Cherokee Phoenix

DOCUMENTS

Published June, 12, 1830

Page 4 Column 1a-3b

DOCUMENTS

Relating to the boundary line between the Cherokees and Creeks.

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HEAD OF COOSA, 21 Dec. 1829.

The statement of Walkingstick, a Cherokee Indian, supposes he is about fifty five years of age. He says he came to the waters of the Hightower on the south side when a boy, and has been raised there on Crawfish Creek about fifteen miles above Old Hightower Town; about eight years ago, he removed and settled on Sweetwater Creek about ten miles from Buzzard Roost, and settled on what he thought to be Cherokee lands intending to remain there, but when the line was run from Buzzard Roost to Will's Creek, it left him about one quarter of a mile on the Creek side; he therefore determined to remove back to his own nation. He has been back three years. He states that when General Sevier marched an army into the Cherokee Nation, upwards of thirty five years ago, he crossed the Hightower River about one mile above the mouth of the Oostanalee, and a party of the Cherokees met the General and fought him, and he then turned backward again and recrossed the river. He was one of a body of about one hundred men who embodied to meet the General, but they were too late in getting to the place of operations-he mentions this circumstance to show the Cherokees then occupied the Country in dispute.

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WALKINGSTICK X

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Sworn to and subscribed before me, the same day above written.

JOHN RIDGE.

C. N. Council C. N.

HEAD OF COOSA, 21st Dec. 1829.

The statement of the Flute, or Old Turkey, a Cherokee Indian, supposes he is between sixty and seventy years of age. He was one of the Cherokee Chiefs who accompanied Chuliowah and others in 1802 to a treaty in Georgia between the United States and the Creek Nation. He says when they arrived at the treaty ground they were received by the United States Commissioners in a very friendly manner, and informed them that their presence was absolutely necessary to the business they had to do, as they wished to know the proper or true line between the two nations before they made the purchase from the Creeks so that they might not purchase from the Creek Nation the land that belonged to the Cherokees.- He also states that the Creek Chiefs received them kindly, and were willing to agree upon a line between their lands, and they then agreed to make a corner at the Shoals or falls on Appalachy that is at or near William Scott's old store, this is the lowest falls on that river. They then agreed to run the line from there to the Chattahoochy, leaving the S. Mountain on the right on the Cherokee lands, and strike the Chattahoochy at the mouth of a large creek, which empties into the river on the west side about two miles below the Buzzard Roost, and from there to the Ten Islands on Coosa River, and then to the long leaf pine on the Tombigby waters.- He never knew of any other line between the two nations, but the one he has spoken of until the line was agreed upon from Buzzard Roost to Will's Creek, and he never heard that the Creek Indians claimed the land above the later line until lately, since the line has been run.--He means to say that he heard the State of Georgia claims it lately under a purchase from the Creek Nation, he has never yet heard that the Creek Nation claims the land above the line.

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OLD TURKEY X

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Sworn to and subscribed before me the day above written.

JOHN RIDGE,

C. N. C. Cherokees.

HEAD OF COOSA,21 Dec. 1829.

The statement of Major Ridge, one of the principal Chiefs, and member of the Executive Council of the Cherokee Nation, states, that at a time Col. Barnet and Governor Sevier United States Commissioner met at Ten Islands on Coosa to run out the line of the treaty with the Creek Nation, under the provision of the Treaty of Fort Jackson in 1824, a great number of Cherokees met them at the Ten Islands in order to show the Commissioners the line of the Cherokees on the Coosa River, and whilst there at the Ten Islands the Cherokees discussed the subject of their line amongst themselves, when they determined to appoint two Commissioners on their part who should designate and point out the different points at which their line should run.- They appointed Col. Richard Brown as the Commissioner to designate the line--west of Coosa River, and they appointed this deponent, Major Ridge, to designate the line east of the Coosa River. They the nation agreed that the line crossed the Coosa at the Ten Islands, and Col. Brown said the line should run thence to Black Warrior River just below the old town that General Coffee burnt in time of the Creek War, from thence to long leaf pine, and thence to a place where Moses, a Cherokee Indian settled 'c. and this deponent Major Ridge said the line should run eastwardly from the Ten Islands to Cedar Creek, the waters of Tallapoosa, a place where an Indian trader used to live, thence to Hanallaachuokee Indian where the Creek Indians call it Appicoohie village, thence to the deep water New Yorker on Chattahoochy, thence to the White oak trees, thence to Vann's store on the Oakmulgee. After that time he this deponent with a Delegation of Cherokees went to Washington, and on the 22d of March 1816, we concluded a treaty with the United States which established the line west of Coosa, to begin at Ten Islands and run to the Flat Rock or Stone on Bear Creek. In making this treaty we considered we were giving away a part of our country, but in order to have it settled we agreed to it as stated. He further states that the Cherokee Nation became anxious to have a line made and marked between the two nations, and for this purpose they appointed a delegation to go on to the Creeks ' agree upon a line to be run between their lands, and in the year 1821 they sent the Chief Chuliowah and others to establish the true line; this deponent was one of the party with the Cherokees set up our claim to the limits I pointed out before, from Ten Islands to New Yorker, but the Creeks refused to agree to it, but they proposed to make it from Buzzard Roost, to the mouth of Will's Creeks, which we agreed to rather than leave the line open any longer, and when we marked the line, we agreed to hold our Country adjoining each other and always remain neighbors, but it seems that M'Intosh violated that agreement by selling the Creek land, but although he violated his pledge to us in that respect, he was not base enough to sell the land beyond the line he made, for he never did sell any land over the line from Buzzard Roost to Will's Creek.

