woods county. We leave that task for some one who has a different purpose. It is our task to re- late such stories as will interest children and at the same time give them an understanding of how our complex society has developed out of the simple elements that came here, an unorganized mass, on the 16th day of September, 1893.
All educational authorities assert that in the fields of geography and history, the simple local units should first be understood. From these elements that can be seen and experienced the child will naturally advance to the larger, more remote and more complex organiza- tions. Without a treatment of the local units many children seem never to acquire a love for or an under- standing of the complex organizations of government and society.
TO THE PUPILS
Here is a collection of stories that have to do with Woods County and the Cherokee Strip in which Woods County was located. You have probably taken automobile rides over every part of the country told about in these stories.
Some day you will read of the wonderful experi- ences and deeds of men in all parts of the world, but you will better understand how great nations have been built by first seeing how your own community began and developed, with industries, laws, towns, railroads,
telephones, good homes, highways, churches and schools.
Only sixty years ago, how different everything was right here where you are living. Wouldn't it have been exciting to have traveled over this country on horses through the tall grass and to have seen the deer, the antelope, the elk, the coyotes, the bobcats, the badgers, the panthers, the pelicans, the snowy herons, and the great flocks of geese and ducks, and, best of all, the vast herds of buffalo? Some people called this the "Garden of Eden" for hunters and trappers.
But, I think most of you would have feared to travel here then for there were bands of savage Indians here who rightfully claimed this as their hunting grounds and were very angry when they found white people coming into their country.
Now we shall leave you to read the stories. We hope you will enjoy reading and telling them as much as we have enjoyed writing them for you.
Your friends, GEORGE R. CRISSMAN, RUTH DAVIES, Co- operator,
P. S. Aside from the contributions by Miss Davies, I wish especially to acknowledge the helpful counsel and wise guidance of Frank Hatfield and J. P. Renfrew. Probably no other citizens of Woods County have been in such intimate and intelligent touch with the entire history of the county as these two men.
Much valuable information has been obtained from Judge Gus Hadwiger, Dr. G. N. Bilby, L. W. Moore, Col. T. J. Dyer, George W. Crowell, A. G. Vinson, C. D. Willard, D. W. Pierce, Judge Jay Glaser, Bert Beegle, W. G. Lamont, R. S. Armour and Miss Anna B. Fisher.
G. R. C.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER TITLES AND MAPS
FIRST PERIOD, 1803-1893.
Chapter I
How America was Explored and Occupied.
Map
1
The Louisiana Purchase and Woods County.
Chapter II
The Removal of the Cherokees.
Chapter III The Buffalo of the Plains.
Chapter IV The Indians of the Plains.
Chapter V The Oklahoma Prairies.
Chapter VI The Treaty of Medicine Lodge, 1867.
Chapter VII The Battle of Adobe Walls, 1874.
Chapter VIII The Overland Cattle Trails, 1865-1880.
Map 2 The Oklahoma Cattle Trails.
Chapter IX The Cherokee Strip Live Stock Association.
Map 3 The Cherokee Strip and Cattle Companies.
Chapter X The Oklahoma Boomers.
Chapter XI A Cattle Ranch in the Strip.
SECOND PERIOD, 1893-1907.
Chapter XII How Oklahoma and Woods County Came to be a Part of the United States.
Chapter XIII The Great Race.
Chapter XIV How Woods County Got its Name and Boundaries.
Map 4 "M" County and Woods County, 1893-1907.
Chapter XV The Oklahoma Pioneers.
Chapter XVI Early Woods County Homes.
Chapter XVII Saloon Days in the Territory.
Chapter XVIII Northwestern Oklahoma State Teachers' College.
THIRD PERIOD, 1907-1929.
Chapter XIX Oklahoma Joins the Union.
Map 5 Woods County, Today.
Chapter XX Geography of Woods County.
Chapter XXI The People of Woods County.
Chapter XXII The History of Alva.
Chapter XXIII Waynoka and Avard.
Chapter XXIV Freedom, Capron and Dacoma.
