USA > Oklahoma > A history of Oklahoma > Part 2
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AMERICAN BUFFALO OR BISON
ing neither the spirit of generosity nor that of justice, but rather one of harshness. The French policy of friendliness proved to be a wise one. It paid in a business way, for the French traders were more prosperous than those of the Eng- lish or Spanish colonies. It rendered wars between the French and the Indians much less frequent than those be- tween the Indians and the colonists of England and Spain, and caused the Indians to remain firm in their friendship to the French in time of war with the colonies of those na- tions.
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HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA
French and Spanish Rivalry .- From the time of the first appearance of French explorers in the valley of the lower Mississippi, the Spaniards of Mex- ico manifested a spirit of intense jealousy. The activities of the French in exploring the region west of the Mississippi and in cul- tivating the friendship of the In- dians aroused a warlike spirit iu the Spanish colonies. Although the French settlements along the Mississippi were nearly a thou- sand miles from their own settle- ments in the valley of the Rio Grande, the Spanish governors THOMAS JEFFERSON and people were not willing to share with the French the ownership of the great wilderness lying between them, so several clashes occurred between their forces.
Louisiana Changes Owners .- At the close of the French and Indian War, in 1763, when France gave up Canada to Great Britain, the province of Louisiana ceased to be a French - possession, having been formally ceded to Spain by the King of France to keep the British from taking it. During the next thirty- seven years Louisiana belonged to Spain, though its people, language and customs continued to be French. On October 1, 1801, Na- poleon Bonaparte compelled the King of Spain to give Louisiana back to France, though he had to NAPOLEON BONAPARTE keep the transaction secret lest Great Britain, which was then at war with France, might at once seck to take it by force of arms. Finally, concluding that the ownership of such a
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19
SPANISH AND FRENCH EXPLORATIONS
distant colony would be difficult to defend, Napoleon entered into a deal for the sale of Louisiana to the United States of America, the contract for such sale being formally signed May 2, 1803. Thus all the present state of Oklahoma ex- cept that part embraced in the present counties of Beaver, Texas and Cimarron (which was then a part of the Spanish- Mexican domain) became American territory.
Indian Wars .- The only Indian wars that touched the Oklahoma country during this period of which there is any record were those which occurred between the Span- iards of the Rio Grande Valley and the Comanches who roamed over the Plains of Western Oklahoma. These In- dians made war on the Spanish settlements very frequently, their principal object being plunder. After the Indians se- cured horses from the Spaniards and learned to use them, they could go much farther and faster on their warlike raids than they could do when they had to journey on foot. For this reason the Spanish settlements in New Mexico lived in constant dread of the raiding Comanches.
The First Trading Fost .- About the year 1796, a trading post was established by the Chouteaus (shu-to) of St. Louis, on the east bank of the Grand (or Neosho) River. This trad- ing post, which was situated near the present town of Sa- lina, in Mayes County, was the first white settlement in Oklahoma.
Summary .- The first period in the history of Oklahoma covers over 260 years. The Frenchman and the Spaniard saw all sides of Oklahoma, but they left little to show for it except the meager records of their explorations. Our in- terest in them and in their explorations lies in the fact that they visited and beheld the country which we now call our own. We are often reminded of them by names which stil! appear on the map of Oklahoma bestowed by them upon certain streams and mountains. Their records served only to guide the men of another race and speech who were to come later. To us, the one great event of the period is the pur- chase of Louisiana, whereby the vast region in which Okla- homa is included became a part of the American republic.
20
HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS
First Period.
1. To what nationality did the first white men who explored Oklahoma belong? From what direction did they come? How did they travel?
2. When did Coronado start to search for Quivira? What in- duced him and his men to undertake such a journey? What part of Oklahoma did Coronado's expedition traverse?
3. Who was the first French explorer to visit Oklahoma? What rivers did he explore? How did his party travel?
4. In what business or occupation did the first French settlers of the Mississippi Valley engage? How did the French settlers treat the Indians? Why was that the wise course to pursue?
5. How far were French colonies in the Mississippi valley from those of Spain in New Mexico? Why were the Spaniards jealous of the French ?
