Potawatomi history it belongs to us all · 2010-03-10 · Vol. 8, No.3 Citizen Band Potawatomi Tribe March,1986 1986 Election kickoff The period for filing candidacy in Ihe 1986 Potawatomi

Vol. 8, No.3 Citizen Band Potawatomi Tribe March,1986

1986Electionkickoff

The period for filing candidacyin Ihe 1986 Potawatomi TribalElection opened'March 31. withonly incumbents Vice ChairmanDoyle Owens and Secrealary­Treasurer Kenneth Peltierofficially filing for office.

The filing period ends April 28at 5 p.m.

To be eligible to file for theoffice of Vice Chairman orSecretary~Treasurera person mustbe at least 21 years old. a memberof the tribe, never convicted of afelony or found civilly or criminallyliable for a breach of fiduciaryduty to the Tribe. never have beenimpeached or recalled from officeby the tribe. and musl residewithin Pottawatomie. Seminole.Oklahoma, Pontotoc. McClain,Lincoln, Cleveland or Okfuskeecounties. Oklahoma.

A declaralion of candidacy and afiling fee of SISO must be filedwith the Tribal Secretary duringnormal business hours before 5p.m. on April 28 to be considereda legitimalc candidate in the 1986election.

Any Tribal Member who willhas reached the age of 18 on orby the June 28 election may voteuy absentee ballot. Requests forballots must be written andinclude Ihe correct mailing addressand roll number of the TribalMember making the request.

One family's story

Potawatomi history ­it belongs to us all

Editor's Note: At a recent Texas Regional COllJleU meeting the Bu.lne••Committee enjoled chatting with Tommy Anderson of irvine, Texa.about his ancestry and on-going genealogical resclllCh. We weresurprised and extremely appreciative when Mr. Anderson sent uS theresults of his research project. Because .0 many Polawatoml faml1lesplay an Integral role In Mr. Anderson's hl.tory, we decided to reprinthis research here for your enJo)ment.

The Anderson family Potawatomi heritage includes many of the placesand names familiar to other Citizen Band Potawatomi, such as CouncilBluffs. Iowa; Silver Lake. Kansas and Sacred Heart Mission in Oklahoma.Because of an extraordinary incident that occurred December 25, 1891, Idid nol know much about the roots of the Anderson family other than (I)my great-great-grandfather was fete Anderson; (2) he had a brother nam­ed John Anderson; (3) they were among the first seven Potawatomifamilies to come to Oklahoma and (4) Pete Anderson was killed by cattlerustlers on December 25, 1891. With the help of other members of theAnderson family, Lori Bowlan of the Potawatomi Tribal Offices. records ofthe National Archives, the Kansas State Historical Society and variousbooks and publications, I have been able to learn a great deal more aboutthe Anderson family story.

Peter Anderson was born in 1845 in Peoria County, Illinois. He was thesecond son of John Anderson. Sr.. and Mary (Trombly or Trembley)Anderson. In addition to an older brolher, John Charles, born December24, 1837, there was a sister whose name and age are unknown. Pete'sfather was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and came to Illinois as apioneer blacksmilh in the 1830·s. His mother. Mary. probably born around1820, was Potawatomi and a native of Peoria County. She was the daughterof Trousolnt or Tousan Tremblay, a Frenchman born in Montreal. Canada,and Archange (Wilmot or Wilmette' Tremblay, a member of the Tribe.

Pete's grandmother, Archanlle (Wilmette) Tremblay. was born in the

<continued page 6)

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CLIP AND MAIL! ..... ~

Tribal Member's Request for BallotAll members of the Citizen Band

Potawatomi Tribe age 18 on or before Name:June 28. 1986. may now vote in elec- Street:lion and Council issues. PLEASEVOTE! The last day to mail your re- City/Town/Zip:quest for ballot is June 7, 1986. R II N b .although you are encouraged to mail 0 um er: :your request NOW. Information on :

candidates will be published in theMaiiTo: Election Commission :HowNiKan. You may attend the Coun- •cil and vote in person if you wish. but •please vote. The election will be held Potawatomi Tribe of Ok., P.O. Box 310 :June 28. . Tecumseh, Oklahoma 74873 :· ,

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Page 2

A letter from your Chairman

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Native Americanbishop named

Pope John PaullJ announced inRome the appointment of the veryRev. Donald Elmond Pelotte.5.5.5" Ph.D .. a descendant oflheAbenaki Tribe. to be the firstAmerican Indian bishop.

The Abenaki Tribe was part of theAlgonquin Nation which inhabitedthe Great Lakes area and Canada.

Pelolle will be ordained in aceremony on May 3. in Gallup. NewMexico. At 41. he will be one of theyoungest American bishops and willoversee the Diocese of Gallup.which has a membership of 4S.000Roman Catholics -aboul half ofwhich are Indians.

Indian people of Oklahoma andwork and vore to keep this man out"foffice -for yours and yourchildren's sake. The OklahomaSupremc Court. in its decisionagainst the Seneca Tribe. is sayingit can change the OklahomaConstitution, relative to Public Law280. by legislalive act. rather thanb)' a votc of the people. Please doc\'crything you can: tell yourfriends. help Turpen's opponents.any effort at all. but please preventMike Turpen from becomingGovernor of Oklahoma.

Citizen Band Potawatomi Tribe hascvcr had.

On the serious side, there aresome issues that must be addressedby the members of our Tribe here inOklahoma. A current candidate forGovernor. Mike Turpen. has statedpnblically that tribal governments­in spite of a century of history andtrcalies with Great Britain. Franceand the United States -arc notgovernmcnts. Turpen believcstribes are racial associations!Histenure as State Allorney Generalhas been a time when the state. indireci violation of Article I. Section3 of the Oklahoma Constitution. hasclaimed legal jurisdiction over theIndianlribes. This was done, inspite of a history of Federal Courtprecedent denying states thisjurisdiction as far back as the firstUnited States Supreme Courl, Thisman is a threat to the continuedexistence of Indian tribes asrecognized governments -3 historyas old as mankind on this continent.He has allowed and fostered apolicy by the State Tax Commissionoflegal harassment andintimidation that has fortunatelybeen curtailed by the FederalCourts in the Easlern District ofOklahoma. but not the Western asyet.

Ple..e help your Tribe and all

0UALITY SEALGENERIC

CIGARETTES

to imply we arc forgetting our TribalMembers here in Oklahoma. TheGeneral Council meeting scheduledfor the last Saturday in June will bealtended by many of the memberswe have met at OUT RegionalCouncils. Please come and meetIhese Tribal Members. the Tribalstaff and your elected officials. Twomembers of the BusinessCommiltee. Vice Chairman DoyleOwens and Secretary-TreasurerKenneth Peltier. are up forre-election. We urge everyone tocome and vote if you do not plan onvoting by absentee ballot. If you doplan on voting absentee. please clipthe Request for Ballot from the frolltpage of this HowNiKan and get it inthe mail to the Election Committee.

Of special concern to all of us.especially here in Oklahoma, is theconfirmation of the Judges of theTribal Court. Pleasc come to themeeting and participate orparticipate by exercising your rightto vote by absentee ballot. Ipersonally promise that none of theabusive language or disorderlybehavior that has characterizedsome of the past General Councilswill be tolerated. So, please. if at allpossible. come and attend theClluncil and the 1986 Pow Wow andenjoy what promises to be thelargest and friendliest gathering the

Fellow Tribal Members,I am very gratified by the turnout

of Tribal Members at the recentHouston and Kansas City RegionalCouncil meetings. I left eachmeeting feeling that a great dealhad been accomplished in makingnew friends and establishing oldfamily ties. At each of our meetingsthe emphasis has been on definingthe Tribe as its most basic element-family. We would not be a Tribeunless we were all related to eachother. The more research we do. themore apparent it becomes that weare al1 descended from just a fewfamilies.

