"History on the Oklahoma Choctaws and Chief Durant" 
by: Guy Augustus Crossett
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Submitted by:   Mary Arteaga  _  Amarya@aol.com 
and Nina Faye Crossett Bunyea
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with the USGenWeb policy
of providing free information on the Internet, this 
data
may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this
message remains on all copied material. These electronic
pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or
other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial
individuals and libraries is encouraged.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Article written by my grandfather, Guy Augustus Crossett.  
Mr. Crossett was the editor and publisher of the Caddo Herald 
in Caddo, OK from 1904 until his death in 1948.  He was married
to Daisy Baxter, daughter of  Choctaw pioneers in the Caddo area.  
Submitted by Mary Arteaga, Granddaughter and Nina Faye Crossett 
Bunyea, daughter.


History on the Oklahoma Choctaws and Chief Durant.
The selection of W. A. Durant to be Principal Chief 
of the Choctaw Nation by President Roosevelt January 16th, 
is one of the special interest to Oklahoma as a whole.  
The name Durant is as common in France as that of Jones in America.  
It means "durable or constant".

Names of families among the Choctaws were derived in several ways.  
English, French and Scottish traders intermarried with the tribe-women, 
and gave their names.  Folsom, Gardner, names frequently encountered 
were from the English.  LeFlore, Durant and Brashears were from the 
French; while McCurtain and MeIntosh were from the Scotch.

Durant, now just past the three score and ten milestone of life, is no 
novice in the science of politics and government.  He is versed both in 
the Indian ways and in the whiteman's customs, having held many places 
of responsibility with both peoples.

The office of Principal Chief of the Choctaws pays but $2000.00 a year 
salary, with expenses when traveling on business of the Nation, trips 
to Washington, and the like.  There are no Choctaw laws to enforce now.

First, he was Sargeant at Arms of the Constitutional Convention, where 
he learned the white man's way of drawing statutes.  He was an apt pupil 
under Haskell, Murray, Williams and others of that famed body.  With 
statehood he represented his home county five terms in the Legislature, 
being speaker of the House in the Third.  It was my privilege to be 
Chief Clerk of that body, which among other things moved the State 
capital to Oklahoma City, and was careful that the state did not lose 
anything in the negotiations about the lands donated for that purpose.  

Durant was a member of the Choctaw council, and was presiding officer 
of that body, in its dying days.  It will be remembered that until 1904 
the Five Civilized Tribes were self-governing, having a separate 
governemnt, independent in all things of the United States except control 
of foreign affairs and post offices, in things that pertained peculiarly 
to their own tribes.  The Choctaw Nation had seventeen counties, a 
legislature, its principal executive was called Principal Chief; had 
a Supreme court, County courts and district courts, with provisions 
for marriages, settlement of estates, crime punishments and civil matters.  
Women did not vote, males did after age 18.

In 1918, W.A. Durant was a candidate for governor of Oklahoma, but was 
beaten by J.B.A.Robertson in a campaign that was lively, but not bitter. 
After his defeat, Durant campaigned strongly for the election of his 
victorious opponent.                                                 
By the terms of the Atoka agreement adopted in 1898, it was provided 
that a gradual termination of the tribal affairs should be obtained.  
The lands then being owned in common, were to be allotted to individual 
citizens; and this work was done by the Dawes Commission.  
Provision was made for townsites, and for diversion of the land and 
lots to any persons who could comply with the provisions of the law.  
Until then no title could be obtained by white people to the lots on 
which cities and towns had been built.  

There were no schools for white children except subscription schools; 
practically no rural schools. There were no roads worthy of the name.  
Trails and wagon paths wound around promiscuously as the nature of the 
ground permitted; streams were crossed where nature had cut a ravine, 
and formed a ford.

In this First Legislature there were many strong astute lawyers who 
pitted their wisdom against the younger and inexperienced fire of 
Murray, Durant and McCalla, but always to come out second best in 
every clash.  
In the First Legislature Durant, with John r. McCalla, was floor 
leader of the forces that placed Murray as Speaker of the House, 
and succeeded in putting through administration bills.  In this 
session of 160 days Durant never missed a roll call, which shows 
his intense devotion to duty.  A record achieved by no other member.  

Immediately after statehood, a celebration fo the union of Oklahoma 
and Indian Territories was had at Guthrie.  Durant, dressed in the 
regalia of a war chief, feathers and all, represented the Indian 
territory; C.G. Jones, prominent Oklahoma City builder, represented 
Oklahoma Territory.  Their marriage symbolized the indivisible union 
of the two territories into the now great State of Oklahoma. 