Chapter XXV Native Animals of Woods County.
Chapter XXVI Some Builders of Woods County.
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
First Period, 1803-1893
CHAPTER I
HOW AMERICA WAS EXPLORED AND OCCUPIED
To the Pupils: As you read this first story look at Map 1 and locate the following places: 1. Atlantic Ocean. 2. New England. 3. Mexico. 4. New Orleans. 5. Oklahoma. 6. Cherokee Strip, containing Woods County. 7. Newfoundland. 8. St. Lawrence River. 9. Lake Champlain. 10. Mississippi River. 11. Missouri River. 12. Arkansas River. 13. Cimarron River. 14. Red River. 15. Gulf of Mexico.
Europe and America
Three European nations played leading parts in the early colonization of America. They were England, Spain and France. Each of the three had a different motive for extending its possessions into the New World.
The English
When the English Pilgrims sailed across the stormy Atlantic and settled on the shores of the new land they came in search of religious freedom. They wished to dwell in a country where they could worship God in the way they believed to be right. For many years they did not push far westward, but their colonies increased rapidly and soon spread all up and down the coast of the states which we now call "New England."
The Spanish
The Spaniards came to the New World in search of riches and gold. They settled first in Mexico and gradually pushed toward the north. Many brave
Canada
LOVU
1
SUSANA
PURCHASE
I
Atlantic Ocean
Texas
0 1
8
Gulf Of Mexico
0
8
Mexico
Pacific Ocean
Map 1. Louisiana Purchase and Woods County
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
Spanish explorers led bands of followers far and wide in search of wealth. Chief among these was Vasquez de Coronado who led an exploring party in an attempt to find seven wonderful cities of which he had heard, seven cities supposed to be made all of gold. They were disappointed in their search, for they found the seven cities nothing more than small Indian villages with never a sign of wealth. But they did cross the rich prairies and beautiful grazing lands of southwestern United States-that very part which is now Oklahoma, and they claimed all the lands through which they traveled for Spain.
The French
The third of the colonizing nations, France, had still a different purpose in the New World. It was attracted by the abundant natural resources which this country offered. Very early they discovered the St. Lawrence River. Gradually they moved further in- land, claiming the country as theirs. They prospered greatly, hunting, trapping and trading with the Indians.
The French Lands
The French, as well as the Spaniards, had among them many adventurers and explorers. A young fur- trader, Joliet, and a priest, Father Marquette, found the Mississippi River. Filled with wonder at the great body of water, they sailed for many miles along its course and exposed themselves to constant dangers. In 1682 Robert de la Salle, one of the greatest of French ex- plorers, reached the mouth of the mighty river and planted there the flag of France. Henceforth, he claim- ed all the lands drained by the Mississippi, or by its tributary streams, for his King, Louis XIV of France. A good many years later the French established the city
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
of New Orleans. Thus, they controlled not only the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, but that of the Miss- issippi as well.
All the vast regions claimed by the French in America were called New France. They included most of the northeastern and central parts of what is now the United States.
La Salle at mouth of the Mississippi River proclaims that all lands drained by the mighty river belong to King Louis, of France.
The French Trappers
The French settlers did not try to start homes and towns, as did the English. Most of them lived wander- ing lives, without any fixed homes. They came to be rugged, hardy woods men who trapped and hunted all
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
through the vast prairies and forests of the new lands. They pushed constantly further into unknown terri- tories. They floated down the rivers in boats or on rafts, climbed the mountains, crossed the plains, learned how to meet all the dangers of life in the wilderness. Unlike the early Spaniards who dressed in shining armor the French trappers usually wore the skins of the animals they caught. In exchange for furs of great value they gave the Indians knives, paints, bright-color- ed beads and pieces of string, and bolts of gay cloth. Trading with the Indians often brought them great profit.
