PATH4-A,' W. A* BfPERV-IEW." 1 3 2 4 2 '

- ' ' 421

PAT7LLA, iV. A. ' MAP OF MILITARY hOAD. ^ 1 3 2 4 2

^3 Parsons a

Cherryrde Moundr Valley

IndependenceBolton

CoffeyviUel — ««

ocrivem I 1 Sommei f«

StwdmanGerty

CHnPine -

Cttesbue"

Ajhland

•itenon?

ReyixMiy- — — , fine yaiiey fi—\-^ / _

- -FOREST

idloyr

Fewell

krnow

Stringtown Jumbok

Va

tiOmoie Bot01r o >

Milbum'

ushka ^ ^ .• • <

Hatfield

[Cove |

:eivcort J> S

~ Ethel

Caneyj,

I KenefiCp

Benlleyj

Matey

Rattan'

./Turner .Loolvou: "*

^°Hochetown @

"Xalera-

r ' Bojweil,ienmngton

Jscksoo

UticaAlbany

j o S i s i

faihant

New Glovero

itnarck O^GIc

4 • "

Grant)

Bukluklo

xaia _,

Garvif

) Shoals'

YuM,

,Kemp t Powdery

Woodlani) N e ; l e *

OHams

ParisDimple C

.H

^SKELLY;

J$fc-

lie, 11459 .fcl. 1269 .4fck, 1490 *fee, 23283 .K 1177 . . .Dk, 1789..\, U95 . . .law. 104 . .196.9Coffeyville,

ER. 1517 . .WATER,6WELL.6vail. "478 . .ord. '950 . .

fit:BIOC12.G6C MF15

A13,F14

D10

DI5G i lC16

Strang, 286 . .Stringtown, 558

|S*roud. 1894 . .CjifcSHUR. 4242Sw«t<3ter. 93f A(-%6QU AHjf^J

2495 •/£*<•Talihina, f(B2 .TALOCA, fl&>.TECUMSEH? i

2419 :Temple, 1182Terlton. 234 . . .Texola. 581Thomas, 1256 . .Tipton, 1459 , .T1SH0MINC0.

1281

.C14.H12.E10.H10..F4

.014

.C14

F(E. .H7.C l l. F4..E6..H5

H l l

Tom. 32 .115Tonkawa, 3311 . .B9TULSA, 141258..D12Turner Falls, 15.H10Turkey Ford, 17 . .BHTuskahoma. 213.G13Tuttle. 766 F8Valliant, 608 J14ySnoss, 518 . . .G10/erden. 587 . . . . FSP/ian. 900 E14VINITA. 4263 B13WAGONER.

2994 D13WALTERS. 2262'. .H7WATONGA. 2282.D7WAURIKA. 2368.H8-Wayne, 427 . . . .C9

Waynoka, 1840 . .C6Weatherford,

2417 H6Weleetka, 2042 El 2West Tulsa,

3096 . . . D12Wetumka. 2153.FUWEWOKA,

10401 FUW1L8URTON.

1524 F13Wilson. 2517 . . H9WOODWARD,

5056 C5Wynne Wood,

1820 . . . C9Wynona. 1171 . .C l lYale, 1734 . . . .D10

Yahola, 84 D13Yukon, 1455 . . E8

ARKANSASFort Smitn",

2°9O3 El 5Siloam Springs,

2378 C15VAN BUREN,

5182 .E15

KANSASANTHONY, 2947 A8ASHLAND. 1232.A4Coffeyville,

16198 A13COLUMBUS,

3235 A14

Caney, 2794 . .A12Galena", 4736 AT4INDEPENDENCE,

12782 . . . . A12LIBERAL. 5294.. A2Parsons. 14902 A13WELLINGTON,

7405 A9

MISSOURICARTHAGE,

9736 . ... .A15JoDlin. 33454 . .A15NEOSHO. 4485 ...Bl5

TEXASBONHAM, 5655 J12CMIicothtTTBIO. .H5

CLARKSVILLE.2952 i\*

CROWELL, 1946 .J4Eiectra. 6712 . . . J6GAINESVILLE,

8915~.> J10Iowa Park. 2009. J6HENRIETTA,

2020 MOlney, 4138 . . . J6PARIS. 15649 . ..J13QUANAH, 4464. H4SHERMAN.

15713 . . . .J11VERNON. 9137. . H5WICHITA FALLS,

43690 J7

1 r^i^ £ >

.it

PATILU, W. A. INTERVIEW. ,. 13242

L. W. Wilson,* Journalist

March 14, 1938.

