East Texas Family Records, Volume 6, Number 3, Fall 1982 Page: 1
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EAST TEXAS FAMILY RECORDS VOL. 6, NO, 3. FALL 1982
ARCHIVES
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THE CHEROKEES OF TEXAS _ 0L noth
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Tyler, Texas L'L
The Cherokee Indians had lived in 1969, W. W. Keeler of Bartlesville,
the Allegheny Region forever. They Okla., principle chief of the Cherokee
were descendants of the Iriquois tribe Nation, unveiled a historical marker
from the area of Pennsylvania. John overlooking the R. L. THORNTON Freeway
BOWLES, a member of that tribe, was in Dallas, commemorating the settlement
born in North Carolina about 1756, the of Chief BOWLES and 90 members of the
son of a Scotch trader and a full blood Cherokee Nation in the Dallas area in
Cherokee woman. This Scotch trader was 1819. The Cherokees were considered to
murdered by two North Carolinians and be the first immigrants in the Dallas
robbed while on his way home from area from the United States.3 The wild
Charlestown with goods for his trading Prairie Indians forced BOWLES and his
post. This was in 1768 when the son people to leave there and move into the
was about 12 years old. But within the area about 50 miles north of Nacogdoches
next two years, John BOWLES had killed where Chief BOWLES established his
both his fathers slayers.1 village.
When Chief Dragging Canoe died in About 1823, Richard FIELDS and Chief
1792, BOWLES, an auburn haired, blue BOWLES went to Mexico City to petition
eyed half-blood Scotch Cherokee, suc- the Mexican government for title to the
ceeded to the position of town chief in land where they lived. A new set of
Runningwater Town, which was one of the officials had been installed and they
Chickamauga settlements near Lookout told the Indians that since no ColonizaMountain.
Here BOWLES became involved tion Law had been passed, no action
in an altercation with some pioneers who could be taken then. When a colonizawere
floating down the Tennessee River tion law was passed by Texas and Coahuiand
killed all the boatman in June, la on March 25, 1825, and many grants
1974. BOWLES and his followers then were made to the Empresarios, the terrimanned
the boats and navigated them to tory granted to Hayden F. EDWARDS inthe
mouth of the St. Francis River in cluded the country claimed by the
the Spanish Province of Louisiana. Cherokees.4
There they freed the women and children
and allowed them to continue to New BOWLES lost much of his influence
Orleans. Because of this incident, with the tribe when John Dunn HUNTER and
BOWLES and his followers were expelled Richard FIELDS attained power. Followfrom
the tribe and they crossed the ing the Fredonian Rebellion of 1827,
Mississippi River to live in Missouri.2 HUNTER and FIELDS were murdered and
BOWLES became military leader while BIG
About 1811, a terrible earthquake MUSH became civil leader of the tribe.5
frightened them so badly they moved down Chief BOWLES was then given a Lieutenant
into Arkansas and lived at Lost Prairie. Colonels commission and a fine military
It was in that earthquake that Reelfoot hat by the Mexican government. In May
Lake was formed in western Tennessee and 1835, at the suggestion of Indian Agent
the Mississippi River flowed backward Ellis P. BEAN, the Mexican government
for more than an hour. After a time at offered to give the Cherokees a "selecLost
Prairie they learned they were not tion out of the vacant lands of Texas,
on the lands specified in the Cherokee that land which may appear most approTreaty
of 1819. They then moved again, priate for the location of the peaceable
down across the Red River into the area and civilized Indians."l But the Cherowhere
Dallas stands today. On July 18, kees didn't want to move to other lands.
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East Texas Genealogical Society. East Texas Family Records, Volume 6, Number 3, Fall 1982, periodical, Autumn 1982; Tyler, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth38048/m1/3/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting East Texas Genealogical Society.