6. How did the acquisition of horses affect the Indians?
7. Of what French colony or province was Oklahoma claimed to be a part? What happened to the province of Louisiana in 17637 When did Louisiana again become a French possession ? Who was at the head of the French government at that time?
S. When was the first trading post established in Oklahoma? By whom was it established ? Where was it located ?
9. What did the French consul do with the province of Louisiana? Who was president of the United States when this deal was consummated?
2-0. 11.
21
SECOND PERIOD
(1803-1825)
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AMERICAN OCCUPATION.
Oklahoma in the United States .- The Louisiana country was formally delivered to the representatives of the United States Government in 1803 and 1804-New Orleans, Decem- ber 20, 1803, and St. Louis, March 10, 1804-but it was more than two years before any of the country which is now known as Oklahoma was visited by officials of the Govern- ment. Within the twenty years following, however, Okla- homa was visited by several exploring expeditions and within its limits there were planted two military posts, or forts, which were garrisoned by United States soldiers. There were also several fur trading posts and at least one missionary station established during that period.
The Sparks Red River Expedition .- In May, 1806, a small force, consisting of twenty soldiers and four civilians, under the command of Capt. Richard Sparks, attempted to ascend the Red River, from Louisiana, in boats. It was the purpose of the expedition to visit the country of the Pawnee Pique (Wichita) Indians. Unfortunately, just about the time that Captain Sparks and his little band of explorers reached the southeastern part of the present state of Okla- homa, they were met by a large force of Spanish troops under the command of Capt. Francisco Viana (fran-cos' -co
22
HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA
ve-a'-nä) which opposed further progress, so the expedition had to be abandoned.
The Sparks Expedition was only a part of a general scheme for the exploration of the newly acquired Louisiana country. Almost simultaneous with it were the expeditions of Lieut. Zebulon Mont- gomery Pike in the valleys of the Kansas and Arkansas rivers, and of Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, whose little band of intrepid explorers ascended the Missouri to its source, crossed the continental divide and descended the Columbia to its mouth, and then returned in safety, though enduring great hardships.
Wilkinson's Descent of the Arkansas .- Late in the sun- mer of 1806 an expedition under the command of Lieut. Zebulon M. Pike, left St. Louis to explore the regions of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. After visiting the Osage and Kansas Indians in Missouri and Eastern Kan- sas and the Pawnee Indians on the Republican River a short distance south of the Kansas-Nebraska boundary, the expe- dition marched in a southwestward course until it reached the great bend of the Arkansas River, in Central Kansas. At that point, Lieut. James B. Wilkinson was detached from the main command with five enlisted men for the purpose of descending the Arkansas. This little party made the trip down the river in the late fall and early winter, arriving safely at the settlements along the lower course of the Ar- kansas.
WILKINSON ON THE ARKANSAS.
Lieut. James B. Wilkinson was a son of Gen. James Wilkinson, who was in command of the Western Department of the United States Army at that time. General Wilkinson was more or less implicated in the plans and schemes of Aaron Burr, so the trip of his son down the valley of the Arkansas through Southern Kansas and Northeastern Oklahoma, at that particular time and under General Wilkinson's direction, was perhaps donbly significant.
The Wilkinson party constructed two small canoes, one by hol- lowing out a cottonwood log and the other by stretching buffalo and elk skins over a frame-work of poles, and in these they launched forth October 28, 1506. The weather was very coldl at the time. The boats had to be abandoned on account of shallow water and sand bars at the end of one day's effort. The party then traveled on foot down the river bank for several days. Near where the city of Wichita, Kansas, now stands, two more canoes were built by hollowing out cottonwood logs. In these the party continued the journey down the river to its mouth.
Lieutenant Pike planned to explore the source of the Red River on his way back to the states, but he was arrested in the mountains
23
AMERICAN OCCUPATION
of Northern New Mexico by the Spanish authorities and was re. turned to the United States by way of Texas and Louisiana.