". Interview with Mr. ••<. A, Pa t i l l a127 North U Street, M

( My father1,' T. A . 'Pa t i l l a , who was bom in Indiana in

1329, and my.mother, a one-quertor Cherokee, born in Tennessee

in 1938, were l iving e t Paducah,. Kentucky, and traveled west

in 1372 "by steamboat by the way of Memphis, Tennessee, down

the Mississippi River to the mouth of -the Ark'.nsas "iver and

thence up the Arkansas to a vil lage celled Qz'ark, Arkansas,

ffhich was some thi r ty-e ight or, forty miles from 7 or t % i t h .

I was* nine months old e t this time. They farmed in Arkansas

unt i l the opportune time presented i t s e l f for their removal

to the Indian Territory to establish the r ights of my mother

in the Cherokee Nation.

My father and mother, with their children, eame to Okla-

homa by covered wagoht a distance of only seventy-five miles

from Ozerk, Arkansas,'by Fort Smith, and landed down on Less

Creek near the present to van of Nicut, *?hen 1 *?as in ray early

teens, which was about the yoar 1886. I grew to manhood in

this, loca l i ty and I knew everyone for miles in e< ch direction

/and enjoyed a l l the f ^ t i y i t l e s a t th&t time so adsptable to

young people. I attended church, dances, ba l l plays, hors©

423

PATILIA, W. A. INTERVIEW ' #13242

V

races and went fishing and hunting. Hy father farrped and,

of course, I assiated him all I could. He later acquired

many cattle and in handling cattle over the eastern part

of the Indian Territory I naturally acouainted myaelf .-.ith

all the ro-ids and trails.

Of course, our path was not a be-i of roses, for we

experienced many hardships, but with strong belief in the

future and,'with the co•xrage of real'pioneers, tog-th.r. with

the sprinkling of Cherokee Indian blood, my pi rents stuck it

Schools were scattered and c-hurch was held either in

the school house or under arbors.

Roads changed from time to ti-e, due to seasons and

high and* lov/- waters- in the rivers( but the'course pursued was

always in the sane general direction..