Page 2

In later years, Durant was Secretary of the State School Land 
Commission; where he did a notable job in taking care of the inheritance 
of the school children of the state.  He has held important places 
with the corporation Commission of Oklahoma.  Durant held an AB Degree 
from Conway College in Arkansas, dated 1886.  He practiced law in Durant, 
a town named for his family, until the advent of statehood, and was 
instrumental in rights of his people being safeguarded in the Federal 
Courts which were established at the time of the Curtis bill in 1898.  
The Indian territory had been divided into 25 Recording Districts, to 
correspond to counties, for court and legal purposes; all officers 
being appointed by the Federal Government; juries were selected from 
among the white and Indian citizenship.  This after the white people
had come to the Indian Territory for settlement purposes, though 
they could own no land. 
The virgin soil offered quick and bountiful returns for slight effort. 

As lands were allotted to Indian Citizens, each one as a rule had much 
more land than he could farm (the Indian as a rule did not take very 
well to the toils fo farming); so the surplus land was fenced and 
rented to white farmers who came mostly from Texas and Arkansas. 
It was a share crop system that is in vogue to this day.  Farm houses 
were but raw shacks, and barns were mostly the great outdoors.
As towns sprang up, the need for roads and schools became more apparent; 
and these were supplied by public subscription.

For the past two years, Durant has been chairman of an Indian committee 
which recommended relief and recovery projects for the several Indian 
tribes.  Through his work he was responsible for the new $900,000.00 
general Indian hospital now being built near Talihina.  On the site 
of 1200 acres is already established an Indian Tubercular hospital; 
and nearby is the State Tubercular hospital. 

The Eastern Indians are peculiarly in love with their section of the 
state.  There is an Indian hospital at Medicine Park, near Lawton, 
to which these sick may go, but they will not stay when sent, preferring 
to suffer in their own wilds that dwell on the prairies in the short 
grass country.  So Uncle Sam builds a 200 bed hospital near the center 
of their Nation.

Page3

Durant is interested in the schooling of the children of his tribe.  
There are only two exclusively Indian schools in the Nation.  
One for girls, Wheelock Academy, near Millerton; one for boys, 
Jones Academy, near Hartshorne.  
Both schools teach not only the arts and sciences, but have industrial 
arts.  The Choctaw boys and girls are taught to use the privitive 
things they have available at home.  Instead of gas and electric cooking, 
they use wood stoves (for that is the only available fuel at home). 
Other Choctaw children are educated in state and private boarding schools 
on contract with the U.S. Government. Tishomingo Murray College; Oklahoma 
Presbyterian College, Durant, and Goodland Orphanage near Hugo, have a 
large number of such children; and the Indian boys and girls are learning 
the ways of their white brothers by contact with white children. 
Durant is expecially interested in widening the scope of this work, so 
that any Choctaw boy or girl may have a chance to get an education, no 
matter how far in the hills they may live. 
Choctaw boys and girls have taken readily to the teachings of 4-H Clubs, 
and are fast getting familiar with newer and better methods of taking 
care of what nature gives them.

A sidelight on education is revealed by a section of the Choctaw laws 
of 1841, which provided that "if a child in one of the Choctaw schools 
after two years' trial was found to be incapable of learning, he should 
be removed and his place taken by another."  This recognized the fact 
that not all people are capable of doing the thinking necessary to 
education. 
Until these New Deal measures for rehabilitating the Indian peoples 
came into vogue, the Principal Chief had little to do.  He was occupied 
mostly by signing deeds and contracts and appearing before the Congress 
when Indian affairs were up for consideration.  
Now the job is one to occupy the serious thought and all the energy of 
a well-seasoned man if he is alive to his opportunity, and Mr. Durant 
seems to be fully aware now of his opportunity to  serve his people 
in a material way.

Another project near the heart of the new Chief is the restoration 
of the Choctaw Capital at Tushkahomma.  This building and grounds 
once were sold to the State of Oklahoma with the idea of moving the 
building to Durant on the campus of southeastern State Teachers College; 
But the plan failed to materialize.  
Through Durant's influence an appropriation was made by congress to 
buy back this propety for the purpose of restoration.  Also through 
Durant's efforts the Sixteenth Legislature passed an act by which it 
resold to the Choctaw people this property for $1000.00, the amount 
paid by the state for it.

Page 4

More than the restoration of the building is planned by Durant.  
He envisions a kind of shrine or gathering place for his people at 
Tushkahomma for the years to come.  
The building will be a sort of museum; the grounds will be landscaped; 
camping places, well-watered and shaded, will be provided; a keeper 
will have charge of the place, but anyone may come and visit the old 
scene of so many conflicts.  Historical matter will there be preserved. 