In the next few weeks we will bemeeting in Wichita. Kansas andlong Beach, California. Pleasemake every effort to attend. Youropinions and comments are thereasons we hold these meetings.Without your participation thetravel is wasted time and money.

While considerable effort is beingexpended to contact andcommunicate with our out·of·statemembers. we certainly do not mean

HOW'NI'KANPEOPLE Of THE FIRE

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Arlio,;;ts. arriSal1li. craft~persons~nd food vcndors are invited toexhibit and scll at the Fifth AnnualClarcmore (Oklahoma) Pow WO\\.·.

Exhibitor fee for an eight-foot"ipace around the arena is $60 for allthree days. Additional eight-foot'paces arc SIS. Food vcndorfee is5200 for all three days: if payment is"cccived by April IS. the cost is5175,

Exhibitors and food vendors mayr"erve spacc by remitling the feeto lhe Rogers County IndianAssociation. in care of James Hess.Rogers State College. Will Rogersand College Hill. Claremore. Ok74017-2099.

Booth space renters should be~ure to include name. address.phone number and type of booth.Also include number of boothspaces paying for.

For additional information. callAnita Valliere at (918) 341-4297.

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Generic C1tjorettedisplays.

at- JIMd P...w......_e....-Chairman - JohD •'Rocky" Barrett

Vice Olairman - Doyle OwensSecretary/Treasurer - KeDDeth Peltier

Committeeman - Dr. Francis LevierCommitteeman - Bob F. Davis

The HowNiKtl,. is • publication of theCitizen Band Petaw.tomi Tribe. with of­Aces located .t 1900 Gordon CooperDrivt, Skawnee. OkJahorn•.

The purpose of the HowNiKQn is to actu the oftlclaJ publication of the CitizenBand Potaw.tomi Tribe and to meet theaeeds gf ils members for the dissemina­tion of lD.form.tkm.

The HowNiXQ" is mailed free to .11enrolled Citb.en Band tribal members,with SUbscriptions avail.ble to non·...cmbers at the ra&e of S6 annuany.

The "HCJlWNiXan is • member of theNallve Aaterteaa r.e.. AIIedatlon.Ileprinc permissioa is granted with creditto the HowNiXg" or the Cltbea Bandhcaw...... Trtbe.

AU editorials and letters become theproperty of the llowNiXan. Submissionsfor publicatioo must be si,Ded by theauthor and include a traceable address,Publication is at the discretion of theHowNiKan editor and the atben Band....w...l8uMHM e.-Jt&ee.

Change of address or address correc·tions shouid be mailed to Rt. 5. Box 151,Shawnee. Oklahoma 74801,

_IImaa EdI...,.trida Sulcer

Page 3

Election Committee Info

The Citizen Band PotawatomiTribe of Oklahoma announces theopening of the fIling period foroffice in the 1986 Tribal election(to be held June 28. 1986).

Candidates wishing to file forthe two-year term of Tribal ViceChairman or Tribal Secretary­Treasurer must submit. byaffidavit, their declaration ofcandidacy and pay a filing fee.

The period for filing candidacybegins March 31 and ends April28. Filing must be done duringregular business hours (8 a. m. to 5p.m.) ot the Potawatomi Tribal

Complex and submitted personallyto the Secretary of the Tribe.

All candidates must comply withArticle VI of the 1986 ElectionOrdinance. published in theFebruary 1986 issue of the tribalnewspaper. Copies may beobtained at the TribalAdministration Office, located onSouth Beard Street across fromMission Hill Hospital.

For further information contactNorman Kiker. 1986 ElectionCommittee Chairman. at (405)273-0026 or Kenneth Peltier.Tribal Secretary. at 275-3121.

The 1986 Election Committee: from the left; Gary Bourbonnais,Chairman Norman Kiker. Da"ld Bourbonnais, Clarice Melot Bryant andDon YoU.

Election publicationdeadlines

Kansas City

Regional Council heldMore than 100 Citizen Band Potawatomi and several Prairie Band

Potawatomi guests attended the Kansas City Regional Council heldearlier this month. As always, new friends were made and family tiesdiscovered.

A meeting in Wichita, Kansas will be held early in' April and aRegional Council for Iribal members living in southern California is inthe works.

"anything would come of it." hedid verify thaI he had beeoordered to request voluntarycompliance from the tribe.

The Slate Tax Commission wasrecently restrain'ed by a federalcourt from imposing taxes inCreek Nation country and severalother lawsuits are pendingbetween tribal enlerprises and thestate.

With Oklahoma's expectedshortfall due to Gramm-Rudmancuts and the falling price of oil,Indian tribes across the state mayexpect increased visits - andpressure· from the State TaxCommission.

The Citizen Band Potawalomi.guaranleed sovereign jurisdictionby treaty with the federalgovernment and the OklahomaStale Constitution, has its own TaxCommission and alcohol andtobacco regulatory ordinances(published in the Federal Regisler)to license, tax and regulateenterprises on tribal lands.

Jurisdiction war escalates

"Welcome to the sovereign Jurlsdlctlon of the Polawatoml Natlonl"From left: Tribal Slore Manager Jan Gale, Chairman Jobn Barrett,Business Commltleeman Fran<l. Lc"wr, State Tax Compliance OfficerBruce Leba and Vice Chairman Doylc Owens.

When an Oklahoma TaxCommission tax compliance officerappeared at the Potawatomi TribalStore to "ask for voluntarycompliance" with the State ofOklahoma's tax laws. he waswelcomed "to the sovereignjurisdiclion of the Cilizen BandPotawatomi Nation" by ChairmanJohn Barrell.

In what appears to be an on­going war between the state's TaxCommission and the federallyrecognized Indian tribes ofOklahoma, more and more tribesare receiving official visits toinform them "they are operatingwilhout slate sales tax permits."According to Tax ComplianceOfficer Bruce Leba. who paid thevisit to the Tribal Store. Ihe state"is not saying you have to. bulyou need to fill out Ihe new '86 laxpermit forms,"

Although Leba admitted that thestate's attempt to impose salestaxes on the Indian tribes was "atouchy situation." and even"entured to sav he didn·t think

as follows: full page - $100: halfpage - S50: quarter page· $25.

Ads for t"e <pecial June el.ctionissue must ne c;;ld"""~ift"d no lillerthan 5 p.m. 0 May 26,,1) l..'

HowNiKan edltlll" ""~lt.l politic II

advertisements should besubmitted. along with a cashier'scheck. money order or cash. to rheHowNiKan editor by 5 p.m. on the15th day of the month for thatmonth's publication.

Legitimate candidates for officein the 1986 Tribal Election willreceive free one-quarter page adsin lhe June issue of theHowNiKan. to be mailed the firstweek in June to all TribalMembers.

Deadlines for paid politicaladvertising will be the 15th ofApril and May. Political ad ratesreflect a 50 percent savings off theregula-r HowNiKan ad rate and arc

Page 4

In your opinion

Cbairman Barrett and CommilleeMembers:

A note of appreciation is inorder to express our pleasure inactually attending one of yourCouncil Meeetings which wasrecently hcld in Kansas Citv.