The Texas Road,when I traveled it, crossed Red River from

Texas at a ^oint about twenty~five miles northwest of Denlson,

Texas, and ran in a northtast^rly direction to the present t^wn

of i&ad. thence to four miles wtst of Brown, thenc to near Nida

a d thenc© to Folsom on Blue River, to Boggy Depot, crossir.g

clear Boggy Creek and continued northeast, leaving Goalgate

4JM

P&TILU, W. A. . INTERVIEW #13242

about fifteen miles to the lo f t . I t crossed tho highway

near Kiowa, thence north to McAleeter, thenoe to Masaey

and tuen east to u point about fifteen miles east of _

Canadian and then northeast acj*'Kis thf? Canadian River bo-

low the mouth of the North Canadian River to a point five

miles -u-t of Texana und then in a northern direct ion, and

crossing Li t t le and b ;g Klk Creelce and on to the cru fling

on Dirty Croek to one-naif mile west of tiu >1idlan<i Volley

Railr jed bridge. Krom tiiere i t ran north through the Ketst

side of Keefton, crossing?; Highway 64 about one and one-half

miles west of KooPton, continued northuaat to Btild Knob

which ia one-half mile east of the southeast cyn.er of Bruahy

i&mntaiB^ then nortn three-fourtha of u mile east of Uncle

Bud Ledbetter's pla"ce, then north.-.ucL ori..-fourth mile to

/Jam ifont^ont^ry's place and crossed ^oody JrueV near Ge rpe

Crittendon's place. I t passed tnr ^ugh tht- ol^ ReubonSvans ,i

f

ranch southWeat of i"*ro. en itock to on< - fou r t /mile v/o«t of/

Fro \.u riocfe r.nd then in a northeasterly direction to Rabbit* - * •

Ford, across the Arkansas River whiiih i s abqut 300 yards south

of the present Fr isoo Railroad bridge HSfhen.the Arkansas -RrWr

425

PATILIA, Wo A. INTJSRVIEVY ,=13242

could not be f-rded people traveled to.Kevins ferr.. at the

mouth of Grand River. Then the road angled northt-ust thrt-b-

fourths of a mile, thence north into 7ort Gibson. Leaving

Fort Gibson %Le road »vent north .^st the present Fort Gibson

water tower peeping to the east b-.nk f the Grand River for

about four^a^L83 until the mout". of xlower Crv'tk was reached-

Here Grand River was forded about one mile ea^t of th> present

Euo Grande Hanch and the road ran northwest vo one-'. .If nile

west of wagoner and then followed Jjhc- line of the »K&T Rail-

road to one mile west of Choteau n& continued northfend east

to tne east of i-ryor Creek an • then northeast to the ,big bend

on Grand River two rdles n.rthsest of ;trang« Froni there it

ran three miles west of Ketohum, north to Blue Jacket and

continued to t. o miles east of Welch9* then in a northwest rly

course to Chetopa,

I have been told by t-eoplt JV?JO lenev.-, tar. -lonr t'is

road many historical eve:.ts trans: .red. It lead to r,cnr t\.e

Confederate :ort at Fort ;/;>shita and near tl.e plvace wvere

General Lea^enworth died on t e ./ashita lUver.

At Big Boggy Depot m".ny of t e Or. tks took rofugfc during

f:a Civil tfar. Jake Sinrnons, now living at Haskell;waa one

PATILU, .!/. A. ' INTERVIEW

of t".e refugees, altho-.i/1:1. he was a fere boy.

The Texas Road crossed tUe old California T ra i l , e s -

tablished in 1349, a 'out flvt mi.'e' o.ith .or :,;cAlester. Near

this road,-a t Honey :'.prir.-s. ne-ir .>kta.Vi, m-.s foug;.t h

major batt le-of th< C ^ i 1 V r fow#.t ir. /Klehor.a and nviny

Confeder te Soldiers bil led in th, t .batt le Lre buried

t ' e r s . At /o r t Gibsoi, Tk.,.y thinrn he-;-iv .!• (t; ' t . i s .vaa the

hub o'' a l l the roads leadin • r.ort!1, eas t , sout;. <nd -'fit.

7\i6 t vm of >ryor recaiv. d i t s name <;ft- r oic i i i thavi t l i ryor

ancChouteeu vfter an old family from . t . Louis or the name

of Chouteau ^ho once orierated e tredint: po t b< "on th-.. r«~

Inioval of t^e Five Tribes from, the -test. Iv'uar Big Cabin, or

knownCabin Creek, was fought a minor battle/~?is the Battle of Cabin

Creek. I t was aloa": this t r a i l near Pensacola that tne Con-

federates intercepted a Federal w^gon t ra in enr jut-; to Fort

Gibson, taking n i l tv;e men prisonora and confiscatir,f;; a l l the

teams, wagons and a pp l ies .

Military Road - 1

This road ran south out o° the Kort Gibson bjrracks to

a point about one mile west of the present National Cemetery,

t\ence east past the cemetery *md ran in a soat..easterly3irec~

••• • • -• • 4 2 7

I A T I L U J W. A. INTERVIEW • Jfc3242. . .

tion across Wild Horse Prairie, keeping between the moun-

tains at the foot ,of the present Braggs Mountain on the

highway*to Braggs, continuing on to the Illinois River

crossing above the upper salt works (Maokey oalt Works), ~*

From there it ran t; the upper end of Little Vian Creek,

near the present Circle &• Ranch and continued to the Bowers

place on Camp Creek north of Muldrow and crossed the Arkan-

sas River to Fort Smith near the present town of*Arkoma.

Military Road No. 2.

Fort Gibson to Cane Hill, Arkansas.

