Book„G>_^_., COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT INDIAN TERRITORY. BY HENRY GANNEIT. NEW YORK : CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS. 1881. [Price, 20 Cents.] INDIAN TERRITORY HENRY GANNETT. li /^ PR 18 188U NEW YORK : CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1881. TlT »a./ COPYKIGHT, 1880, BY HENRY GANNETT Of \^ Jenkins & Thomas, Printers, 8 Spruce Street, NEW YORK. INDIAN TEERITORY. Indian Territory is a tract of land In the southern central portion of the United States, which has been set apart as a reservation for the use of various tribes of Indians. It lies be- tween the parallels of 33° and 37° N. lat. and the meridians of 17° and 23° W. long, of Wash- ington (94° and 100^ W. of Greenwich). It is bounded N. by Kansas, E. by Missouri and Ar- kansas, and S. and W. by Texas. The area is estimated approximately at 69,000 square miles. The eastern portion is fertile and well watered, having an annual rainfall of 40 to 50 inches, and a mean annual temperature of about 60° Fahr. The surface is mainly rolling prairie, with broad stretches of rich land along the streams, and an abundance of timber. This section of the ter- ritory is separated from the western part, which presents a different aspect, by a broad belt of forest, known as the " Cross Timbers," which extends nearly across the territory in a north and south direction, marking the outcrop of the Carboniferous formation. Its breadth ranges from 40 to 60 miles. INDIAN TERRITORY. West of this singular strip of forest the coun- try assumes the appearance of the *' Great Plains," — that long incline which stretches eastward from the base of the Rocky Mountains. The surface is a monotonous, rolling, treeless expanse. The valleys are shallow, and the divid- Map of Indian Territory. ing ridges are broad and slightly marked. The climate is comparatively dry, the average annual rainfall being but 20 to 25 inches ; and irrigation is needed for the successful cultivation of most crops. The mean annual temperature INDIAN TERRITORY. 5 is somewhat lower than in the east, while the contrast in this regard between summer and winter, day and night, becomes much more marked. Timber is found only in the river valleys, on the faces of bluffs, and among the hills. The generally level surface of prairies and plains is broken in the southern and south-east- ern parts of the territory by ranges and groups of hills, which rise from a few hundred to 1500 feet above the surrounding country. These hills, known as the San Bois Hills, Shawnee Hills, Wichita Mountains, &c., form a part of the Ozark Mountains, which extend eastward over into Missouri and Arkansas. The principal rivers of the territory are the Arkansas with its branches, the Neosho, the Salt and Red Forks, and the Canadian, with its North Fork, and, in the southern part of the territory, the Red River, which forms the boundary with Texas, and its branch, the Washita. All these are of little or no import- ance as regards navigation. The eastern part of the territory is well watered, but the west- ern part, except at times of flood, in late spring and early summer, has few flowing streams. 6 INDIAN TERRITORY. The geology of the region is very imperfect- ly known, as no survey has been made, with the exception of two or three hasty reconnais- sances. The general outline of the distribution of geological formations is as follows: The eastern third of the territory is occupied by the Carboniferous formation. In the south-eastern corner, near Red River, it is covered by the Cretaceous. In the eastern portion there are several outcrops of granite, marking the loca- tion of groups ef the Oz-ark Hills, The west- ern two-thirds of the territory are covered by Triassic and Jurassic beds, with the exception of the granite mass of the Wichita Mountains. The mineral resources are almost totally un- known. It is highly probable that the territory contains extensive deposits of coal, and it is very possible that the precious metals may be found in the Ozark Hills. The fauna and flora partake of the double character of the surface and climate. In the eastern part they tend toward subtropical types, while the western portion presents forms more or less peculiar to the arid plains. In the east- ern part deer, and brown and black bears are quite abundant, except in the neighborhood of settlements ; and wild turkeys are plentiful. INDIAN TERRITORY. 7 In the western part antelopes and bison are the principal large game ; wild horses are still oc- casionally met with, and various species of grouse, sage hens, owls, rattlesnakes, gophers, and prairie dogs are abundant. The vegetation of the eastern part is profuse, especially in the bottom lands. The forests present a great var- iety of species very similar to those found throughout the lower Mississippi valley ; among them are several species of oak and pine, cy- press, red cedar, black walnut, gum tree, &c. Among the wild fruits, which also present much variety, are plums, persimmons, grapes, &c. On the plains of the western part of the terri- tory the principal natural productions are the grasses, which, growing in tufts or bunches, are known collectively as bunch or buffalo grass. While