The afternoon was extremelyinteresting and educational in allaspects - righl on down to thebuffet luncheon - it was super.especially enjoyed viewing theslides of artist Winters. and ofcourse, the area as a whole. Inever realized the Pm3watomishad so much culture in theirbackground. All of this hasawakened a great desire to Jearnmorc about our Tribe's history.

Chairman Barrett andCommillee, along with allconcerned thru the years, shouldbe commended for their insight.diligence and accomplishments tomodernize and streamline theoperations of all the variou sfacilities which they are currentlyworking on. All of us, as a Tribe,will benefit from their efforls.

Continued good luckl

Sincerely,Gladys M, Barry and sister.Edith M. Butt(We are Trombla and LeClairheirs,)Our Mother, Salena LeClair Kane.Kansas City, Missouri 64110

EditorHow·NI·Kan:

As a physician and enrolledtribal member, I protest theselling of advertising space to thetobacco industry. Surely theremust be another way to defray thecosts of our paper.

Fraternally,Jack Enos, M.D.Yukon, Oklahoma

Dear Jobn. Doyle, Kennetb. Dr.levier, Pal, and B.J.,

I wanl to thank each of you forbringing the Regional CouncilMeeting to Kansas Cily, Missouri.It was a truly special day for thoseof us who live "off theReservation. '.

For many of us the businessmeeting and slide presentation areour first glimpses of rhe tribalcomplex, aside from theinformative articles in theHowNiKan. I also enjoyed theslides of the George Winterscollection - to actually see whalour ancestors "looked" like!

Thank you to Ms. Sulcer for thefabulous luncheon. Thank you toMs. Rowe for bringing items fromthe Tribal Trading Posl for displayand purchase.

Thank you to Mr. Peltier forpre.viewing the upcoming PowWowevents. I hope to be able to attendin rhe future.

J've always had a deep sense of

my heritage. but this meetmgstrengthened the bond I feel withmy Tribal family.

I do have one suggestion for themailings. Many times ballolrequests Ihat are dated, and eventhe Regional Council Meelinginvitation, arrive only a da,Y or twobefore the deadline. In the past.rhe deadline had actually passedupon receipt. It would be helpful.and more people might becomeinvolved, if given a little moretime to respond.

Again thanks to you all andmuch success with your fulureRegional Meetings.

Sincerely.J 0)' Y. JacksonTrenton. Missouri

An Open LeUer to All ChizenBand Members:

I've been reading HowNiKan foryears now. Generally, it does itsjob prelly well. We're kepI abreaS!of tribal goings on and treated toglimpses into the collective hisloryof those we claim as ancestors.We get a dose of Potawatomilanguage and politics, and aremade to feel that by mutualaffirmation, we're all tribalmembers.

The truth be known, most of usare far~f1ung, distant cousinswhose fractional claim to tribalblllOd only spurs us to action whenper capita disbursement checkshang in the balance, That, and theoccasional election of people we'venever met. It's nol an easyadmission to make, but. withnotable exceptions, that's lhe wayit is.

Yet, with many of us, there'ssomething else. Something thatreally does bind us together.Something important andcompelling. Maybe it's ourhistory.

Since the first invasion of thiscontinenl by Europeans, theNative American has beenbeseiged on every conceivablefront. That's not news. We're allproperly indignant at rhe endlesslist of broken lreaties and thelitany of horror stories: randommassacres. disease infestedblankets, forced marches in Ihedead of winter. The Irail alwaysled to the issue of genocide. It'strue: the Nazis studied theinterment and massacre of NativeAmericans when they drew up thcblueprint for Ihe Final Solution.

But what has always astoundedme is that the rationale presentedby those in power in Washingtonflies in rhe face of logic,intelligence, and simple humandecency. Let's face it, althoughthere's some dispute as to whetherNative Americans have been onthis continent for ten thousandyears, a hundred thousand years.or were formed from rhe soil bythe Great Spirit, the)' werestanding on tbe beach when the

first white man waded asbore.What's more, Native Americans

had a well developed cullure, werecompletely integrated into theirnatural surroundings and hadsystems of economics, ethics andreligion· all of which were moreadmirable and effeclive than anythe white man has since invented.(And by the way, the NativeAmericans wercn '( and ne\'cr willbe "Indians". Indians live inanother country. aptly namedIndia .. )

Unfortunately for (he NativeAmericans, one of theunderpinnings of their cult ure waslhe belief rhat when a man giveshis word. it means somclhing.Because honor was so integral apari of the Native American'sbeing. he was blind to the whiteman's deceptions and became asvulnerable to hi lies as he was rothe other diseases broughl fromEurope. Bu' that's all ancienthislory, righl? Not on your life.

There's a documentary filmcalled "Brokcn Rainbow"currently in release, As a matterof fact. iI's up for an AcademyAward. Here again, we see thefinagling, lying, and chealing ofthe white man in action - today,Not yesterday or yesteryear, bUItoday.

The film deals with the plannedrelocation of ten thousand Navajopeople under Public Law 93·531.so their land can be exploited forIhe coal, oil, uranium and naturalgas.

What the law, the governmentand (not surprisingly) the BIAhave ignored is that in the Navajolanguage there's no word for"reJocation," To be separatedfrom the land means to cease toexist. These people are notbickering about dollars per acre,they're clinging tenuously to theirvery existence.

Most in jeopardy is • mesawhich represents the core of theirreligious being· the center of theuniverse, As the film points out,strip-mining this mesa istantamount to bulldozing St.Paul's Basilica for the marble. Asusual, the white man doesn'tunderstand, or chooses not to. Heoffers money for things mone), Juslcan't buy.

But what can we do. you andme, right? We're just trying to getby like everybody else. We don'thave time to get out and fight thebulldozers, the governmentofficials, the major corporationswho finance this sacrilege and theBIA which sanctions it.

Some of us would like to standfirm in front of the tractors thatrip the Navajo crops out of theground. We'd like to return theherds of sheep and cattle whichhave been legally stolen fromthem. We'd like (0 cut down thefences Ihat separate a people fromthe land on which they've lived forcountless generations.

But that would be illegal. 11would be dangerous and ultimatelyil would do more harm than good.Besides, lei'S be honest; deep inour guts, we're afraid to take onanything so powerful that it couldwipe a whole people from the faceof Ihe earth.

Well, I'm going to tell you what

we ran do. We can do. We canfight alongside the avajo peoplein a legal and effective way.

Reprinled on this page is aform. Pul down your coffee cup foronCe and do something. Yes. you,Sign it. Send one to your senatorand one to your congressman, Andif you don't know who they are,find out.

Feel beller /lOW? Good. But,I'ou're not through yet. Makccopies, Get them signed by yourfriends; stuff envelopes with themand bury your senator's desk. Talkto your kids aboul it. SuggcSI theissue be taken up during currentevents at school. Think aboul iI,talk abollt jt. make the issue COme

alive. Gel angry!\Ve can create a ground s\\ ell of

opinion Ihat Jets the governmentknow thai JUSt Ihis once, the)must treat the Native Americanpeople with the respeN andfairness the.\' deserve. This isn't apolitical issue. it's an issue ofhuman decency that our politicianscan remedy, And it's an issue thairequires us to acl right now.We've got mere months 10 do ourpart.

Remember, the Potawatomi arca relocated people. Our peoplewere marched, starved, cheatedand fenced in. Without a longfight. the Potawatomi would neverhave gotten compensation of anysort. If anyone can understandwhat's going on, we should.

