The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 42, July 1938 - April, 1939 Page: 55
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Southwestern Historical Quarterly and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Texas State Historical Association.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
'WPA Preserves Chief Sequoyah's Cabin Home
WPA PRESERVES CHIEF SEQUOYAH'S CABIN HOME
A small, mud chinked log cabin with an over-large outside stone
chimney extending barely a foot above the curling and cracked
shingles of a low ridged roof stood unused and neglected for many
years deep in the rugged Brusby Hills of eastern Oklahoma.
Oklahomans long had listed this cabin as one of their state's most
valued historic relics. It once was the home of the famed Cherokee
chieftain, Sequoyah, who left as a legacy to his people a completed
alphabet of the Cherokee language. Today it is enclosed within
a substantial stone structure built by employees of the Works
Progress Administration.
The cabin was built shortly after Sequoyah and the eastern
Cherokees moved from Georgia into what was later the Indian
Territory and is now a part of the state of Oklahoma. The exact
date of the cabin's construction is not known. It is probable,
however, that Sequoyah cleared the land and finished work on
the cabin between 1826 and 1828, according to the best Oklahoma
sources. It was shortly after this time that the Cherokee chieftain
undertook his intermittent travels into the West and Southwest
in search of lost or wandering bands of Cherokees. He was in-
spired by the hope of bringing all Cherokees into their new home-
land west of the Mississippi river.
After his death, Sequoyah's widow and some of his children
lived in the cabin for a number of years. From 1843 onward they
received an annual pension of three hundred dollars authorized
by the Cherokee Council at an especially called conclave in Tahle-
quah, the Cherokee Nation's capital. When Sequoyah's widow
died, the cabin was occupied by other members of his family and
later by Cherokees unrelated to Sequoyah and by half-breeds living
in the locality.
Since the turn of the last century no one had paid much attention
to the cabin until recently. Neglect had made it unfit for human
habitation. For thirty years or more it had been a prey to the
elements.
The Sequoyah cabin is located about five or six miles from the
small town of Akins in Sequoyah County. It can be reached
readily from Sallisaw, the county seat, almost directly south of
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 42, July 1938 - April, 1939, periodical, 1939; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101107/m1/63/?rotate=90: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.