Other Explorations .- George C. Sibley, U. S. Indian agent at Fort Osage, on the Missouri, visited the salt plains of the Cimarron and the Salt Fork (Nescatunga) and explored the surrounding region in 1811. In 1819, Maj. William Bradford, with a company of soldiers, ex- plored the valleys of the Poteau and Kiamitia rivers in Southeast- ern Oklahoma. In 1820, the ex- ploring party under Maj. Stephen HI. Long, returning from the Rocky Mountains, passed east- ward across Oklahoma, the line of march being between two branches of the Canadian River.
GEORGE C. SIBLEY
Boundary Dispute Settled .- February 22, 1819, a treats was made between Spain and the United States whereby the dispute as to the boundary between the Spanish possessions in Mexico (including Texas at that time) and the Louisiana country (which had been pur- chased from France by the United States) was finally settled. The channel of the Red River west- ward from the 94th meridian to the 100th meridian, thenee follow. ing the latter meridian northward to the Arkansas River, formed a MAJ. S. 11. LONG part of the boundary. The bound- ary thus fixed still marks the divi sion between the states of Oklahoma and Texas except the line which bounds Beaver, Cimarron and Texas counties on the south.
24
HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA
Tecumseh in Oklahoma .- In the early part of 1811, Te- cumseh, the great war chief of the Shawnees, visited the Osage Indians in Northeastern Oklahoma and tried to secure their help in combining all of the Indian tribes to resist the further advance of the white settlers. The Osages were greatly impressed by the eloquent words of Tecumseh, but they declined to join his movement to fight the white man.
The First Military Posts .- In 1817, the Government established a military post at Belle Point, a picturesque spot immediately below the mouth of the Poteau River and
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OFFICERS' QUARTERS, FORT GIBSON
therefore adjoining the eastern boundary of the present state of Oklahoma. This post was named Fort Smith. Seven years later, in April, 1824, Col. Matthew Arbuckle, of the 7th U. S. Infantry, selected the site of another military post on the eastern bank of the Grand (or Neosho) River and a short distance above its mouth. This post was named Cantonment Gibson. A month later, the site for still another military post was selected by Colonel Arbuckle in the valley of the Kiamitia a few miles above its mouth. This post was called Cantonment Towson.
25
AMERICAN OCCUPATION
Cantonment Gibson later became known as Fort Gibson. It was named for Col. George Gibson, at that time and for many years afterward at the head of the subsistence department of the U. S. Army. It was a garrisoned post almost continuously for nearly seventy years. The original post consisted of hewed- log buildings surrounded by a palisade of logs set on end in the ground and loop- holed for defensive fire, with log block-houses at the corners. This post was situated in the valley, close to the river bank. Subse- quently the building of a new post was undertaken and the few remaining buildings are those of frame and stone which stand on Garrison Hill, overlooking the site of the first post. It was long the station of the regimental headquarters, was situated near the agencies of the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw and Osage tribes of Indians and was a center of social as well as official life in the Indian Ter- ritory. Visitors to the Indian country never failed to call at Fort Gibson. Many noted men of the last century were guests within its hospitable quarters. Among these might be mentioned Washington Irving, George Catlin (the painter of Indian portraits and scenes), John Howard Payne (the author of "Home, Sweet Home"'), and J. M. Stanley (artist). Among the noted military men who were stationed there as officers at various times might be mentioned Jef- ferson Davis, David Hunter, Philip St. George Cooke, Stephen Kearney, Edwin V. Summer, Braxton Bragg, D. H. Rucker and others whose names were destined to be known to fame. The Cherokee Indians long objected to the maintenance of a military post in their widst and, finally, in 1857, it was abandoned and the garrison was withdrawn. It was re-occupied during the Civil War, first by the Confederate forces and afterward by those of the Federal Army, eventually becoming the center of Union operations for the surrounding region. Fort Gibson was finally abandoned as a military station in 1891. The town of Fort Gibson, which is the oldest con- tinuous settlement in Oklahoma, occupies the site upon which the post was built.
Indian Wars .- Although other parts of the United States had Indian wars, especially between 1811 and 1815. the only Indian war in Oklahoma during this period, of which there is any record, was the one between the Osage Indians and the Cherokees of Arkansas.
