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Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: November 11, 1937
Name: Dan Scott
Post Office: Stilwell, Oklahoma
Date of Birth: July l, 1872
Place of Birth: Flint District, Cherokee Nation
Father: Liver Scott
Place of Birth:
Information on father:
Mother: Polly Hughes
Place of birth:
Information on mother:
Field Worker:
Hummingbird & Bigby

Interview: #12092

Dan Scott, a three quarter Cherokee, was born in Flint District, Cherokee Nation, July l, 1872. His parents were Liver Scott a half-breed Cherokee* and Polly Hughes , a Full-Blood.

The family consisted of Huckleberry, Dan and Peggie of the Liver children.* Isaac HUMMINGBIRD, Charlotte Hummingbird and Nancy STARR were half brothers and sisters.

EARLY LIFE
Scott was born about a mile north of present town of Stilwell, now the county seat of Adair County. The Kansas City Southern Railroad has built a great lake on the premises on which he was born, He grew to manhood on this small farm of about twenty acres. But at that time his father was considered a wealthy man. He owned several head of cattle all the time. He usually raised all the food that the family consumed on this farm. The principal crop on the place was corn. They raised plenty of hogs in this part of the country.

EDUCATION
Scott did not receive any education because he was an old timer. He did not believe in an education. He was a believer that education taught the Cherokees crookedness. Therefore he was not forced to go to school. He did not even learn to read or write his name. He was taught to write his name after he married. His mother made him go to school one time he remembers. When the bell rang, it scared him and he ran home. He never went any more. There were two schools near their home. These were the Fairfield and New Hope schools.

CHURCH
The earliest church established in this community was the Fairfield church. When Dan Scott was a small boy this was already a well organized church. The right date is not known when this church was established but the oldest church in this part of the Cherokee Nation was the Antioch church which was located on Peavine Creek, about five miles north of the town of Stilwell.

The Fairfield church in the early days was composed of several active workers. Among them were Jim Fishinghawk, Jackson REDBIRD, J. H. GRITTS and the Reverend SHELL was the pastor at that time.

The church was located about one hundred yards south of the lake known as the Pump Pond on the K. C. S. Railroad. It was made of wood. The community at that time was not thickly settled. This church building was also used for a school. Bill GOTT taught school in this building.

TRADING AND MILLING POINTS
Evansville, Arkansas, was their main trading and milling point. Sometime later a small store was established at the end of the prairie, south of where they lived; Henry DANNENBERG operated this store. After the railroad was built, this store was moved to about where the Christian Church is now in Stilwell. At that time Stilwell was a prairie and some parts of the town were mud holes.

Most of the Cherokees then did their trading at Henry Dannenberg's store. Later, they established a post office at this place. The land on which Stilwell now stands belonged at one time to Henry Dannenberg, Ben FREEMAN and Liver Scott.

NEWSPAPERS
After the post office was established at Stilwell, a mail carrier from Tahlequah would come twice a week to deliver the mail to the Dannenberg store. He went to Evansville. The "Cherokee Advocate" was printed at Tahlequah. This newspaper was the first printed matter that most of the Cherokees had ever seen.

About letters, the Cherokees did not communicate with one another by letter. This paper was printed both in English and Cherokee.

DAWES COMMISSION
This was a committee that visited the Cherokees to make up the rolls for allotment. They stationed a man at Dave Muskrat's on Step Mountain for the Cherokees in this part of the country. His name has been changed four times. His first name was Foster Scott, later Kennie, Ovadi and at the time of the Dawes Commission he was called Dan which is his name now.*

CIVIL WAR
Dan's father was a Union soldier in the Civil War. He enlisted and was stationed for a long time at Fort Gibson. He was in the battle of Bentonville, Arkansas. He never fought in what is now Adair County.

BATTLEFIELDS
There were battles fought at two places within three miles of the place where Dan was raised. One was fought at the Eli Scotts Springs which is about two miles northwest of Stilwell and another was fought where Jim NEFF's place is now, near the Maryetta School.

SECRET SOCIETIES
At that time when Dan Scott was a small boy there was only one secret society among the Cherokees and that was the Kee-Too-Wah Society. This organization started back in the old country. Dan Scott's father was a strong believer in this society. Dan was taken to their meetings while still very young.

He was also taught what that organization was for. The meeting place of these old timers was up the hollow from where Jack SOAP's home was at that time. That would be about four miles northeast of Stilwell now. When he first went, he was still small. He remembers that Dave HITCHER was the man that made the talk at this meeting. It was a secret organization at that time. But now they hold open meetings.

ALLOTMENT
The Scotts were in favor of the allotment; they were the only Cherokees in this community who belonged to the National Party who favored this law. Most of the Nationals were against the allotment.

Submitted to OKGenWeb by Sandi Garrett cwydrw@sstelco.com Aug 2000.

[*Notes from Sandi:

This is our Cherokee Nation Chief, Chad Smith's wife Bobbi Gail Scott's grandfather, which she is a cousin to me.  Also this is was printed in the "Goingsnake Messenger" when I submitted it and the Scott line.

*After visiting the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Tahlequah, OK. I have become aware Liver was a full blood. Liver could speak both Cherokee & French and was more than likely a translator.

*Why Columbus French Scott was not mentioned as his brother bothered me at first. In my research I knew French had killed a man and had gone to North Carolina, when he returned home he was sentenced to a year in prison. Also, Dan's second wife was a daughter of Ned CHRISTIE. He may have decided it was not best to rekindle any grudges that may still be around. From the 1883 roll for French it was recorded as Polly being his legal guardian. All other documents stated he is a son or testified his parents were Liver & Polly.

*Dan was also listed as Obediah, Kinney & Daniel.

*The names mentioned in the interview are well known in our family line. The Gott's are relation on my grandmother Kate CARDEN's side & Dannenberg's on both of my grandparents line.

The Scott name is still prominent in Indian Territory Oklahoma & many other State's. I will be happy to share information or answer questions, if I can. You may reach me by e-mail: cwydrw@sstelco.com web page http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/cherokeewoman/index.html or P.O. Box 48, Spavinaw, OK 74366.]