I just had a funny thought.Remember the old western movieswe all loved? Imagine this; therewe are, out on the prairie.surrounded, outnumbered six-to­one, Bullets and arrows are flying.Things don't look so good for us.Then, we hear the reinforcementscoming; we're saved, Do yourealize th~tt for us, thereinforcements would have to be., Indians "?

In closing, I want to share thistraditional Cherokee prayer withyou. We can direct il toKashamaneto.o Great Spirit wbose votee In lhewinds I bear,and wbose breatb gives life to theworld .• hear me.Before you I come, one of yourmany cblldren,Small and weak am I.Your strength and wisdom I need,Make me walk In beauty,make my beart respect aU youhave made,my ears 10 bear your voice.Make me wise that I may knowaU you bave taugbt my people,the lessons hidden In every rock,I seek strength, not to be superiorto my brotber.Make me fight my greatest enem,·•• myself,' •Make me ready 10 .stand beforeyouwith dean and straight eyes.When life fades, as the fadingsunse~

may our spirits srand before youwithout shame,

Sincerel)".Jeremy Bertrand Finch

1''-"111I' Iu 400.... btl", -.110 fOl'ft 10,000'-'I.....1lol """\'''lIo '"'*' .n tltdr I"M.PL 'J·SJ) .. R ......"_1) """"p -d nrr..rf"•.II .....rqk Ml! SM__ NW wWdl MUST IF.

R£'EAl.ED:"-" tUr ""-'d1Ak little..

Potawatomi Profiles

Doyle OwensIncumbent Vice Chairman

Age: 4S

Roots: Born in Lexington, Oklahoma and lived there six years beforemoving to Oklahoma City, Lived in the city for five years and then moved toShawnee: completed grade school and high school in Shawnee, Attendedbarber school. beauty school, and the Roffler (hair) Styling School.

Family: Immediate family includes wife Patsy and three sons - Neal,Tim and Stacy. Genealogical ancestry includes branches of the Peltier,Batese. Vieux, Nadeau. Coraell, Stackhouse, Helcel and McGuire families.

Pastimes: Hunting. fishing. boating; almost all outdoor sports.

Tribal Actlvilles: Scholarship Committee. Pottawatomie Inter-Tribal PowWow Club. current Vice Chairman.

Ch';c Actlvilles: Elks and VFW.

Personal Accomplishments for the Tribe: I like to think that 1 had a lot todo with getting all our people thc righlto vote via the new Constitution thatallows for abscnlee balloting, I also worked to get reinstatement and pay­ment of back per capita funds for the people who had been wrongfullyre!11lwed from the Tribal Roll.

Business Committee Accomplishments for the TrIbe: I personally feelIhis Business Committee's grealesl achievement has been to payoff themajorit\' of a backlog of debts without jeopardizing the quality of our eur­fent programs. enterprises and services.

Goals for the Tribe: My short and long term goal for the Tribe is tobecome totally self-sufficient and to be able to help our own people withoulthe a"istance of the B.LA. or federal government.

Greatest Disappointment In Office: The fact that we've had so manyl:lwsuils thal were unnecessary and unreasonable but that cost us a smallfonllne anyway. ThaI's all money that could have gone to payoff debts orexpand 'icrviC'cs.

Vice Chairman Doyle Owens and Secretary­Treasurer Kenneth 'Peltier have represented yourtribe in both the business and traditional worlds withhonesty. integrity and experience. They arerequesting your support in the 1986 Tribal Election.Please Vote!

Page 5

Kenneth PeltierIncumbent Secretary-Treasurer

Age: 63 -and in excellent health!

Roots: Born in Shawnee. raised in the Bethel. Dale, Acme and Shawneeschool districts, veteran of World War II.

Famny: My immediate family includes my wife, Pauline. and four chil­drcn - Kenneth. Jr., Nicki, Marsha and Tanya. My genealogical treeincludes Bourassa. Marquis and Harris ancestry.

Pastimes: Traveling. carpentry. painting and allending pow wows.

Trlbal Actlvilles: Four-time chairman and former secretary and vicechairman of the POllawatomie Inter-Tribal Pow Wow Club; former chair­man of thc Potawalomi Tribal Grievance committee; present TribalSccrctar~'-Treasurer.

Civic Actlvilles: Former Scout master, baseball coach and vice chairmanof the eOllnty Pony and Colt Baseball League; charter member of theHighway 102 Committec: charter member and former president of the DaleLion's Club: member and deacon of the First Christian Church.

Personal Accomplishments for the Trlbe: I was an ardent supporter ofn1l1' new Constitution thai took the Tribe's business to the Tribal Members

aurl gave lhem the vote. As Tribal Secretary I've worked very closely withntor arlmiuistration and accounting departments and am extremely proud ofthe faci lhal our Tribe has made a turn·around from "almost broke" 10mouths ago to the point where, I predict, we will be able to make a per cap­iw payment within the next year -without touching our Tribal j 'set~aside"

rt1nd~.

Business Commlltee Accomplishments for the Trlhe: The referendumnlle. paying off the largest indebtedness in the Tribe's history, tberegional council meetings that have truly taken the tribe to the Tribal111cmhers. anrl increased credibility and accountability on every level fromthc ",rrounding community all the way to Washington D.C.

Goals for the Tribe: To sec the Citizen Band Polawatomi Tribe operating'nlall~' in the black: to get our CharIer "loose" from Washington and put itIn a vole of the people: to increase our.enterprise income and to see a perrapila paymenl made to cvery member of the Tribe within the next year.

Greatesl Disappointment In Office: When the last General Councilseated in Shawnec voted down the annual budgel -including all moniesr",. maintenance of thc cxisting Tribal Complex: the exorbitant legal fees\\'e hO\'c had In pav to fight nuisance suits brought against us.

P..,d I'oinical Advert;,ement

Page b

Potawatomi legacy (f tom IJcI!\t' 0:,\('

early 1800's and was one of eight children born to Antoine Ouilmette (sameas Wilmette) and Archange Chevallier, who was PolawalOmi. She had abrother, Joseph Wilmelle, who was Ihe forth child, born in 1808. AntoineOuilmelle was born in Landrayh. near Montreal, Canada in 1760. In 1790,he settled in Illinois near the mouth of the Chicago River and was a furtrader in the area for nearly 35 years. In 1796, Antoine married ArchangeChevallier, whose mother was Potawatomi and whose father, like Antoine.was a French trader.

Antoine Ouilmette. was considered an equal by members of the Tribeand had consiGerable innueilce within the Tribe. Iii July of 1829. the Treatyof Prairie du Chien granted a reservation for the Ouilmeltcs of two sectionsof land on Lake Michigan where Ihe present towns of Wilmelle (namedafter Antoine) and Evanston are located. The family lived on this land until18J8 when they moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Antoine Ouilmelle died atCouncil Bluffs in 1841 and Archange (Cheval/ier) Ouilmette died in 1840.

Pete Anderson's father, John. died in Peoria. Illinois. when Petc wasabout two years old, in 1847. The widow. Mary. and her three children thenmoved to Council Bluffs to where many of the Tribe had by now beenremoved. In 1848. Pete's mother died while they were living at CouncilBluffs. Pete and his brother John lived at Council Bluffs until aboul 1850 or1851 when, along with the Tribe. they were removed to the Silver Lake.Kansas area. Pete (age 5) and John (age 13) made the Irip 10 Kansas alongwith their grandmother. Archange (Wilmot) Tremblay.

