~ Copyright 1973 By ROBERT EMMETT SMITH, JR •. All rights reserved. No part of this thesis may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, re­ cording, or by any informational storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author. THE WYANDOT IND IAN S, 1843-1876 By ROBERT EMMETT SMITH, JR.: /I Bachelor of Science Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, Missouri 1960 Master of Arts Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 1968 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillmept of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May, 1973 ,~fc-<iLJ /c;'/J3fc :::- t, 5f, _; ,::~. e~( >~: .-<.'' 0f~l.t·JiGMA $TATE Ur-.i!VERSIT'r LIBRARY MAR I 3 1974 THE WYANDOT INDIANS, 1843- H)76 Thesis Approved: Dean of the Graduate College 875620 ; ; PREFACE This dissertation began with a casual stroll through the old Huron Cemetery in the heart of downtown Kansas City, Kansas, in September, 1968. My curiosity led rne to seek more knowledge about those Indians who once lived in Wyandotte County, Kansas. I started with Grant Foreman's The Last Trek of the Indians, a survey of the removal of many of the Indian tribes to Oklahoma. Foreman's work, publi,shed i,n 1946, remains the standard reference for the removal of the small tribes, but space limitations made it impossible for him to include a comprehensive account of the removal of any one tribe. Further research revealed that there were conflicting accounts of various aspects of Wyandot civilization. Isolated incidents did not present an accurate picture, and I believed that only a detailed analysis would give the total story. In 1971, after this topic was approved for my dissertation by my doctoral committee, I examined the Wyandot papers of the Office of Indian Affairs. These records, to­ gether with the John G. Pratt Parers, the John M. Armstrong Papers, and other materials, confirmed my view that there were significant historical differences between the Wyandots and many other emigrant tribes. The predominance of white blood in the tribe, and the out­ standing qualiti,es exhibited by some of its leaders, led to novel solutions in various situations. During both the research and writing of this study, I attempted constantly to reniember that the Wyandots in the nineteenth centuty had different values and habits than white Americans, A realistic appraisal of their civilization was possible only by i:naintaining this attitude. I tried to retain a neutral stance throughout this study, but occasionally the evidence was so one-sided that my conclusions may seem to support the Wyandots or the United States government, The able and often needed assistance of the staff of the Oklahoma State University Library deserves my appreciation, In particular, I would like to acknowledge the support of the late Mrs. Marguerite S, Howland, the head documents librarian; Mr. Josh H. Stroman, who was of invaluable help in acquiring much needed material; and Mrs. Heather MacAlpine Lloyd, the reference librarian, who was of inestimable value in my research. The author extends appreciation to M;i.ss Esther Norman of the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library for her help in locating items in the Kansas Collection. Mrs. Peggy Smith of the Kansas City, Missouri, Public Library was helpful in locating newspapers in the Missouri Valley Collection. Valuable assistance was rendered by Mr. Joseph W. Snell of the Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, Kansas, in lo­ cating manuscripts in the Wyandot Indian Collection and the John G. Pratt P<:!-pers. Many significant items were located in the John M. Armstrong Papers, thanks to the able assistance of Mrs. Marie E. Keene of the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art in Tulsa, Okla­ homa. Mr, Jack D. Haley, Assistant Curator of the Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma Library, Norman, Oklahoma, located a number of manuscripts for the author. Special thanks are extended to Mrs. Rella Looney of the Oklaho~ Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for her help in locating numerous items in the Wyandot Indian Collection. Courtesy and cooperation were extended to the author by Mr. Leonard N~ Cotter, Chief of the Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma, who con ... sented to be interviewed, and who related his person experiences of over thirty years as a tribal official. Mrs. c;eci lia Wallace, and her daughter, Mrs. Charlotte Nesvold, descendants of Isaiah Walker, graciously consented to an interview and allowed the author to examine Wyandot archives in their possession. Special thanks are extended to Ernest Huper, who drew the map and the graph. I would also like to thank the members of my graduate committee for their aid throughout my entire ~raduate program, and for