J *Leaving Fort Gibson this road followed a&rlitary Road

2\0, 1 to and past the National Cemetery 1 tr.en instead of

branching to the southeast it ran east /through the fi§gm of

jiaynard to about the present Cherokee County line, t ence in

a northeastern direction, crozsir.g Majynard Bayou a number of-

ti.-aes and ooming out near the old L5aA.e Seminary which/ was

about two and one-half miles south of Tahlequah. From there

it continued, e^st to x ark Hill nosth of the pro sent/FriscoRailroM dspotj east across the Illinois River on' ^he Ross

Ferry (If the river could not be~Cor^«d^and_thenoe to

ing, crowing Barren Fork Creek on th^ old bridge, Fron tb«re

\A V . **" .428

PATILLA", #. A, • INTERVIEW v #15842

the road ran northeast to a.point near the present town of

Tltanie aad then due east, which was about five miles north

of Earren and into Cane Kill, Arkansas, connecting with the

Military Road which ran through Arkansas to Missouri.

miitery Road !fo. 3.

Cane Hill, Arkansas?to itort Smith.

Leaving Cane Hill, Arkansas, this r--ad ran to Evansville,

Arkansas, traveled down Lees Creek in the Indian Territory to

tLe present Verona, crossed Briar Creek and over the Fatilla

fountain then "past the old Hugh Simpson farm and intersected

the old Military .Road Ifo, 1 at Pleasant ^-rovespring, near the

lleasant Grove graveyard,. It passed by the Montgomery Spring* i

between the >\» D# and John Blackard farms, the-icc southeast to

J&jt ield .Mountain on to Roland and the., za no i n v e s t to theC

Northwest end of Gra9sy Lr.ko, thence southeast by the old Dr.

Bell piece on tha east er.d o-f Grasay Lake on the OJtlet end

of the lake by Houston arid Ga^o iayne^s place and crossed the

Arkansas River about 500 feet saat of the Missouri-Facific

^.ailroad bridge, near or a t Yan Buren on Morgan's Fe^ry and

thenca into Fort Smith. .

429

PATILU, if. A , INT^RVISW , ia.3248

- 8 -

Military Round "No. 4"

Fort "Gibson to Fort Coffey snd Fort Smith.

This road left Fort Gibson on Military Ho-id No. 1 in*

a southeasterly direction to Braggs, thence southeast to Gore,

crossing the Arkansas Kivor on a ferry to ;7ebber Falls, thence

along on the south side oi" the river to the Vanr: Ferry, near

t e mouth of the Canadian Kivt.r, thence to Mitch and Sadie* '

i'rom there it ran to the ferry at Blaine then to"Tucker and

from, there to old Fort Coffey* From Fort Coffee the road ran

along the course of the Arkansas Rivur to Oak Lodge, thence

to Eraden and leno and on to Arkoaa, crossing the Poteau

River by ferry to Fort Smith, Arkansas*

Military Boad iio. 5.

Fort Gibson to Webber Falls,

' This road left l<brt Gibson on the old Texas' Road,

crossing at Kevin's Ferry if the-river was up, otherwise '

crossing at the fiaek FOrd on the Arkansas River in North

Goose Heck Bend, at tlie old John Chandler place,- now the

Br, Thompson farm« Brom there it ran s.outh one - half mile

near the Bill Harnagp Graveyard, passing 200 yards west Of

the Harnage home plAce, thence south to Renry (Squawk)'

430

PATILU, » . A, INTERVIEW

• 9 -

#13242 -

Nicholson's, which la a point near the Smith Ferry, one-timei

operated by Bud Smith* At this ferry a road led td~Braggs

across the ferry but th'e Military Road continued down tie

Arkansas River to the asnaer place and then left the river

for the upland a^out one-half mile east of the east end of

the old Rube Evans Ranch, thence s-outheast to one mile east

of the present town of McLain, thence in a southeasterly

direction to Webber Palls where it ran into Military Road

Fords and Ferries•

The Tollowisg ferries crossed the Arkansas River:

Same of Ferry

BrentBlaineTamahaSmithw&sMakinRogersNevineThompsonHarris

LeachersSimeon BrownScott -GentryQowttaLynchWealaka

Location

BrentBlaine BottomTamaha Landing9 mi • SB Muskogee4 mi. east Kuokogee, £ ml. above McMakin' Mouth Grand RiverMouth terdigris River2 mi. above mouthVerdigris River