Sworn to and subscribed before me, the same day above written.

JOHN RIDGE,

C. N. C. Cherokee Nation.

HEAD OF COOSA,21 Dec. 1829.

Thomas Woodard, a half breed Cherokee,now about fifty years of age, was born in Hightower Old Town on the south side of Hightower River, and was raised there, he was accustomed to hunt on Appalachy about the falls and about the Stone Mountain and on Chattahoochy, there are two shoals or falls on the Appalachy, the upper shoal is the one called the High Shoal, the Lower Falls, which has been spoken of by Chickasawteehe is fifteen or twenty miles below the High Shoals. About three years before the Creek War, Alex Sanders, himself and a party of Cherokees, went down to the country between the Stone Mountain and the High Shoals, and burnt the houses of six families that had moved and settled there on Cherokee land; but they did not burn the improvement of Col Rhode Easly at his cow pens in the same neighborhood, as he had permission from the Cherokees to keep his stock on their land, as he had a store at the High Shoals, and they were in the habit of trading with him. Two years after the late Creek War, he removed his family with three other families and settled on the head waters of the Tallapoosy River in the range where his horses ran, and shortly afterwards several other Cherokee families came and settled in the same neighborhood with him; he tho't they were all settled on Cherokee land-one of his neighbors by the name of Overtaker was appointed a captain of the light horse, and served as such until the line was run out and marked from Buzzard Roost to the mouth of Will's Creek, that the line left the Captain of the Light horse, on the Cherokee land about twelve miles, and he, this deponent, was left on the Creek land about two and a half miles. After the line was run out the Overtaker moved over and settled on the Creek side of the line, and both of them became law makers in the Creek Nation, under the provisions of the treaty of boundary between the two nations, and they remained there until the Treaty of 1826. Under the provisions of that treaty we were paid for our improvements, and we all, fifteen families in number, moved away and came to the waters of Coosa river. After General William McIntosh had married a Cherokee wife, he moved higher up the Chattahoochy River then he formerly lived and settled where he was afterwards killed, soon after he had removed and settled higher up on the river, he (McIntosh) and this deponent were in conversation together, when McIntosh informed him that he was not certain if he had not settled on the Cherokee lands, that he might be twelve miles above the line.

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THOMAS WOODARD x

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Sworn to and subscribed before me the same day as above written.

JOHN RIDGE, acting

Ckk. N. C. Cher. Nation.

The undersigned are all men of old age, and have been Chiefs of rank in the Cherokee Nation for many years, and make the following statements, before Gen. John Coffee, a Commissioner of the United States.- We have heard the statements given by Chickasawtee, Chuliowah, Walking Stick, Old Turkey and Major Ridge in regard to the boundary between the Cherokee and Creek Nations and believe them to be true--Further we do know that the Cherokees have claimed lands as far south as a line running from Vann's old Store on the Oakmulgee to the Ten Islands in the Coosa River, thence to the long leaf pine thence to the flat rock of stone; and that the Chiefs of the two nations, in 1821, entered into a written agreement definitively establishing the boundary between the two Nations; commencing at Buzzard Roost on the Chattahoochee River, thence to the Coosa River, opposite to the mouth of Will's Creek, thence down the southeast bank of the Coosa River to a point opposite to the lower end of the Ten Islands; and that this line was agreed to be the Cherokees with the view of putting the subject of boundary out of any further dispute; and that each nation may know how far their respective laws and jurisdiction can rightfully extend, and that if in case the Creeks should ever dispose of any lands bordering on our boundary, that our rights may not be questioned; or infringed upon by the State of Geo. The Cherokees have been and are exclusively in the occupancy and possession of the Country lying north of said line; and that the Cherokees have never agreed to at any time nor ever acknowledged any other boundary between them and the Creeks north of the aforesaid line as established and run out.

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GOING SNAKE, x

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SLEEPING RABBIT x

CHOONUKEE x

TALESKEE x

CAHNOHTLE x

BUFFALOE FISH x

A. SMITH x Young chief

CHOONOOLUNGSKE x

SPRING FROG x

Sworn to and subscribed before me at the Head of Coosa this 21st Dec. 1827.

JOHN RIDGE Clerk

N. C. C. Nation.