Soon after this. John was sent away to a school near Weslport. Missouriand learned the blacksmith trade. John relurned 10 Kansas in aboul 1858and in 1859 he Iravelled with Thomas J. Lazell 10 the Pikes Peak region ofColorado during the Gold Rush. On February 10, 1862. after returning toKansas from Colorado. John Anderson married Elizabeth Hardin, also aPotawatomi, and established an Anderson·Hardin connection that wouldcarry-over to Pete, when Petc would later marry Elizabeth Hardin'syounger sister. Julia Hardin.

The Hardin sisters were the daughters uf John Hardin and Margaret(LaFramboise) Hardin. John Hardin was a native of Missouri. born in 1815.Margaret LaFromboise. born 1825 in Illinois, was Ihe daughter of ClaudeLaFrombolse and Shawwenoquah, both of Potawatomi blood. Claude'sfather was Francis laFromboise. a fur trader who~married a Potawatomiwoman. Margaret had a brother, Joseph LaFromboise. who rose to pro·minence among the Tribe as a chief in the middle 1800's. Joseph was nut ahereditary chief, bUI was chosen to lead his people because 'he had beeneducated in Canada.

Joseph· LaFromboise was a chief of the Potawatomi when he and othermembers of the Tribe arrived in Kansas at a place they called Silver Lake inthe spring of 1847. The town of Silver Lake. Kansas, reportedly derived itsname from the chief's bird dog named Silver, who hunted about the lakeand caught wild ducks. The Hardin sisters were both born in Iowa.Elizabeth in 1844 and Julia in 1854. Other members of the John Hardinfamily included Davis (born 1850. Iowa), Thomas. also called Bud (1852,Iowa), Nards (born 1860). Roseann (born 1865, Kansas) and Mary Louise(1867, Kansas).

In Kansas, the pressure of white settlement finally resulted in a treaty inNovember 1861. providing for allotment of lands in severalty and the saleof surplus reservation lands for the benefit of the Tribe. The "surplus"land. about 350,000 acres, went to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa FeRailroad for 51 per acre, a price which enabled the company to realize ahealthy profit through resale to white settlers. In November 1863, landswere allotted to those Potawatomi who wished to become U.S. Citizens andown land individually. About 1.400 Potawatomi elected to be allotted landswhile about 800 elected not to be allotted. The Potawatomi who were allot­ted lands became known as the Citizen Band· Potawatomi. Those who werenOI allotted lands became known as the Prairie Band Potawalomi and wereallowed a small reservation to be owned in common. The Andersons andthe Hardins were among those to be allotted lands in Kansas. CecileLaFromboise. age 30, (relationship unknown) was living in the John Hardinhousehold in 1863. and was also allotted land in Kansas. later. PeteAnderson. John Anderson, Davis Hardin and Thomas Hardin would all. atone time or another, sign documents and represent the new Citizen' Band ofPotawatomi Indians as negotiators or interpreters,

In about 1868, John Hardin died. By 1870, Pete was 26 years old. livingin his brother's household near Silver lake. Kansas, and working as alaborer. The value of Pete's real estate holdings at that time was reportedat 52.000. John Anderson was working as a blacksmith with Ihe value of hisreal estate reported at 52.000 and his personal property at $600. His familyhad grown to include children Charles. Julia. Mary and Henrietta. Johnand Elizabeth would eventually have IJ children. though two of thechildren died in childhood: louis at age four in 1867 and Henrietta as aresult of a prairie fire. Davis and Thomas Hardin were working as farmersand living in Iheir mother's household. Margaret Hardin's (age 46) realestate was valued at 56.000 and her personal property '.vas valued al53,300. Margaret eventoally remarried after the death of John Hardin. Theman she married, John Clinton, a 32 vear-old stonemason from New Yurkowas with the family by 1870. Pete's fiancee. Julia Hardin. was IS years old.living at home with her mother and had attended school in the area.

It is not clear whether the Andersons and the Hardins sold their Kansas

allotments or lost them to fraud. however, in the spring of 1871. the PeteAnderson and John Anderson families were among the first sevenPOlawatomi families to move to a new reservation in present day Pot·lawatomie County. Oklahoma. The families traveled to Indian Territory in14 covered wagons and included the Melot, Clardy, Peltlfer, Burjon androupain families. The new community they established was called PleasantPrairie and was located about five miles northwest of present Wanette. Bythe end of 1871, the populalion of the town had grown to 28 and includedthe Clinton, Johnson, L.R. Darling, Anloine Bourbonais, Nedeau andGeorge Young families, Davis Hardin remained in Kansas until a[ Icasl1875. where his daughter Anna was born. Davis was married to HannahGoodboo and they eventually had six children. Thomas Hardin married Liz­lie Rhodd and Ihey had five children.

The little town exisled and went by t1le name of Pleasant Prairie from1871 to 1881 when the name was changed to Wagoza. John Clinton servedas (he new postmaster of Wagoza. The post office. however. was eventual·Iy discontinued in June. 1884. Earlier. in 1875. Clinton - along with JohnW. Smith, received the contract to build the first masonry building in Pot­tawatornie County, the Clardyville school. The school was completedDeeember·18. 1875 at a cost of51,719 and was built of large native slone.The school served as a Potawatomi day school and was the result of a writ·len request by J.E. Clardy. "delegate to the Citizen of Potawatomi."

Pele and Julia Anderson had seven children af1er"they arrived in IndianTerritory. Beginning with William P.. born in 1872, they had Isabelle(1874), George W. (1876). Nellie (1878). Davis Hardin (1880), Franklin J.(1883) and Benjamin (1885). However. with Ihe birth of Benjamin tragedyoccured. as Julia. age 31. died as a result of the childbirth. With Julia'sdeath. Margaret Hardin-Clinton and Mary Hardin came to assisl Isabelle.age J I, in taking care of rhe infanl and lhl' younger brothers and sisters.Isabelle would remain unmarried until all of her younger brolhers andsisters were grown and Davis Hardin Anderson Slated that she \.Vas one ofthe big influences in their Jives.

Pete and Julia (sometimes called Mary by her children) Anderson'schildren were born ncar Wanette in a log cabin that was built by Pete.Isabelle (Anderson) Mims remembered: "Father cuI and hauled, about 10miles, post oak logs to build the first home, which was a two room loghouse with a hallway between. He also made clapboard (shingles) for theroof. Father freighted all the groceries from Sherman, Texas. He drove awagon and good horses and it took him about 10 days to go and come. Hewould have to camp, as neighbors were far apart. He bought flour in thebarrel, green l'Offee by the low sack, sugllt by the hundred pounds and can·ned goods In big boxes full. Falher was nol a eatlle man, jusl a fanner, buta good provider.

Pete and Julia Anderson belonged to a small "Quaker" communitychurch in the area. John and Elizabeth Anderson were also members of theSociety of Friends (Quakers). Elizabeth attended school at St. Mary's Mis­sion in Kansas for about three years in her girlhood and was first instructedin the Catholic faith but, like her husband John, she later joined the Societyof Friends. The Quakers have no formal creed, rites or priesthood and re­ject violence in human relations.

The town of Pleasant Prairie apparently was not what the name implied.Davis Anderson told a story of, as a child, waking up one night and hearingthe dogs barking. His dad, Pete, opened the door to the cabin to have twoshots fired al him. One shot hit the opposite cabin wall and showered Davisin bed with the white wash that was on the cabin walls. Davis' futurefather-in-law, John Smith, (Davis would marry Honor Smith in 1905) oncerode to Fort Sill in an effort to gel the U.S. Cavalary to come and restoreorder in the area. Fort Sill was the nearest telegraph stalion and in seekingapproval from Washington D.C. for the use of the Cavalary. he was toldthat rhe Polawatomi Nation was nol withIn the V.S. Cavalary'sJurlsdlctJonand Ihal Ihey could nol help.