It is recalled that in 1902, when Green McCurtain and Tom Hunter were 
candidates for Principal Chief of the Nation, that Durant took some 
interest in the campaign for Hunter.  After the election, both sides 
claimed victory, and Tom Hunter, with his forces were first to sieze 
upon the Capitol at Tushkahomma and occupy it; he being recognized 
winner by the Choctaw Council.  
He was also sustained by the United States Marshal's forces.  
The Interior Department under Schoenfelt had different ideas. They 
preferred McCurtain, and the battle was on.  Hunter was not recognized 
Chief by Washington, but he held possession of the capitol and refused 
to budge.
After days of doubt, the Interior Department succeeded in getting the 
War Department on its side; and in a short time, a company of negro 
soldiers stationed at El Reno were dispatched to Tushkahomma to 
dislodged the Hunter forces.

A cousin of Durant's, Wesley Durant, was Captain of the Choctaw 
Lighthorsemen, and he was in charge of the Hunter military forces 
that held the capitol. 
As soon as the negro soldiers detrained, they marched the mile to 
the capitol, and as they marched up the hill with fixed bayonets, 
Durant's forces, only 16 men, perceiving that discretion was the 
better part of valor, departed by the back stairs, and the negro 
troops, prepared to fight nobly, gained a bloodless battle, and 
occupied the capitol without widowing a single Choctaw woman, or 
making any orphans. 
McCurtain was installed as Chief and Hunter went back to his home 
at Caddo to contemplate the vicissitudes of politics. Hunter is 
now and has been for many years county judge of Choctaw county, 
with his home at Hugo. He was only thirty-two years of age when 
he was chief for a few days'and since had been active in state affairs.
With the fall of Hunter forces Durant was not recognized for some 
time, but differences soon faded in Choctaw politics, and he became 
influential in the politics of his people two years later.
	
Page 5

After statehood Choctaw children were allowed to attend schools 
established in cities and towns, but the Indian funds were used 
to pay tuition for them, since their lands were not taxed. 

The early Choctaws had ideas of conservation that could be used to 
this day.  In 1841 an act was passed that prohibited the cutting 
down of a pecan tree, under penalty of $5.00 fine.  
Another law provided that one farm fence could not be closer that 
a quarter of a mile to another farm.  There being much cattle among 
the Choctaws, this law assured ample grazing close to the homes of 
the people.

To provide funds by which to run their Government the Choctaws 
resorted to privilege taxes to be paid by white people who came 
to work for, and to serve the Indian people.  
A doctor was taxed $10.00 a year; a lawyer or editor was charged 
the same amount for living within the confines of the Nation. A 
white renter was charged $2.50 a year for the privilege of tilling 
the soil, but the land owner had to pay this.  
Penalty for not paying this fee each year was whipping, administered 
by a lusty officer. White merchants were charged a fee of one and 
one-half percent of the value of goods introduced into the Nation 
for sale.  To get around this provision sometimes a native was 
taken in as a partner in the business, but the white man got the 
profit, if any. 

Some Indians were quite shrewd traders and amassed vast fortunes, 
to later be dissipated by less astuted progeny. Wilson N. Jones was 
one of these. He owned cattle on a thousand hills and had several 
mercantile establishments when he became Principal Chief in 1892. 
He had a fine home east of Caddo, which still is standing, having 
withstood the storms of many winters and the blisterings of 
numerous summers.  

Boggy Johnson, for whom Boggy Depot was named, also was a noted 
trader fegore and after the civil war.  He owned hundreds of slaves 
whom he never saw, and traded up and down Red River from Shreveport 
to slate Shoals, north of Paris; then inland to Boggy depot. 
After his death, few of his effects could be found.  
Captain Hester, father-in-law of Senator Robt. L. Owen, was also 
a noted white trader of later years, with headquarters at Boggy Depot.

Boggy Depot is now but a memory, a place, with ruins of a few of the 
ancient buildings, elegant in their time, but now placed in the limbo 
of the past.  In former times it was the center of the society of two 
Nations, of trade for a wide scope, before the railroads came--and 
missed it. Then Caddo and Atoka became the trade centers.  
During the years 1870-72 Caddo was the terminal of the MK&T tailway, 
and from it wagon trains distributed goods east, west, and south, 
to Paris, Sherman and Fort Sill.

Page 6

Liquor was forbidden to be brought into the Indian Territory. The 
law was violated many times, and the penalty was the penitentiary. 
Many subterfuges were resorted to in order to get the liquor into 
the Nation, but the U.S. marshals were alert, and succeeded in doing 
a fair job of enforcing the law.  

Durant was born near what is now the town of Bennington in Bryan 
county, and as a boy and young man he roamed the prairies after 
cattle, hunting and fishing.  
No fences to impede or hamper, the cattle grazed on the rich grasses 
of the prairies.  Until about 1885 none of the prairie lands were 
in cultivation, the people thinking them to be unfit for anything 
but grazing. Usually a clearing was made in the woods for a little 
corn patch, for gardening and for cotton. 