First Indian Mission and School Established .- In 1820 a mission and school was established for the Osage Indians in the valley of the Grand (or Neosho) River, near the town of Chouteau, in Mayes County. It was under the patronage and control of the United Missionary Society and was called the Union Mission. This was the first missionary station and the first school in Oklahoma. This mission was operated until 1836.
Arkansas Territory Organized .- The territory of Ar- kansas was created by act of Congress, March 2, 1819. Its
26
HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA
limits included not only all of the present state of Arkansas, but also nearly all of Oklahoma as far west as the 100th meridian.
Arkansas Jurisdiction .- That part of Oklahoma north of 36° 30' was not included in the territory of Arkansas. At different times between 1819 and 1829, the territorial legislative assembly of Arkan- sas defined the boundaries of counties in the wilderness which was afterward included in the limits of the Cherokee, Creek and Choctaw nations.
The Migration of the Indian Tribes .- There were several causes which brought about the removal of the Indian tribes from their old homes, east of the Mississippi River, to the western wilderness which afterward became known as the Indian Territory. In the first place, many of the Indians had become so dissatisfied with the white settlers, who were crowding about them on all sides, that they were not only willing but anxious to move to a place where they would be free from such surroundings. Then, too, the Government wished to have the Indians located where their affairs could be managed with the least possible interference from trouble- some white people. Finally, the missionaries, who were laboring to convert the Indians to Christianity and to help them to adopt the ways of civilization, urged that the In- dians be taken so far into the wilderness that they would be beyond the reach and unwholesome influence of dishonest white traders and whiskey sellers who were the cause of so much of the trouble and unhappiness of the Indians. For these reasons, the Government undertook to secure treaties with the Indians whereby they would agree to remove west of the Mississippi. There were a number of treaties entered into between the Government and the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole tribes between 1825 and 1835 for this purpose.
The Fur Trade .- The fur trade continued much as it had been during the latter part of the previous period. How- ever, American traders began to come in and compete with the Creole French traders who had so long controlled the trade of this entire region.
27
AMERICAN OCCUPATION
The First Indian Reservation in Oklahoma .- By the terms of the first treaty for the removal of the Choctaw In- dians, October 20, 1820, they were to give up all their tribal lands in Mississippi and in return were to receive a grant of all the lands lying between the Canadian and Red rivers in the western part of the (then) territory of Arkansas. This was the first tract set aside as an Indian reservation within the limits of the present state of Oklahoma.
Summary .- This period in the history of Oklahoma was largely devoted to exploration by Americans. This, together with the establishment of several military posts and new trading stations and one mission helped to pave the way for the settlement of the tribes from east of the Mississippi which was soon to follow. There were no Indian wars of consequence in Oklahoma during this period, though Te- cumseh endeavored to incite one.
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HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS
Second Period.
1. Who was the first American to attempt to explore Oklahoma? Why did he turn back without completing his mission?
2. Who descended the Arkansas River in 1806? What part of Oklahoma d'd he pass through in the course of his journey? What other explorers visited Oklahoma during this period?
3. When was Fort Smith established ? Fort Gibson? Fort Towson? Give the location of each of these posts.
4. When and how was the western boundary of Oklahoma de- termined? What foreign nation claimed the territory that bordered upon Southern and Western Oklahoma at that time?
5. For what tribe of Indians was the first mission and school established in Oklahoma? When and where was it established and what was it called ?
6. What can you tell of the fur trade in Oklahoma during this . period ? Did the French traders continue to control the fur trade?
7. What noted Indian leader visited Oklahoma in 18119 For what purpose did he come? Did he succeed?
S. When was it first proposed to establish an Indian Territory ?
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THIRD PERIOD
(1825-1840)
INDIAN MIGRATION FROM THE EAST.
The Santa Fe Trail .- By an act of Congress which was approved March 3, 1825, the president of the United States was authorized and directed to cause a road to be marked
A STEAMBOAT OF THE TYPE IN USE ABOUT 1830
out from a point on the Missouri River to the Spanish set- tlements in New Mexico. The work of locating, surveying and marking the proposed road was performed during the years 1825-6-7. For a distance of about fifty miles this road, or "trail," as it was more commonly called, passed over Oklahoma soil, entering what is now Cimarron County from the north and running in a general southwestwardly direction across that county.
