There are perhaps one hundred silent reminders recognizing the rich history of the seven counties comprising Northeastern Oklahoma, so many that it would take an agenda of several days to see all of them Most involve the nineteenth or twentieth century, but with a little sleuthing there’s even a pre-historic site to be found. About two miles northwest of Afton is the location of Afton Spring. It created a sensation around 1900, when scientists from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. excavated the site, uncovering countless Indian artifacts as well as bones of prehistoric animals. The spring flowed quite freely until lead and zinc mining began in Ottawa County. And, there are the caves in Woodard Hollow, the home of tribesmen who lived here around the birth of Christ. Unfortunately they have been inundated by Grand Lake and the artifacts that were rescued are stored at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman,
Explorers like Frenchman Claude du Tisne roamed freely in the region during the early 1700s, followed by trappers and traders, although there was scant trace of them until 1796. At that time Jean Chouteau established, abandoned, then reestablished a trading camp in Mayes County, a few years later to be called Salina. Shortly thereafter, in 1806 near Okay in Wagoner County, Joseph Bogy founded a trading post called Three Forks, because it was close to the confluence of the Arkansas, Grand and Verdigris Rivers. It was an excellent location because rivers were the super highways of that era. A state marker is nearby. In 1820, Union Mission was founded in southern Mayes County to minister to the Osage tribe. All are destinations worth visiting.
About the same time, Texas cattlemen began driving six dollar steers from as far south as Waco, Texas to sell for as much as seventy dollars a head in St. Louis. Crossing the river around Fort Gibson they traveled up the east side of the Grand River, but later when Kansas City became a reality, they headed north, on what became known as the Texas Trail. We travel the Texas Trail frequently today, now known as Highway 69. Incidentally, so many thousands of cattle packed the earth that when the Katy Railroad was built along the same route in 1871, on occasion tracks were laid directly on their hoof prints because the ground was packed so hard.
The forced relocation of the Five Tribes saw dramatic changes in our region. One of the first settlements was a Baptist Mission built in the spring of 1839 and located just northwest of Westville in Adair County. Cherokee immigrants called it “Breadtown,” because that’s where they received government subsidized supplies. Meanwhile, down in Cherokee County, mixed breed Cherokees established Park Hill, where the Oklahoma Historical Society maintains the Murrell house, and, soon after Tahlequah, the capitol of the Cherokee Nation was founded. Government buildings still stand there.
In 1843, the Military Trail, originating in St. Paul, Minnesota at Fort Snelling and terminating in Nachitoches, Louisiana at Fort Jesup, ran the length of our region. Established as a frontier defense, it proved to be a regional highway for thousands of pioneers traveling to “free land” in Texas. Vestiges of the Road remain and occasional markers and numerous tales trace its existence. Of course the Civil War left its mark here. Numerous skirmishes at Cowskin Prairie and another at Fort Wayne in Delaware County as well as full scale battles at Cabin Creek and Locust Grove in Mayes County bear witness to that. Visitors to those sites can literally visualize the carnage.
Following the war, desperadoes found a safe haven in Indian Territory and bank or train robberies were prevalent, witnessed by folks in nearby Southwest City or Adair among others. And, recently relocated Indian Tribes were trying to carve out a life in Ottawa County at establishments like the Wyandotte Boarding School in Prairie City, later known as Wyandotte. At about the same time, a half breed millionaire Indian genius named Matthias Splitlog started his own town of Cayuga in Delaware County where the church he built still functions. Of course, numerous graveyards are silent reminders of fallen heros such as Goingsnake, a Cherokee Warrior and leader in Adair County or staunch missionaries like Daniel Butrick at Dwight Mission in Cherokee County. More recent occupants of the “Silent City” include the Barker gang near Welch.
Personalities, of the 20th century, both famous and infamous, also permeate the region. Noted criminals, including Bonnie and Clyde, once frequented Ottawa County along highway 66. On the positive side, Oklahoma icon Will Rogers and gifted athletes like Mickey Mantle or artists including Charles Banks Wilson or author Lynn Riggs and famed ballerinas Mosceyln Larkin and Yvonne Chouteau originated here. History surrounds us, visiting it is good for a Sunday drive. For details check the website, www.grandriverhistory.com. or your local library.