this is the prevailing growth, in the more desert localities its place is usurped more or less by artemisia, cactus, and yucca. Inhabitants. — Besides the Indians who origin- ally inhabited this territory, the United States Government has from time to time moved thither entire tribes, or parts of tribes, from more or less distant portions of the country, assigning to each tribe a definite area or " reservation." The immigrants now outnumber very largely the 8 INDIAN TERRITORY. original occupants of the soil. The reservation is, to a certain extent, a prison-house. An In- dian is not allowed to leave it without a pass from the agent ; nor are whites allowed to set- tle on it, or even to visit it. Exception is made, however, in the case of white men who marry Indian women. In the case of most of the tribes, the Government holds in trust funds be- longing to them derived from the sale of their original land. The income from these funds is paid in the form of subsistence and clothing, live stock, and tools. An agent is appointed for each tribe or group of tribes, for the pur- pose of regulating its relations with the Gov- ernment, and of providing and issuing these supplies. With few exceptions, the Indians still retain the tribal- organization, although, with their progress in civilization, their forms of self-governmenl have undergone some changes. The five civilized tribes have, besides the principal and the subordinate chiefs, a coun- cil, which corresponds in many respects to the legislature of a State. They also have simple codes of laws, and courts to enforce them. The territory has no representation in the national Government. For the enforcement of United States laws it is attached to the western judi- cial district of Arkansas. INDIAN TERRITORY. 9 It is difficult to obtain correct estimates of the number of Indians in the territory, as many of them lead a Avandering life. No accurate census has been taken, and the only data avail- able are the estimates made by the Indian agents. The report of Indian affairs for 1879 contains the estimates given in the following table, which also shows the areas of the different reservations : — Tribes. Cheyenne . Arapahoe . Kiowa. . . . Comanche Apache. Wichita. . . Kaw. ... Osage .... Quapaw . . Pawnee . . . Ponca . . . . Nez Perce. Waco .... Towaconie Keechie . . Caddo .... Delaware . Pop. 3,593 1,903 1,138 1,552 315 209 360 2,135 188 1,440 530 370 49 155 75 543 Area, sq. miles. 6,715 ■5,800 2,447 442 301 Tribes. Peoria Miami Modoc Wyandot . . . Ottawa . . . Seneca Shawnee. . . . Sac and Fox . Kickapoo . . . Pottawat- I tamie.. \ Cherokee . . . Creek .... . Choctaw . . . Chickasaw . . Seminole .... Pop. Area, sq. miles. 260 140 235 800 573; 390 325; 20,000 i4,5oo[ 16,500! 7,ooo| 2,500 78 6 33 o3 82 20 750 900 7,861 5,025 10,450 7,267 312 The total number, according to these esti- mates, is 78,142. The white population living lO INDIAN TERRITORY, in the territory is very small, consisting almost exclusively of the agents and their dependants, the garrisons at a few military posts, and the employees of the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railway, which crosses the eastern portion of the territory. Several of the tribes, notably the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles, have made considerable advance in civilization. All the members of the above tribes wear the ordinary dress, live in houses, and are engaged in civilized pursuits. Their occupations are al- most entirely farming and stock-raising, prin- cipally the former. They support schools, which are attended by a large proportion of the children of the tribes. The following tables, taken from the report on Indian affairs for 1879, illustrate the pro- gress made by these five tribes : — Popula- tion. ! Cherokees 20,000 Choctaws 16,500 Creeks i4»5oo Chickasaws .... 7,000 Seminoles 2,500 Number of houses occupied. 4,800 4,500 4,300 1,900 750 Number Amount attending spent on school. e^"^ation, 1879. 3,200 1,400 800 650 200 74,000 30,000 28,356 22,000 2,500 Number! who can I read. | 16,000' 11,000 3,500 2,6ooj 550 INDIAN TERRITORY. II Agrictdtttrai Products in iSyg. Cherokees.. Choctaws .. Creeks. . . . Chickasaws Seminoles Acres culti- vated. Wheat, bushels. Oats and Barley, bushels. Indian Com, bushels. Vege- tables, bushels. Hay, tons. 80,000 90,000 60,000 30,000 13,000 350,000 140,000 65,000 10,000 400 125,000 35,000 20,000 20,000 500 700,000 600,000 95,000 420,000 200,000 150,000 85,000 60,000 40,000 1,700 60,000 50,000 50,000 15,000 1,500 In 1878 there were 263,000 acres in the terri- tory under cultivation by Indian labor ; 503,000 bushels of wheat were produced, 3,038,000 of Indian corn, 220,000 of oats and barley, 339,000 of vegetables, and 120,000 tons of hay. The live stock consisted of S9>200 horses, 249,000 cattle, 189,400 swine, and 22,500 sheep. The population of the five civilized tribes is almost entirely rural. There are no large towns. The principal settlements are Tahle- quah, the capital of the Cherokee nation ; Cad- do, in the Choctaw, Muscogee in the Creek, and Tishomingo in the Chickasaw country, and Vi- nita, a railroad town on the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas line. '>i ■<^^