North end Mill StreetNear Fern MountainOne mile east0&e mile southBigfcw BridgeNear Leonard

Near present town

BrentBlaineTamahaMuskogeeUuskogeeMuskogeeFort GibsonFort Gibson

MuskogeeMuskogeeMuskogee'HaakellOctetsWebber FallsLeonard

\

PATILU, ff. A. INTER-VIEW

- 1 0 -

The following ferries crossed the Grand River:

Name of Ferry Location Near Present town

MilitaryWagonerMcCraekenStrang

The

GoreCooksonBoudinotRossChewey

The

IhitefieldBrewer Bend

Near Barracks4 rai. No., and 4 mi.jeasiEast of Pryor, 6 mi.Kear Strang

following ferries crossed the

1 'and mi • northeastNear Standing Rock

•4 mi, east Tahlequah- 2 mi. east Park Hill3 mi. west Chewey

following ferries crossed the

Fort Gibsont 'fegon^r

Pryor>trang

Illinois River:

Gore;CooksonTahlequahPark HillChewey

Canadian River;

1 mi. inortheast 3hi W i e l d .'/hitefieldNear Bracken in BeHs itarrCanyon Brocken

• Near j ,pa th-N. Canadian TexanaOnapa 4 Mi, v e s t on K. Canadian Onapa

im Junt rorth 3tidham Stidhaa

I Tecall that there WGB one ferry about two miles

noriii of Okay on the Verdigris River, near a five foot falls

in the ri:ver. I t served the people between Wagoner and

Tallahassee ,. * , ' '" • • '

: v> The Childer's Ferry crossed the Verdigris River about

four miles *west of ..'agoner near tiie present high ay bridge

between Wagoner and Porter-.

432

PATILIA, A1. "A. INTERVIEW IS242

• - 1 1 -

. Gfaost Towns.

I know of a town t h a t once e x i s t e d down i n t he

-, ' coaciunity where I grew up and I guess few peoplej

•„ "today, reotember that quiet, settled l i t t l e torn of

Eec^, which-once -^ss 8 flourishing-li"ttle metropolis

sf possibly .one-thousand people. - ' ' ' .

• <% Remy, in 1894, was buzzing" ^ th ac t iv i ty ; -I .do • '

- not recal l whether or not the place was ever mapped -

• as to s t ree ts and-alleys but do know thst i t was a

"mail distr ibuting, center, for miles and the post office

was run-by.Dr. S. P. Johnson. Row the place received

. i t s name I do not knoff unless the-Cherokee or United

States Government adopted the mame on. account of the

pos^ office. This l i t t l e ci ty todey could be loceted „

as about fivp miles-north of the present to«i of

Roland. I do not reca l l the date of the founding of *?emy,.

but do know that Bi l l and John Blaekard established a generi"

433

PATELLA," W. A, ** INTERVIEW ' #13242

merchandise store, that Dr, Hick operated-a drug store* and

that.Dr, Anderson «as a practicing physician there. The post-

master, S. p^ Johnson, also operated a store alon^ with thet ,4

post office* A sawmill and grist mill employed quite a fes?

men cutting timber, hauling iogs and operating the sawmill

and a number of men worked at the grist mill during the fafl

& and winter months-. These two mills were owned by Dr, John-

• son* The Tillage was, However, reliant on trade from the

farmers around it. The town passed out-.of existence along-

about 1896, some of the inhabitants moving 10 Roland, some

to Fort Smith, Arkansas, some to Sallisaw end elsewhere.

— N I know of tther towns but can't tell-much ofNthem ex-i

cept I reraember they pnce were.but are no more, I recall

Dogtown on Lees Creek about five miles south of Short ana"

the merchant, if I remember correctly was Joe Boyd.

The town of Ma>le, Maple Springs we called it,was^ at

an early date;a good village. It is still on the map as

• but it really is nothing at all and the same thing is.true of

Long. There is just one box house store st Long and I

believe there is any—stofe at all at Maples.