30
HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA
The First Steamboat .- The first steamboat that entered the waters of the Arkansas River in the Indian Territory was the "Facility," which, under the command of Captain Philip Pennywit, ascended that stream as far as Fort Gibson in 1828. From that time on, Fort Gibson was visited regu- larly by one or more steamboats each year.
The Cherokee Nation .- By the terms of the treaty be- tween the Government and the chiefs and head men of the Western Cherokees (i. e., those who had moved west of the
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Mississippi and who were then living in Arkansas), May 6, 1828, it was proposed to settle the entire Cherokee tribe on a new reservation west of Arkansas Territory.
The Chickasaw and Seminole Treaties .- In 1832, the Seminole Indians, of Florida, and the Chickasaw Indians, of Mississippi and Tennessee, were induced to agree to re- move to new reservations in the region west of the Missis- sippi.
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INDIAN MIGRATION FROM THE EAST
An Indian Territory to Be Established .-- An act of Con- gress, approved May 26, 1830, provided for the establishment of an Indian Territory. By its terms, the president of the United States was authorized to select from the public lands a tract not included in any organized state or territory and not belonging to other Indian tribes and to cause the same to be set aside for division into a suitable number of districts or reservations to be given to Indian tribes in exchange for lands in the states east of the Mississippi which they might be willing to give up and leave. Although no formal action was taken by the president, the country immediately west of the state of Missouri and the territories of Arkansas and Iowa became known as the Indian Territory.
Washington Irving's Visit .- In the autumn of 1832, a company of rangers marched westward from the Osage Agency (which was a few miles above Fort Gibson), crossed the Arkansas just above the mouth of the Cimarron, forded the latter a few miles below Guthrie and crossed the North Canadian in the vicinity of Oklahoma City. Washington Irving, the distinguished author and traveler, accompanied the expedition as an interested witness of wilderness sights and scenes. He afterward embodied his experience and observations of an outing in Oklahoma in a charm- ing narrative entitled, "A Tour of the Prairies."
The Leavenworth Expedition .- An important expedition was or- ganized at Fort Gibson in the sum- mer of 1834. It was undertaken for the purpose of seeking to gain the friendship of the Comanche, Kiowa, Wichita and other tribes HENRY LEAVENWORTH of Indians which roamed in the region of the Wichita Moun- tains. The expedition was organized under the command of Gen. Henry Leavenworth and was accompanied by Gov.
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HISTORY OF OKLAHOMA
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INDIAN MIGRATION FROM THE EAST
Montfort Stokes, who was acting as a peace commissioner for the Government. The expedition went far into an almost unexplored wilderness, visiting the village of the Wichita In- dians on the North Fork of the Red River and meeting with the Indians of the other tribes. Upon its return to Fort Gibson, delegations from several tribes accompanied it for the purpose of attending a grand peace council.
Continued Migration of Indians .- Although reservations had been assigned to the Cherokee, Choctaw and Creek tribes in the Indian Territory, to which many of their people had already moved, the greater part of these tribes did not move from their old homes east of the Mississippi until after 1835. Most of the Creeks came west in 1836. The Chick- asaws purchased an interest in the Choctaw reservation in 1837 and, shortly afterward, began to move westward. A majority of the Cherokees refused to leave their old homes in Georgia and Tennessee and had to be removed by force in 1836. The people of all of these tribes were strongly attached to their old homes. Many if not most of them were compelled to move away to a strange and distant country against their own will and wish. They underwent great hardship and suffering during the course of their journeys to the West. The history of the removal of the Indians of these tribes to the West is a sad one. Another band of Cherokees, which had been living in Texas for many years, was driven out of that country and came to the north to settle with the main body of the tribe shortly after the arrival of the Eastern Cherokees. The bitter feeling be- tween the Cherokees who had favored the removal treaty and those who had opposed it remained for years.
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