Chickasaw Nation’s bitter victory: the only tribe paid for their ancestral land before the Trail of Tears

The Chickasaw’s $3 million negotiation

Chickasaw National Recreation Area sits on land that tells a different Trail of Tears story.

In 1832, the Chickasaw Nation did something no other southeastern tribe managed: they negotiated $3 million cash for their ancestral homeland instead of accepting worthless western territory.

They controlled their own removal, paid their own way west, and even bought land from the Choctaws for $530,000. The first group left Memphis on July 4, 1837, with their belongings and livestock.

Still, over 500 died from disease during the journey west.

Here’s how the Chickasaws turned forced removal into their own terms, and where you can explore their story today.

Chickasaws Said No to Bad Western Lands and Asked for Better Ones

The Chickasaw Nation sent three groups west after signing the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek in 1832. They checked out all the government-offered lands and turned them down.

Unlike other tribes, the Chickasaws refused to accept poor-quality land, even rejecting the Franklin treaty in 1830.

By 1837, white settlers started taking over Chickasaw lands in Mississippi, making their need for a new home urgent.

The Choctaws, already in Indian Territory, first refused to sell land but offered to let Chickasaws join them as a fourth district.

Old Enemies Made a Deal in the Winter Cold

In January 1837, five Chickasaw leaders traveled through winter to meet with the Choctaw Nation. They needed to convince their former enemies to give up western territory.

At Doaksville near Fort Towson, Chickasaw representatives met with Choctaw leaders to work out terms. What made these talks special was the centuries of fighting between these tribes.

Despite their rocky past, the Chickasaws talked the Choctaws into selling them part of Choctaw territory for $530,000.

Cash Counts: The Treaty That Bought Half a Nation

Both sides signed the Treaty of Doaksville on January 17, 1837, creating the Chickasaw District within the Choctaw Nation.

The Chickasaws agreed to pay $30,000 right away and put the other $500,000 in stocks under U.S. oversight for at least twenty years.

President Jackson sent the deal to the Senate, which approved it on March 24, 1837. The smart deal gave Chickasaws fair say in Choctaw government while letting them keep control of their own money.

The Only Tribe That Got Cash for Their Land

The Treaty of Pontotoc Creek had a special part – money from selling 6.3 million acres of Chickasaw homeland in Mississippi went straight to the tribe, not the government.

The Chickasaws got over $3 million from these land sales, making them the only southeastern tribe to get real money for their eastern lands. The tribe paid for their entire move themselves.

While other removed tribes could bring just 30 pounds of stuff per person, Chickasaws brought about 450 pounds each thanks to their money.

They Started Their Journey West on Independence Day

The first group of 450-500 Chickasaws gathered at Sealy’s District in Memphis on July 4, 1837. Led by John M. Millard, they brought everything they could: personal items, cattle, horses, and enslaved African Americans.

Captain Joseph Phillips handled the money, while A.M.M. Upshaw ran all the removals. The group crossed the Mississippi River that same day and started following the Memphis to Little Rock Road toward their new home.

Mud and Water Made the Arkansas Trail Awful

The path through Arkansas swamps was brutal. Wagons sank into boggy roads, sometimes with water up to the axles.

As Millard’s group pushed west, other Chickasaw groups joined them. By July 25, the combined party of 516 people reached the north shore across from Little Rock.

The plan was for women, children, and older folks to take steamboats while others continued by land on the Little Rock to Fort Smith Road.

At least 70-80 horses died in the Arkansas mud during the tough march from Memphis.

Thousands of People and Animals Used Paths Made by Earlier Tribes

Chickasaws traveled routes already used by the Choctaw and Creek nations during their earlier forced moves. By December 1837, Upshaw had organized several large groups.

On December 9, the first major party of 1,938 people with 4,098 horses and oxen crossed near the mouth of Palarm. The second group began arriving at Little Rock in mid-December.

Steamboats carried part of this group to Fort Coffee while others traveled by land. John M. Millard’s party came last, with steamboats leaving in early January 1838.

Money Couldn’t Stop Sickness from Killing Hundreds

More than 500 Chickasaw citizens died from dysentery and smallpox during the journey west despite their ability to pay for better conditions.

Some historians think the respected leader Tishominko died during removal, though newer research suggests he died in 1838 in the Choctaw Nation at age 80.

After steamboats left from the Arkansas River, some Chickasaws turned to drinking, with “Malaga wine” as a favorite that left many drunk for days.

Even with these hardships, the Chickasaw journey was still seen as easier than those of the other Five Civilized Tribes.

Nearly 6,000 People Started Over in Indian Territory

Between 1837-1838, about 4,914 Chickasaw citizens and 1,156 enslaved people completed their move to what later became southeastern Oklahoma.

Most settled in the western part of the Choctaw Nation between the Canadian River to the north and Red River to the south.

Rather than settling right away in the new Chickasaw District, most stayed in temporary camps near Choctaw towns and supply depots.

They also faced threats from white opportunists who came as surveyors and salesmen trying to get Chickasaw wealth.

Chickasaws Lost Their Voice Under Choctaw Control

Outnumbered three to one, Chickasaws found themselves always outvoted on the Choctaw Council. They grew frustrated as their identity as a separate people faded.

After removal, they had to follow Choctaw Nation laws and constitution, unable to govern themselves as before.

Under Choctaw government, Chickasaws elected a district chief for the Choctaw Council but kept their ancient system of a king and clan-based council.

In 1849, the Chickasaw District council formed a Committee of Vigilance to handle outside affairs and started pushing to separate from the Choctaw.

Healing Waters Became Part of Their New Territory

The springs area where Chickasaw National Recreation Area now sits became part of their new western homeland. Ancient Native peoples called it “the peaceful valley of rippling waters.”

The Chickasaws and later tribes believed in the healing power of the strong-smelling mineral water from the area’s more than thirty springs.

In 1902, worried that developers would turn the springs into a private resort, the Chickasaw Nation sold a 640-acre parcel to the U.S. Government. This became Sulphur Springs Reservation.

The Chickasaw fight for independence continued until 1856 when they finally separated from the Choctaw and regained their sovereignty as the Chickasaw Nation.

Visiting Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma

Chickasaw National Recreation Area at 901 W. 1st Street in Sulphur has no entrance fee and tells the story of the Chickasaw’s unique self-financed removal west.

The Travertine Nature Center opens 9am-5pm in summer and 9am-4:30pm other times. You can hike 1.2 miles to Buffalo Springs and Antelope Springs, where natural springs produce 5 million gallons daily flowing into Travertine Creek.

Camping costs $20-50 nightly and boat launch permits are $4 daily.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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