French Trappers and Fur Traders. Oklahoma
The French trappers penetrated as far south as Oklahoma. Here game of all kinds abounded, the climate was mild, and there were few mountains or rivers to bar their progress. A single glance at the map reveals how great was the influence of these wandering hunters. Many names, particularly of rivers and creeks in the eastern part of the state, were first used by them. Such names as Verdigris, Arkansas, Poteau, Bois d'arc, Sans-Bois, Sallisaw, and Le Flore still serve as perpetual reminders of the French who once considered this ter- ritory a part of their possessions.
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
CHAPTER II THE REMOVAL OF THE CHEROKEES
Georgia and the Cherokees
A large number of Indian tribes entered into the making of Oklahoma history. Most important of all of them were the Cherokees, Creeks, Seminoles, Chicka- saws and Choctaws. These were called the Five Civi- lized Tribes because they made greater progress in the ways of civilization than any of the other bands of In- dians. Only one of the five, the Cherokees, has a direct connection with the development of the north- western part of the state, in which Woods county is located.
The Cherokee Indians have not always lived in Oklahoma. Originally the members of their tribe re- sided in Georgia, and in parts of Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina. (See Map 1.) For almost a hun- dred years Georgia claimed a large body of land extend- ing west to the Mississippi River. These lands she finally agreed to give over to the United States in order that new states might be made from it. In return, the government promised to remove the Indians who occu- pied land within her boundaries.
The Western Cherokees
The task of removing the Indians was a difficult one. They deeply resented the encroachment of the white man. For many generations they had remained in one locality, and the beautiful forests, streams and fields of their home-land were dear to them. They felt that they were being robbed, and refused to leave their homes. But the white people were equally firm in their determination to be rid of the red men. At last a
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
part of the Cherokees asked permission of the United States government to move. The constant irritation made them unhappy, and they did not want to give up their Indian ways of living. This permission was readi- ly granted. They were allowed as much territory in The Louisiana Purchase as they gave up in Georgia. For their new home they chose land in what is now north- ern Arkansas. Hereafter the Cherokees who wished to move west were called Western Cherokees. They in- cluded about one-third of the members of the tribe.
From Arkansas to Oklahoma
The first treaty was made in 1817. However the Western Cherokees remained unsatisfied in their new home because even as far west as Arkansas the white settlers were numerous and the Indians felt crowded In 1828 they made a second treaty with the United States. According to the terms of this agreement they gave up their lands in Arkansas and took instead seven million acres in what is now northeastern Oklahoma. In addition, they received an "Outlet"-a strip of land 58 miles wide-extending as far west as the 100th meridian. This was called the "Cherokee Outlet" or "Cherokee Strip" and was given them in order that they might have free access to the hunting grounds of the great plains. (See Map 3.)
Driving Out the Cherokees
In the meantime the Eastern Cherokees, or those who remained in Georgia, faced increasing hardships. In an attempt to please the white people they improved their living conditions and set up a government modeled upon that of the United States. They rapidly learned to read and write, using an alphabet that had been worked out by one of their chiefs, Sequoyah.
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
Still the people of Georgia were not satisfied. They passed a law which made the workings of the Cherokee government null and void. Much of the Cherokee land was annexed by the state of Georgia. Ruthless white men seized their property and drove the Indians like dogs from their homes, pillaging and murdering without restraint. Gradually some of them realized that their only hope lay in giving up their well-loved homes and going to join their brothers in the west. Four of the most prominent men in the Cherokee tribe led the group favoring removal. They were Major Ridge, his son, John Ridge, and two or his nephews, Elias Boudinot and Stand Watie.
Treaty of New Echota
The leading Cherokee Chief, John Ross, and all his followers remained bitterly opposing the movement. They made repeated journeys to Washington, hoping to receive aid from the president, but all in vain. Andrew Jackson had been an Indian fighter and his sympathies were all on the side of the whites. In 1835 two commissioners representing the United States called a council of the Cherokee nation. They met at New Echota, Georgia, with only a small representation of the tribe in attendance. In spite of the determined opposition of most of the Cherokees a treaty was signed.