The nearest doctor was 18 miles away. in Purcell. Isabelle (Anderson)Mims noled that:

"M)' erandmother (Margaret Hardln.Cllnlon) acted as midwife to ournelgbbors. 11 lUIy of us or our neighbors were sick with colds or pneumonia,she doelored us with an ointment made of skunk 011, quinine and coal oil,mixed good and rubbed on our ehest, lunas and throal, Ihen healed a redflannel cloth and placed It over Ihe greased parts. If we coughed much, shepul a little sugar In a leaspoon, dropped aboul Ihree drops of coal 011 on Itand we swallowed It. Every spring we bad 10 lake a tablesp<lon of sulphurand sorehum for about a week. Grandmother healed Jimpson weed leavesto draw Inflammation out of sores or bolls. She used peaeh tree leavesmade Into a poultice for locked bowels. She had a reme,!\- for all ouraUmenls. H •

In the new Potawatomi Nation (Indian Territorv). Pete and John Ander.sun and Davis and Thomas Hardin were active in· numerous business deal­ings between (he government and the Potawatomi Tribe. John Andersonallended to interpreting and making out of deeds to propert~· for tribalmembers at IRe rime of settle men, here. Davis Hardin acted as seerelan' ofthe tribe for some lime. Davis spoke Potawatomi and Kirkapoo and 'didconsiderable interpreting between Indians and white men in business dealsinvolving callie. etc. In 1883. Pete Anderson and Thomas and Davis Hardinwere among [he Potawa[omi leaders [0 sign [he following document:

- one family's story

Page 7

In 1890. Ihe Oklahoma reservation lands were allotted to the members ofthe Tribe with the surplus lands to be opened to white setllement by a landrun. Tribal members also received per capita payments, made in 1891.amounting to $16.91 each, in ~onncction with dissolving the reservation.John Anderson and Davis Hardin were on the Citizen Band POlawatomiBusiness Committee that entered into the agreement at Shawnee Town,near present Tecumseh. Other members of the Business Committee ill·c1uded Alexander B. Peltier, Joseph Moose, Stephen Negahnlquet, JohnB. Pambogo and Alexander Rhodd. The land run occured on September 22,1891. Davis Anderson remembered that day because his father. Pete. rodeover to the run boundary to watch the action at the start of the race. PeteAnderson chose to lake his allOlment along the North Canadian River in lhefar northwest corner of the reservation because of the numerous outlawsthat were operating in the Wanette area. in the southern part of the reser·vatioll. Three months later, however, another tragedy befell the PetcAnderson family.

The Pete Anderson household was about six miles from the 7C Ranch.owned by neighbor William "Bill" McClure. Written acounts of thetragedy vary. however, according to one written account, Ihe notoriousJohn Bly Gang had been harassifig cattlemen and settlers in and aroundOklahoma City for more than two years. The regular law officers had beenunsuccessful in apprehending (hem. In desperation, District .ludge John G.Clark issued bench warrants for their arrest and special1y commissionedFrank M. Gaull (foreman of lhe 7C and nephew of Bill McClure). givinghim authority to swear in his own deputies.

It was Christmas day 1891, bUl immediately Gaull and his depulies .Pete Anderson, Pleas Gilbert and Frank Cook . stalked the gang aboutseven miles east of Choctaw. Pete Anderson was killed in the ensuing gun­bailie, while Gault wounded and captured the Blys and rounded up theorgang. Gault was hailed a hero and dubbed by Oklahoma Territorynewspapers as "The Cowboy King of Oklahoma City."

Another account states that among the cattle thieves were "old man 81yand son." The thieves had sIal en a lot of Bill McClure's cattle. lawofficersdepueized Pete Anderson, Frank Gault and Bill McClure in an efforl to cap­ture the thieves. The catlle thieves killed Pele from ambush. while the of·

Dear Sir:We the Cillzen Band of Potlawalomle would respeelfull)' represent lhal

al Ihe enrollmenl of our penple on Ihe 41h Ins I. In nrder In take allolmentsnf land: that Special Agenl Townsend allowed all white-men Ihal were mar­ried 10 our women 10 be enrolled as members nf Ihe Citizen Band of Pbl·tawatomies.

Nolwlthslandlng our unanimous protesl.The Act of Congress of Ma)' 23rd, A.D. 1872, secures and guarranlees to

us and to tbe Shawnees In the Tracl of tblrl)' miles square bnmes, and 10our children's homes· and Inheritances (orever; and In the absence of Codeof Laws 10 enforce sucb rules as berelnfnre enfnreed b)' Ihe Tribe, also nnl10 exerlse tbe privileges as clllzens of Ihe Unlled Slales.

We Iherefnre claim Ihe rights and privileges Ihe Act of Congress confer.upon us; 10 have In some respecls a supervision of the Tract of Ihlrl)' milessquare; to designate who are our members, and who shaIJ be members oflhe Citizen Band nf Pnl!awalom1es.

The whites, whenc\lcr they become as members of our Tribe, it was onlyby an Acl of our Council and nnl by marriage, and when we made a divisionof lands and Funds ae.nrdlng to Ihe Trealy of Nnvember 1861, Ihey receiv­ed Iheir pro rala share of lands and mone)'s alike 10 an)' olher member ofIhe Tribe. And In said Trealy a provision was made, Ihat Ihe United SlaiesIndian Agenl should lake an accurale Census of all members of the TribeInto two separate lists, those desiring lands in Commnn who numberedseven hundred elghly (7801 and Ihnse desiring lands In severally, orallolees, who numbered fourteen hundred (1400). Then the whiles Ihalwere Included In Ihe number fnurleen hundred (1400) are members of IheCitizen Band of Pnllawatnmles, and no others.

We mosl respectfull)' requesl you to Immediately forward Ihls 10 theHon. CommIssIoner of Indian Affairs with your approval.

Respeclfully yours,Dave HardInPeter AndersonSamuel AlleyPeter Ihe greate XR.P. McKlnneSlephen NegahnqultShupsbewannnJames On. BaldwinThomas NegahnqultThomas HardinThomas Goodboo

Maj. J.V. CarlerU.S. Ind. AgentSac and Fox Agenc)', I.T.

Wagoz8, Port. Naf., Ind. Territor}Ma)' 91h, 1883

ficers. Gault and McClure were nol hurt. The officers caplured some of thethieves. bUI it was unclear whether the thieves that ShOI Pele Anderson\l,'ere ever captured.

Still another wriHen account states that the gun battle with cattle rustlerslOok place a few miles west of the old town of Jefferson. Jefferson waslocated aboUl four miles northwest of present Asher. In this account, bothAnderson brothers were involved and both were shot. with Pete being kill·ed.

The slory. as handed down by. family members, has the same tragic en·ding but is a lillie bit 'different. According to family accounls. two brotherswho operaled a slaughter house in Choctaw had been stealing cattle in thearea and butchering them to sell in their business. Word got out that thesebrothers were going to be out taking callie on this Christmas Day in 1891.Pele and the rest of lhe posse, which included Frank Cook. quietly came upon Ihe brothers and found them in the act of butchering a steer in a fieldeast of Choctaw near NE 10th and lynch Road. The posse was detected andas Pete looked up over a log, he was shot between the eyes.