The principal wealth being cattle, the wide prairies were their home; 
no thought ever being given to raising feed for any kind of stock. 
One law that present day people might ponder was that pastures could 
not be burned until danger of frost was over in the spring. This dead 
grass formed a mat under which green grass grew all the year, so 
that cattle could have advantage of the green food during the frozen 
days when shows came and when the earth was otherwise barren. 

Indian corn was used for human food, and it was the principal article 
or staff of life, from which the ingenious women prepared many kinds
of foods. Tom Fuller is the most noted, this being about what corn 
hominy is now, though not so well cleaned. 
Other articles of food came from berries and grapes, which grew in 
profusion throughout the wooded parts of the Nation. These industrious 
women, as a rule tended the gardens and the corn patches, did their 
sewing and made clothing from hides of animals taken by the male hunters. 
Gradually they adopted the ways of white people through the influence 
of traders and Christian Missionaries; traders brought new clothes, 
cooking utensils, axes, guns, ammunition; the Missionaries brought 
education, religion and better standards of living.

Durant, though half Choctaw, does not speak the language, which is 
a beautiful one about to go the way of all the earth.  Of course, 
he understands a few words, and can catch the drift of any 
conversation. The United States schools had discouraged the use 
of the Choctaw language and required each child to learn English 
and use it in classes. 
All the treaties are written in English--the earlier ones also 
were written in the native language.  One peculiarity of the 
Indian language is that there are no "cuss words".  When an Indian 
desires to curse, he has to resort to English.  About the worse thing 
he can call a man in his language is a "long-eared mule".
	
Page 7

The earlier Indians, after their experience with Confederate money, 
were insistent that they be paid in gold or silver, no checks or 
greenbacks for them. Cattle buyers always provided themselves 
with shot sacks, full of silver and gold when they went to buy cattle. 
Hard money was necessary.  

Choctaws were quick to join the confederacy in 1861, they being 
slave holders, and did not desire to relinquish so valuable a 
property; they made good soldiers, but fought a losing fight. 
Not much of the fighting occurred within their Nation, though 
the Cherokees saw a great deal.  Choctaw soldiers were with 
General Stand Watie and General Cooper in the fights around Pea 
Ridge in Arkansas. The women and children at home were busy 
supplying the army with ammunition, food and clothing, and 
underwent many hardships.  

By the treaty of 1866, the Choctaws lost their slaves and also 
part of their patrimony, it being insisted by the Federal government 
that slaves have a part of the lands of their former masters.  
In the allotment of land, each former slave was given one-fourth 
as much land as his Indian master. The best allotments consisted 
of 160 acres, but as the land was poorer, the acreage was greater 
until some got as much as 4000 acres each. The number of acres was 
divided by the number of people; and valued by surveying parties. 
Each individual drew $1041.28 in land, which made even 160 acres 
of $6.50 land, the highest value.  Land with merchantable pine 
timber was allotted, but the timber was appraised separately, 
so that the larger acreage, while of poor land, was worth more 
on account of the timber.

As with every other peoples there were citizens who at allotment 
time had no improvements, so had to get their lands where possible.  
Some bought improvements or the right to allot from citizens who 
had too much land. Others went to the Chickasaw Nation for allotments, 
which in some cases proved valuable, after oil was discovered in 
the Ardmore, Healdton and Duncan fields. Among these are several 
whose resources are worth millions; but they are restricted as to 
use, the funds being doled to the individuals by the Indian agent 
at Muskogee.

Mr. Durant plans also to restore and mark many of the historic 
spots in his Nation. Several of the old schools are now ashes; 
many spots important in olden days are laid waste. There were 
academies, colleges, meeting grounds, trading posts, wells and 
springs; noted river points---all of which have historic interest. 
The Works Progress Administration has had workers locating these 
places, but no markers have as yet been placed. 

In doing this work for his people Durant plans to use only Indian 
men and women for the work,  since the recovery must come through 
his people being occupied with remunerative employment. 
He plans to build a number of roads of gravel and chat through 
the Nation so that these historic points may be reached, and so 
that the people may have an outlet for their products. 
Community projects will include backet weaving, and art to which 
many are now adept; making of furniture from native timber; 
building numerous ponds to hold back the waters that fall 
copiously in the southeast; so that streams may not be flooded, 
and so that there will be more places for fish; that the air 
may be cooler;' that camping and outdoor places may be more 
comfortable; that the people may do the things unmolested led 
by their instinct and inclination.

By Guy A. Crossett, Caddo Herald