According to the treaty of New Echota the Chero- kees were to receive an equal interest in the lands of the Western Cherokees, and were given three years in which to move. The majority of the people protested against the treaty, and made no attempt to leave. Finally after two years had passed, General Winfield Scott was ordered with several thousand troops to re- move the Indians by force.
16
HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
U. S. soldiers driving the Cherokees out of Georgia.
"The Trail of Tears"
The story of the removal of the Cherokees to Oklahoma is a very sad one and one that does not com- pliment our nation. Soldiers scoured the country, seiz- ed the few remaining Indian homes, and drove the un- fortuate people into stockades, where they lived in misery until the beginning of the long trip. Often as the Indians were dragged from their homes they looked back only to see their beloved property being consumed by flames set by the white man's hand. Some of them attempted to escape from the camps, and were hunted down and shot without mercy. Disease and sickness ran rampant in the stockades. After every thicket, briar and garret had been thoroughly searched and all the Indian property confiscated the actual journey be-
17
HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
gan. It occurred during the coldest part of the year, lasted many months and was filled with unending horror. Intense cold and hunger caused large numbers to sicken and die along the way. A trail of bleached bones marked the road. Several groups were forced to wait by the Mississippi river for the melting of the ice floe before they could cross. None possessed enough clothing or food. When the destination was reached the weary travelers were broken in spirit and in health, and worse than that, in hope. The large number who had been determined to remain in Georgia never for- gave the few who had believed their only salvation lay in signing the treaty. Soon after their arrival Major Ridge, his son, and Elias Boudinot were slain, thus pay- ing with their lives for the stand they had taken.
Thus the Cherokees came to Oklahoma. It was a home-coming which could never be remembered except with sorrow. Ever after the Indians have called the trail over which they came the "Trail of Tears." (See the Frontispiece, "The Trail of Tears.")
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
CHAPTER III
THE BUFFALO OF THE PLAINS
The Vast Herds
As we drive along the pleasant roads of Oklahoma and see a few cattle grazing peacefully in the fields it is hardly possible for us to realize that three quarters of a century ago these same fields were thickly dotted with great herds of buffalo.
Because of its warm climate and rolling, grassy meadows the northwestern section of the state, especial-
A Herd of Buffalo
ly, was one of the favorite haunts of that giant animal, once the most numerous and valuable on the North American continent. It must have been a great spec- tacle to see those huge herds, often numbering easily as many as several thousand head. When they were frightened into a stampede, or when they plunged down the banks of a river to drink, the noise resounded like
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
thunder and the very earth seemed to tremble. Often the animals crowded so compactly together that no space could be seen between them, and they resembled a mighty, moving wedge.
Forms Picture of Animals
In 1832, Washington Irving, an author dear to all Americans visited Oklahoma, which was then truly the "wild west." From the articles he wrote one may form a very clear picture in his own mind of the buffalo of the plains. Describing a buffalo hunt, he said: "As the ground was level they shouldered along with great speed following each other in a line, two or three bulls bringing up the rear, the last of which, from his enor- mous size and venerable frontlet and beard of sunburnt hair, looked like the patriarch of the herd, and as if he might have reigned the monarch of the prairie.
"There is a mixture of the awful and comic in the look of these huge animals as they bear their great bulk forward with an up and down motion of the unwieldy head and shoulders-their eyes glaring venomously with an expression of fright and fury.
"-Of all animals, the buffalo, when close pressed by the hunter, has an aspect the most diabolical. His two short black horns curve out of a huge frontlet of shaggy hair; his eyes glow like coals, his mouth is open, his tongue parched and drawn up in a half crescent, his tail is erect and tufted and whisking about in the air; he is a perfect picture of mingled rage and terror."
The buffalo long furnished the chief supply of food for the roving bands of Plains Indians who wan- dered freely about the prairies and depended upon chance for food. But after the white man began his steady march across the country the buffalo could not
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
long remain. Gradually the mammoth animal disap- peared east of the Mississippi river. Then for a time it roamed at will upon the western plains. But here, too, it finally became the prey of the hunters who followed upon the heels of the Indians as they submitted to the white man's rule.
