Choctaw Papers
Guidebook to Manuscripts
From "Guidebook to Manuscripts", 1969: These are various papers regarding money due the Indians from sale of lands under the terms of the Dancing Rabbit Creek Treaty. The "land warrants" are signed by the Indians with their marks. Some documents relating to George Durant as Commissioner of the Court of Claims and papers regarding this office, mostly in the 1870's, and an Act to improve the procedure of the Probate Court signed by Allen Wright are also included in the collection. There is one undated letter relative to the "Net Proceeds" claim of the Choctaws against the government for their lands in the East written by Colonel David Harkins, and a message to the Council from Principal Chief Green McCurtain (1903). There are sixteen letters of John T. Cochrane concerning the Choctaw claims dated 1861, five or six of them to Albert Pike. Cochrane was an attorney representing the Choctaw Nation. Interesting item: A document conveying title to a quarter section of land due Cun-con-tum-be under the fourteenth Article of the Dancing Rabbit Creek Treaty signed by President James K. Polk in 1846.
The Choctaw Papers consist of a collection of materials such as personal letters, military letters, and legal documents, voting records, and appointments ranging from 1831-1903. Letters include correspondence from Commissioner General I. H. Cook, Colonel Greenwood LeFlore, Joseph G. Heald, Sam P. Shattuck, George Durant, and others. The collection documents show the appointment of different governing officials within new Choctaw land, including voter lists and appointment records for Principal Chief, Commissioner on the Court of claims, and other positions ranging from 1861-1898. Some notable documents are a land grant to Cun-oon-tam-be under 14th Article of Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek which is signed and sealed by President James Polk (1846), a list of Choctaw voters (circa 1890), and a land bounty for a Choctaw warrior who served in Volunteers War of 1812 (1860).
Dates
- 1846-1903
Language of Materials
Materials in English
Access Restrictions
Available by appointment only at the Helmerich Center for American Research (HCAR) with the exception of materials with donor restrictions. Contact Library staff in advance to inquire if materials exist pertaining to your research interests.
Use Restrictions
Please contact the Rights and Reproduction Department for information on publishing or reproducing materials included in these records. Permission will be granted by the Gilcrease Museum as the owner of the physical materials, and does not imply permission from the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all necessary permissions from the copyright holder.
Extent
12 item(s)
Provenance
The Gilcrease Foundation acquired these materials before 1964 and is housed in the Helmerich Center for American Research (HCAR). The library currently receives most materials through community donation, board members, artists and the acquisition of manuscript collections.
Processing Information
Staff, interns, and volunteers of the Thomas Gilcrease Library and Archive have contributed to the organization and maintenance of the files since the collection passed to the City of Tulsa in the 1950s.
- Title
- Manuscript Collection: Choctaw Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Gilcrease Museum/Helmerich Center for American Research Repository
918-631-6403