" - ,434• • •• • *

FATILU, W. A." •. INTERVIEW ; #13242-

« • ' ' - 1 3 - ."•; *^ - • ' .

The "Indian Territory,during the reconstruction -period

after the Civil ?/ar, was appa ently a hideout for outlets, due

to the Indian*s tribal form of government, I have been told

that in the late seventies gangs of outlaws discovered a cave

which later became known as "Bobbers Cave". It is located far

back in the hill country, about seven miles north of tfilburton.

The outlaws seldom bothered the citizens of the Indian Terri-

tory but preyed u; on the trains which carried lar^e sums of

Hioney. If you left the old outlaws alone and did not meddle

" with them they would be your friend. The outlaws of old would

take their loot and bury it and makv ajmap for the purpose of

returning some da.to get it. Some of these outlaws who used• r* -

the Robbers Cave were the Jame4'Gang. Dalton'Sang, Cole Younger

Gang "and elfe Starr aid her followers, I have seen these ganfjs

heading for the cave over the old Military Road No, Z that ran

T ast our place and at times I saw them in the BelleStai** 'anyon.

About four miles northeast of Fort Gibson there was

some few years ago, a trco-story hewed loe; houss that h.,d port

..oles you could n e ou4 of in every direction ard large enoug1.

to fire rifles through if need be• This house was constructed

simiSLar to the ones at the reconstructed barracks at Fort

• . . 4 3 5PATILUy iff. A. -INTERVIEW. 13242

-34- , '-

Gibson. I t could be located by following the" northeast

prong of Flowers Creek, going up stream from . i ts mouth.

I have seen this house s~orae two or three times and as

to being a robbers' roost that was told me by old timers

living in the immediate corranunity, I cannot say-as to

whet gangs frequented the place.

One of the Interesting spots occupied by the Spanish

when they were in this country, and which has been omitted

from h is tor ica l accounts of that time, is the location ofr

an old Spanish smelter that was built and. operated by the

Spanish long before the founding of Fort Gibson, and is in

the vicinity of.that city. Tnis smelter is loceted about

four and one-half miles north of ?ort Gibson, on the eest

bank of Oread Pdver shere Flowers' Creek empties into ^rand

River and a,bout six hundred feet up -Flowers Greek from i t s -

mouth ton the south side of the mountain. I t is "said there

were once four smelters near this location. That these

smelters sere built by Spaniards, is by word of mouth,

handed down from g-nerstion to generation and comes euthen-

tioally from one.of Oklahoma's oldest s e t t l e s , Mr. Kulbert,

the founder of the town of Hulbert. My f i rs t visi t to

this spo^ was some years ago and I found that i t was of

. « _ - 436

PATILU, W» A. JNTKRVItW . " #13242

stone construction and was built ty expert stone masons and

stone cutters.. The stones in thu wells are a tout fourteen

Inches aqu'are'&nd l,aid in mortar of pulvf-ri/ed limestone and

either* buffalo, d-er orvelk blood. The building in ab-ut

fourteen by sixteen feet. It cannot bo dot mined whit ore

was smeltered, but Xt could have been lead, copper, gold

or silver and some o.ld timers think it was gold. Sons hove

advanced the idea that the United States Government at one

.t.inje built and operated this sraelter, but this^iuea is ex-

ploded due t>o the fact that our Ooverrmur t has no record of

ever building a smelter in this loculity. "To further bolster

the theory thut the Spanish inhabited our state at this spot

at_ one time you will find, by exploring further up Flowers •

Creek some few miles, what is presumably a Spanish village,

as roany dugouts exist todaj- that - ere onca used for housin.g

.facilitias. One visiting in this co."munity can follow out

the roads leading away froni the old smelter to the southeast

to the present road to Fort Gibson, Whatever it was that was

sheltered must have been certej bacS to Mexico or transport-

ed dOvvn the Grand" and Arkansas Rivers by rov? boats and ganoss.

PATILU,' W, A, INTERVIEW - #13242

Crystal Cave,

Crystal Cave was so named by the people who live In

the vicinity. It would be well £ov those wlio get a thrill

out of seeking out and exploring ca,ves/ to visit this one*

I have been to i: ar.d entered but, being aped a .d iricapacitat-*.

ed, I sould not go through it as I would have liked to do.