Industry Destroyed Buffalo
Following the Civil War many young men came to the west to seek their fortunes. They soon found that the selling of buffalo hides, meat, and tongues brought them much profit. This was the beginning of an industry which in a short time entirely destroyed these animals. At the close of the war immense herds still grazed in Oklahoma; the supply apparently in- exhaustible. But the seemingly impossible happened.
Within a few years they were thoroughly wiped out. At first, occasional hunters shot a number of bison and carried them to market on slow-moving wagons. Later, when the railroads extended their lines across the states this developed into a definite system. Parties of hunters often killed several hundred, or even a thousand head in one day. These were loaded into wagons, taken to camp or town, prepared for shipping, and sent across the country to Kansas City, Chicago, and other large packing centers.
Thus the "monarch of the prairie" gave way be- fore the march of civilization. His grazing grounds have been transformed into fields of golden wheat, and the water of the rivers from which he drank is now used to turn the wheels of industry in the towns and cities of men.
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
CHAPTER IV THE INDIANS OF THE PLAINS
Quite different from the Indians of the Five Civi- lized Tribes were the Indians of the Plains. Many scattered bands wandered about the central and south- western states. They regarded all the great prairie region as their hunting ground. The most important of the Plains Indians were the Comanches, Apaches, Kiowas, Cheyennes, and Arapahoes. These tribes lived chiefly in Texas, Kansas and Colorado, but they made frequent excursions into western Oklahoma and looked upon it as their special property.
-Brooks, Story of the American Indian Death of His Comrade
The life of the Plains Indians was a picturesque one. They were men of the great open spaces. Like the western country through which they roamed, they lived free and untamed. The withering heat of sum- mer and the biting blast of the winter wind did not daunt them. Their bronze faces and straight, hard
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
bodies revealed great strength and rugged endurance. They felt most at ease on horseback. To many of them, their horses were their homes. Like darts they dashed across the prairies, horse and rider a striking figure against the bright blue of a western sky. They did not know the facts of science or of letters, but they were acquainted with God's great out-of doors. The secrets of the forests, rivers and plains, were clear to them.
An Indian Camp
Lived in Saddles
Few Indians of the prairies had any fixed homes, though some tribes established villages and built houses of sod, hide, grass, or logs.
The great herds of buffalo which roved across the prairies furnished the chief supply of food. Also nuts, berries and wild fruit grew abundantly and could be secured with small effort. They were swift and un- erring huntsmen and delighted in hunting expeditions. Every Indian boy was trained to become expert in the use of the bow and arrow.
The skins of animals usually furnished their
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
clothing-rude shirts, trousers, moccasins- all decorat- ed with shells, beads, bright strips of string or of cloth. Frequently the men, as well as the women, had long hair. They braided it tightly and bound the straight, black braids with pieces of colored cloth. Ornaments and jew- elry of all kinds fasci- nated these simple people. They willingly traded furs of great value for a few worth- less trinkets of glass or for cheap beads and -Brooks, Story of the American Indian A Lesson in Archery bracelets.
. Each tribe had its distinctive dialect. To the ear of the unaccustomed listener all Indian languages sound like an uncouth medley of gutteral grunts.
The Plains Indians were slow to give up their own tongues, but they early learned enough of the white man's lingo to enable them to trade and bargain. The "heap big Injuns" delighted in besting the "pale. . faces" in any kind of dealing.
Liked Their Dancing
The Indians of the plains spent much time in feast- ing and dancing. What a scene greeted the eye of the beholder on the occasion of an Indian dance. Imagine the shifting, painted figures, crouching-gliding- leaping-swaying-mixing their weird yells with the slow, insistent beating of the drum.
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HISTORY OF WOODS COUNTY
Some Indian musicians produced hauntingly sweet melodies on flute-like instruments.
All the prairie bands loved color, brightness, gaiety and leisure. To them, the beauty of nature-the blue-crimson of the flame, the golden spangled river in the sunshine, the rose and silver glory of the sunrise- were objects of wonder and of worship.
Religion and Superstition
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