their careful reading of this dissertation: Professor James Stine of the Geography Department; Dr. H. James Henderson, Dr. Douglas D. Hale, Dr. Robert Spaulding, and Dr. LeRoy H. Fischer of the History Department. I owe special thanks to Dr. Knight, who, as head of the History De­ partment, made it possible for me to pursue my graduate academic degrees, and to Dr. Fischer, the chairman of my graduate committee, whose long, hard, and able editorship of my dissertation is appreciated, I would also like to thank my son, Rob, and my daughter, Theresa, for tolerating a father who was often irritable, and who did not seem to understand that sometimes children create noise when they play~ But most of all, I want to thank my wife, Ami, who has had the fortitude to bear with a historian for these last eight years, and .whose encourage­ ment, writing help, and typing ski,11 has made this dissertation pos­ sible. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. THE FIRST YEARS, 1535-1745 • • • • 1 • • • ~ . ' . II. THE WY'ANDOTS W OHIO, 1745-1843 . ~ . .. 16 III. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WYANDOT TRIBE IN KANSAS, 1843-1850 • • • • • • • . 63 IV. POLITICS AND TUB,M)IL, 1850-1855 . • 109 v. THE DISINTEGRATION Of THE WYANDOT TRIBE, 1855-1861 , • , , , •• , • . • ••••• •'• .. 131 VI. THE CIVIL WAR AND 1HE FINAL REM)VAL OF THE WYANDOTS FROM J{ANSAS, 1861-186 7 . 164 VII. THE WYANDOT TRIBE IN INDIAN TERRITORY, 1867-1876 • . • 206 vrn. THE LAST YEARS, 1876 .. 1973 . ~ . , . • • 238 BIBLIOGRAPHY . •• 261 ;List of Figures Figure 1. Route of Migration of the ·'wyandot Indians • • • • • • • • • • 9 z. Popula~ion of the Wyandot Indian,$-•lQS0-1900 ••••••••• ti ,,..: .: CHAPTER I TH~ FIRST YEARS, 1535-1745 A melancholy Wyandot congregation cr9wded into the Methodist Mission at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, to hear the farewell sermons in early 1 July, 1843, Within 9 few days these Indians were scheduled to depart for their new home. Reverend James Wheeler, the resident white missionary, preached a stirring sermon in English, When Wheeler com- pleted his comments, Squire Greyeyes, a converted Wyandot, took his place at the p14lpit, He preached in Wyandot while John Mcintyre ,f\rm~ strong translated the sermon into English so the many Indians who did not understand their own language c;ould comprehend, Greyeyes began:. Adieu to the graves where my !athers now rest!. For I must be going to the far distaTit; west. I've sold my possessions; my heart fills with woe. To think I must leave them, Alas! I must go. FareweLl ye tall oaks in whose pleasant green shade In childhood I sported, in innocence played; My dog and my hatchet, my arrows and bow, Are sti 11 in remembrance, Alas! I must go. 1 Wyandot is the correct ethnological spelling of the name of the tribe. However, records of the United States Office of Indian Affairs often refer to the tribe as Wyandott or Wyandotte, The French called them Yendot, Ouendot, Tionontates, Etionontates, Tuinontateks, Dionondaddies, Khionontaterrhonous, or Nation d14 Petun (tobacco nation), They were caUed Nati.on du Petun because of the superior quality of tobacco they cultivated and the fact that they produced it in s14ch large quantities that they were able to create an extensive commerce in its barter with other tribes. Huron is a French nickname which means bQar, The Huron hair style was arranged in a fashion which gave the impression of a boar. The Wyandots were also called Wandat or Wendat. 2 Adieu ye loved scenes, which bind me like cha:i,ns, Where on my gay pony l chi:ised o'er the plains. The deer and the turkey I tracked in the snow. But now I must leave them, Alas! I must go. Adieu to•the trails which for many a year I traveled to spy the turkey and deer, The hills, trees and flowers that pleased me so I must now leave, Alas! I must go. Sandusky, Tymochtee, and Brokensword streams, Nevermore shall I see you except in my dreams, Adieu to the marshes where the cranberries grow O'er the great Mississippi, Alas!. I must go. Adieu to the ;roads which tor many a year I traveled each Sabbath the gospel to hear, 'l'he news was so joyful and phased me 510, From hence where I heard it, it grieves me to go. Farewell my white fr:i,ends who first tau$ht me to ~ray And worsh:i,p my Sav~or and ~ker each day. Pray for the poor native whose eyes overflow, With tears at our partin$, Alas! I must go. When Greyeyes finished speaking, many were crying. The Wyandots Qegan t;heir jouJ;"ney to the Indian i;.ountry west of the MississipJ)i River c;m July 11, 1843. They were t;he last tribe to ieave Ohio, ano thus ended an era in the history of what had been one at the most powerful tribes in the Old Northwest.2 Despite the impression given by Greyeyes 1 s impassioned eloquence, the Wyandots were not indigenous to Ohio.