After the death of Pete, which was about six years after Julia had died,some of the Pete Anderson children lived at nearby Sacred Heart Mission.Davis Anderson talked of life at Sacred Heart and jokingly remembered thepriests living on Ihe second floor above his room loudly partaking of liquidspirits in the evenings. Isabelle Anderson said she went to Sacred Heart foraboullhree years. Sacred Heart Mission was laler completely destroyed byfire on January 15,1901. Also. after Pete's death. Joseph W. Daniels. whowas an educated man and an attorney in the area, was appointed as thechildren's legal guardian. Mr. Daniels was married to Mary Anderson,who was a daughter of John and Elizabeth Anderson.

The Pete Anderson children not only attended Sacred Heart Mission fora period of time but. after Pete's death, his brother John would take awagon load of his and Pete's children to Kansas to the Indian MissionSchool. The children would stay for six months and would return for sixmonths. Davis told that one trip to Kansas included one of JohnAnderson's sons who, upon arrival. decided that he did not want to stay.He would not let go of the wagon and no amount of persuasion could con·vince him to let go and stay. John fmally took him back to Oklahoma Ter­ritory.

As a child at the Kansas mission school, Davis remembered that the boysand girls had separate living quarters. They shared a common wood pileand would leave notes 10 each other in the wood pile. Davis also tired of theschool in Kansas and, along with his friend Jnhn Taseler, proceeded towalk back to Oklahoma Territory. Davis said that since John Tascier was offairer complexion, Davis would stay out on the road while John would go upto farmhouses to ask for food. They eventually did make lheir way back 10

POltawatomie Counly.On March 21, 1892, one of John Anderson's sons, Thomas (born 1873),

submitted an application for the establishment of a post office 10 be locatedthree miles south and one mile east of present Macomb. The first choice ofthe name was "Deliware. I' then "Delewarc," but the final approved nameof the town and POSI office was" Anderson." There was one store in thetown of Anderson, owned by Situs Wesl, and a school nearby called Ander­son School. In back of lhe school was a good spring which fed nearbyDeleware Creek. The town of Anderson. however, did not survive long, forthe post office at Anderson operated for only a little over two years and wasdiscontinued on June 5. 1894.

Margaret Hardin~Clinton died at the age of 69 on December 17. 1894.Her death touched off a conlroversy regarding the disposition of her 160acre allolment that lasted until 1904. Margaret and John Clinton lived onher 160 acres six miles west of Shawnee. Her youngest daughter, Marylouise and her husband John Reed, from Honey Grove. Texas, lived withMargaret and John. John Reed and Mary louise had one daughter. Rosa.born in 1891. In January of 1892. prior to Margaret's death, Reed ap·parently prepared Margaret's will. setting forth that all of Margaret's pro·perty would pass to himself and his wife. Mary louise. Also prior toMargare,'s death, Mary louise died on December 27. 1893. which meantthat Margaret Hardin-Clinton's entire estate would pass to John Reed.When the will was presented in court. it was contested by the other livingheirs who were entitled to a share of her estate, ie, Elizabeth Anderson,Davis Hardin, Thomas Hardin. John Clinton and the children of thedeceased Julia and Pete Anderson. The will was ruled void by a probatejudge in Tecumseh.

In 1896. John Reed then atlempted to purchase the land from each of theheirs for a tolal of about 51,000. Reed told lhe heirs that he wanted his onlychild, Rosa. to own the land. Elizabeth Anderson, Thomas Hardin, DavisHardin and John Clinton each then signed over deeds for their share of theland. Julia Anderson's children. William, Isabelle and George were at least21 and they also signed over their deeds. The other children of Julia andPete Anderson were still under the legal guardianship of Joseph W.Daniels, and Reed did not secure the deeds for their share. William,Isabelle and George each received 528.50 (full paymenl for their one·seventh interest in Julia's sharel. Elizabeth received 5100 when she signedover the deed and a promise to pay of 5100. Thomas received 5125 cash,two cows valued at 540 each and 40 bushels of corn valued at 25 cents a

(continued page 8)

Pag(' 8

Legacy (from page 7)

bushel. Davis Hardin re<.'eived a promise to pay of S250 and John ClinlOnreceived one horse valued at S25. one saddle valued at 55 and a promise topay of $200.

However, on August 5. 1900. John Reed died before any additionalpayments were made. At Reed's death, the heirs discovered that Rosa'sname did not appear on the deeds. but that the land effectively had bccnconveyed to John Reed. To further complicate the affair, John Reed had awill in which all of his property passed to his brother. William Reed ofHoney Grove, Texas. rather than his daughter Rosa. Joseph Daniels hadapparently decided to sell the shares of his wards when they reached theage of 21 and as long as his wards were paid, he did not argue about thename on the deed. Davis was staying with Daniels when Daniels wroteWilliam Reed on July 27, 1902, from Exendine (Caddo County). OklahomaTerritory:

"I write and hereby aequaint )'ou with the fact that another one of myWards, David Anderson Is now 21 years of age and he desires me to say toyou, tbat be would like you to .ettle witb him al once for bls inleresl in and10 bls grandmolber's Estale (Margarel Clinton, Deceased)....Davls is outbere "Itt. ne on my claim and will be for tbe next 6 or 7 week., at wblcbtime be will return back bome & gatber bl. crops, So kindly give Ihls matteryour prompl attention & oblige the boy."

William Reed eventually paid Davis and sister Nellie $28.50 each. butdid not acquire the shares of Frank and Benjamin as they were still minors.With Joseph Daniels as their guardian, the children of Pete and JuliaAnderson who signed over their deeds were fully paid. The other heirs, notincluding Pete and Julia's children, had been paid a total of onI)' $345. withabout $550 still being owed. However, Reed claimed that the other heirshad been completely paid and sought title 10 those deeds based on hisbrother's will.

A eourt battle ensued involving Elizabeth Anderson, Thomas Hardin,Davis Hardin and John Clinton versus William Reed. in which the heirscontested the deeds being perfecled in William Reed's name. The attorneyfor the heirs was George A. Outcelt of Tecumseh. Mr. Outcelt argued thatWilliam Reed should not get title to the land because the heirs had beendeceived into signing over the deeds and. in any event, the considerationmoney had not been full)' paid. The atlorne)' for William Reed was W.S.Pendleton of the law firm of Gross & Gross in Honey Grove, Texas. Heargued that the heirs knew fully well whose name was on the deeds whenthe)' signed ,hem and that they were lying about the facl that they had notbeen completely paid. Pendleton stated that Reed was entitled to the landand that the heirs:

" ... belng simple-minded Indians, the)' were evidently induced by someshrewd person to perjure themselves to regain a tract of land, now worfh$5,000, which they once sold for $1,000....However, if Ibe Agenl or theHon. Secretary has any doubt as to any particular payment being made, wesland ready 10 make It good."