It is located about four and one-half miles north of Fort•V--

Gibson on Slower Creek, a bo-7t one mile %p stream from the

mouth of the creek, at what is known as FloWr Creek Hfountain,

end about two hundred feet fros tin base of the mountain. The

entrance to the cave is about a twelve foot opening and follow-

ing back soiae distance in the mountain you conu, to a r-haft in

which there is a long, locust pols and by sliding down the

•pole you coma to a room with a ceiling of rock from which

~[ . ^ thickhangs formatioEB like icicles about'sixteen inches/at the roof,

tapering to a point of about one inch. This shnft is a death

trap to most animals, for once ~\£'*f se£ 5£pk ln the ontrariccr t

and .fall down the shaft they are doomed-4o_dj[e for want of. . - -

food because they cfimsot get out, I remember se«_iiir- a doad ""

at the foot of the shaft- the^last day I was there, • _~

438

PATILLA, B. A. . Iim-JPVUW #15242

-3.7 y .

Historic Three Forks. , •

~ I have visited the original spot :f the old Gsasre

and sometir.es referred to as the old Cherokee and Creek

Agency, located about two niles souti-Tof Okay, ar.4- about

five hun red feet west of the Okay and yort Gibson hi<-,h-

tfay. -Tais site can be exactly' located when you corae to

the old ?/ell located on the fan-i no\i occupied by an old-

negro naned H-: nr '-..Lurks * T:.t «ell is all tiiat remains

of<^he old agency. It is walled with rock and is as r^und

as a gun barrel , It is about eighty feet deep and has nc't

b .en cleaned out for the last thirty yearo, according to the

Old negro who has lived on the place all the tine, but the

wster is used"constantly by th< f^nily. It never ^oes dry

during t"he most severe "~outhsa T ie trading ;or: origir.ally

was about three quarters of a mile a-mth of the old agency

and was known as the Three .'orks Post. As "early as 131L

the operator of this post did a thriving business with the

Osages and other wild Indians> trading his v^ares for buffalo,

deer, antelope and other hides and rura o;? all kinds. About

the year 1816 Congress passed a bill appropriating money to

feed and o l o M ^ R ^ Indians from all parts of the Indian

431)

• . " . /

PATILLA, » . A. INTiT'vTE1.?

*~ - xs -

Territory( and the wild Indiana far and near wuro prevailed

upon to come to JThrue JTorkfl and -camp. The purpose "of this

.vas for no other reaaon f.ittn to. try to civilize tLem, In

dae time some ten or fifteen thousand Indians had gathered

h, of t.'.e Arransas JRi-ver-and cose o." the Yerdi^ris li v-. r,

later cam© the^-Creaks and Cherokeos after their removal,

who settled tc the oast and north of t!uia, thus Explaining/ 'r"

tho Osage and the" Creek and Cherokee agency, ^ u t 1820 the

Corsnissary wus discontinued ar.d Thrte ?orks post v."&s noved

to what «as called Three Forks uov Okay. /

The Cherokoes soon set up a Council ground near Fort

Gibson and *thc 0*ages and other Indians went "back to the;

Plains and the Creeks set up their Agency on t e south side

of Fern Mountain, northwest of Mu~kogoo.

The Cherokcf.-.s soon established jtlieir cr.pi'tal at

Tahlequah, and the Cx'eek Capital was a t Okiaulrte. I have

ha<f much experience with the Cherokeos,, I lived with the-r an-d I

an one-eighth Cherokee. None -of my folks ever received any

annuities* payments or allotments bec-.use of the i r Indianr

blood, but they were very instrumental in getMng many of

440

, ». A. INTHRVTKW $13242

the Cfyerokees enrolled' and filed during the days of the

Dawes Commission* '$th this Commission was one of my

nearest and dearest frisndB^ James A. Walker", who had direct

charge of all thu filings and engineering parties who sur-

Treyed off the sections, half-sections, creeks and made the

appraisements. **

I attended the old Belfo^t Church, on: of the oldest-

churches in the Indian Territ?>~y# ^