River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-09-05
ENORMOUS CHEROKEE CLAIM
Tract of sixty Square Miles In SOUTH
eastern Texas.

A Tract OF Sixty Square Miles In south
eastern Texas
Certain members of the Cherokee
tribe of Indians propose pushing
claim TO O tract of valuable land In
Texas that may form the basis to
lawsuit in the court OF claims that will
rival the famous Maxwell land grant,
not only in the amount involved, but in
the question OF the validity OF a grant
based on the question of sovereignty
vested In the provisional government
Of Texas before she was admitted to
the union.
1t is q fact, little known outside tina
Cherokee nation, says the St. Louis Re-
public, that certain members of tho
Cherokee tribe own in fee simple sixty
square miles of land lying in what now
constitutes the counties of Anderson,
Ruslx and Cherokee, in southeastern
Texas, the same being in the form of
land grant from the provisional govern
ment of Texas after her independence
from Mexico and before she was admit
ted to the union by an act of congress
When Sam Houston fed from I'e.4-
nessee while in the zenith of his f1me,
and while he was governor Il that
state and enjoying the luxury OF new
~ welded bliss, he for awhile hid him
self away among his old friends, the
Chcrokees, in the wilds of the Indian
territory. He took unto himself an
other wife from among the IuslSy
maidens and lived with he. UNITS her
death, which occurred about one year
after her marriage with the not, 4
Tenuesseean
Texas and Mexico were then In tha
throes of revolution, and Houston, fired
with an enthusiasm of patriotic loyalty
for his oppressed countrymen, per-
suaded few of his Cherokee friendsS-
about twenty in number-to go with
him to the aid of Texas insurgents. The
result of his venture Is already mat
ter of history. Houston won fame and
renown in the conflict and became tho
first provisional governor of the Lone
Star state. Here he exhibited his love
for his Cherokee friends, and, no doubt
cherishIng an ambition OF inducing the
entire tribe of CherolSees to emigrato
and settle In the country where he had
won distinction, gave TO his few follow
ers the tract of land mentioned, with
the understanding that they should re.
turn to their friends IN the Indian ter.
ritory and endeavor to induce general
emigration of the entire tribe Tho
document conveying the grant was
properly made cat and signed and
sealed with the insignia OF office of tho
provisional governor of the state of
Texas.
The metes and bounds Of the grant
are fully defined by the meridians, and
granted In trust to twenty Cherolkees,
their heirs and assigns forever. This
grant was delivered to ono of their
number for safe keeping and they re.
turned to their brethren in the Indian
territory.
Time grew on apace. Other and moro
pressing matters engaged the attention
of the Cherokees. They W ere striving
to build themselves homes IL the lands
allotted to them by the Unit ID States
government, and the Texas lard grant
was for years almost forgotten. Hous-
ton was elected to the United States
senate, and in the multiform cares of
public life forgot the interests of his
Cherokee friends.
The grant was lost or hidden, and
but ono or two individuals k new of its
whereabouts until recently. 1t is now
IN the possession of desccndn ats of tho
Texas refugee Cherolees, who are maxi
ing preparations TO Legin sui "a Tho
court of claims at Washington Tor IN
amount almost too enormous TO readily
realize or estimate.