In rebuttal, Mr. Outcelt pointed out that Pendleton's statemenl aboutmaking good an)' particular payment was, in effecl. an admission thaI thepa)'ments had nol been made. Finally, in August of 1904, Agent FrankThackery of the Shawnee Agency, reported to the Bureau of Indian Affairsin Washington D.C.. that he felllhe heirs had been deceived into believingthat they were signing over their interest in the land to Rosa. and would nothave signed had the)' known that. in fact. it had effectively been signedover to John Reed. He acknowledged that some partial pa)'ments had beenmade and noted thaI the land was first class bottom land with 70 acres incultivation and was now worth $7,000. Thacker)' recommended that theland be awarded 10 the heirs and Ihat the heirs then deed their interest inthe west one·half of Ihe tract to their niece Rosa, " ... for 51, love and affec·tlon. "

On April 6. 1905. Davis Anderson. age 24, married HonorSmilh, age 17.Honor Smilh was the daughler of John and Ester or Edda (Shoree) Smithand was born in Rich Hill, Missouri on Februar)' 5. 1888. Honors fathercame to the Choctaw area in the early 1880's b)' train from California. Hermother was the widow of Potawatomi allottee L.R. Darllngt who accidental­ly shol himself to death pulling a rifle out of the back of a wagon. AfterSmith had been unsuccessful in getling the U.S. Cavalary to come 10 thearea and restore law and order, the family moved from the old Darlingallotment to Rich Hill. Missouri. Honor had three sisters, Frankie. Doraand Pearl. who were also born in Missouri. She also had two older half·brolhers. Fordice S. and Herman W. Darling, and an older half·sister nam·ed Mary.

Periodicall)'. Smilh would come back to the allotment to check on theland and to search for land in safer parts of Oklahoma. He ruled outweslern Oklahoma because of the large population of rattlesnakes. In 1894.Ihe family moved back to Oklahoma to live on Iheir allotment. which wasnear the Anderson aliotments. The family lived in two dug-out homes buillinlo the side of a small hill about one-quarter of a mile east of the IndianMeridian just south of present NE 23rd Street. One dug-out was used forliving quarters and one was used for cooking and storing food and supplies.The dug·outs were each one room with a large fireplace along the back \'\:allbig enough for a Iree trunk 10 be placed in it. The tree would burn con­tinuously and was used to help start smaller Slicks for the morning fire,

After Davis and Honor were married. they moved to Oklahoma Citywhere Davis worked with Joseph Daniels in a new horse business, Daviswas good with horses but he longed for the more wide open spaces of theChoctaw area. Daniels and Davis agreed thai Davis wuuld stay and \vork illthe horse business for a year. In relOrn for the year's work. Daniels ,ga\'l:

Davis and Honor five acres of land located about three-quarters of a mileeast of the Indian Meridian fronting along the north side of present NE23rd Street. Davis and Honor eventually had five sons. with the first. Vin.born on. 'ovember 18. 1905. Their other sons were Panl (born 1907). DavisRussell (1910). Victor Gene (1922) and Bobby Hardin (1927).

The first house on the five acres was a used two-room rectangle storebuilding. The house was moved from Choctaw with a leam of horses (abouttwo miles) b)' Davis and brother·in·law Ford Darling. The house had onelarge room and one small room, floors that were about three feet uff theground. large windows all along the fronl and ten fOOl high ceilings. Thefive acres was bordered on the west by a small creek that fed into ChoclawCreek to the north and had two water wells. Davis farmed in the area andon this five acres would cultivate potatoes. corn and sorghum to feed to thehorses and other livestock. He leased other farmland in the area, includinghis brother Frank's 8) acre allolment just to the east. and raised cotton as acash crop. Davis also raised chickens and usually had a hog or two forslaughter in the winter.

The winter of 1905-1906 apparently was a severe one. for pneumoniatook a tremendous toll on Ihe Anderson and Hardin families. Within aperiod of 15 days. John Anderson's wife Elizabeth, age 62, died February2; brolher Davis Hardin, age 56, died on February 10; and brolher ThomasHardin, age 54. died on February 17. John Anderson remained as the sur·viving member of the Anderson-Hardin families 10 have travelled from II·linois to Council Bluff to Silver Lake to Oklahoma and he remained in theShawnee area until his death in 1911.

In February of 1908, Davis Hardin Anderson. age 26, and William P.Anderson. age 35, filed papers with Agenl Frank Thacker)' requesting a feepatent (title) to their 80 acre allotments east of Choctaw, which they even·tuall)' did receive. On August 16, 1910, Frank J. Anderson, age 22. filed fora fee patent on his 80 acre allotment, valued at 54,000. In his request hestated:

"I have served as a juror at several terms of court. I pay taxes, vote andlake an Inlereslln our Counlry, Slale affairs, and I am absolutel)' compe·lenllo Iransact my ever)' bnslness & for thaI reason I know & believe thaI Iam & ought to be entitled 10 all the rlgbts, privileges and ammunilies Ibalany otber Ameriean Citizen enjoys. Olberwlse It is bumiliatlng to baverestrictions over me. All m)' brolbers and sislers have been grant"" title Infee simple 10 Iheir land. M)' allolment of land Is worlb les. than half asmuch as eilher of Ihelrs. Tbe Rail Road runs tbrough it, depreeiatlng Ibevalue stili more. The norlh parI of said place runs to the NOrlh Canadianriver & Ibe bottom Is sand)' and lake land & tbe soulb parI is hili or slopeland. So you can see II is a very poor piece of land. Now, Mr. Thaekery, Iam married & jusl starled out in life & if I bad a fee title to my 'and, I could& would make a change tbat would be greatly 10 my inleresl. Your promptasslslance will be greatly appreclaled.

Yours Ver)' Respectfully,Frank J. Anderson

Most of the other Pete Anderson children eventually sold theirallotments though they continued to live in the area of the old reservation.William and Benjamin lived in Choctaw, onl)' one block apart. Frank livedeast of Choctaw. Nellie lived in Harrah and Isabelle lived in Oklahoma City.George W. Anderson, however, lived on his original allotment until hisdeath. The other ehildren of Pete and Julia Anderson also began their ownfamilies and included William P., who had one son, Earl; George had twosons, Jesse and Leonard, and one daughter, Mary; Isabelle had one son;Nellie had a son, Walter. and daughters Wenona, Naomi and Ethel; Frankhad one son, Arthur John. and one daughter. Adean; Benjamin had nochildren.

Davis Anderson continued to farm in the area easl of Choctaw after hesold his original 80 acre allotment. He did. however, try his hand at olherendeavors. Davis and Ford Darling ran a livery stable in Choctaw for anumber of years and in February of 1917, Davis was working with a con·struction crew near Enid, Oklahoma. but he apparently again longed to beon the farm when he wrole:

Dear Wife.I just arrived in Waukomis, Will go out 10 the Bridge in Ihe morning, It

will lake us two weeks to finish up bere, If any thing happens you write orphone me al Waukomis, Try and seillbem pigs. You aut 10 bave four Or fivedollars a piece for Ihem. If )'OU can't get that I wouldent sell them. Sa)'Babe if )'OU wanl me 10 come home to stay renl 20 or 25 acres of goodground and I will come bome for good. Write me as soon as you can and tellme what you have done In regard to tbe land quesllon. Tell tbe boys 10

write me, Hoping 10 hear from you soon.Dave

Davis did come back to the five acres 10 farm and the family continued tolive there until the 1960·s. The land is still in the Anderson family as of1986 with son Victor Gene living on an adjoining ten acre tract.

Of the Davis Hardin Anderson famil)', Davis Russell. Victor Gene andBobby Hardin are still living: Davis Russell and Victor Gene in Choctawand Bobbv Hardin in Wilton, California. Son Paul died in 1957. Davis Har·din died in 1959 and Honor in 1969. Son Vin died January II. 1982.

Vin Anderson was my grandfather. Vin married Wilma White and theyhad I\\'U sons. Johnny Vin and Tommy Lee. Tommy Lee Anderson is myfather. My mother is Joyce U. McDonald. I am married to Kimberly Diane(Vincent) and we have two daughters. Brook Honor and Ashley Elle. TheAndersoll s!ory for these later generations will need to be written later all.

Tommy Craig Anderson. 1986