Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-09
TRUE TO FRIENDS
CHIEF kEokUk AND OTHER IN.
DAMS HONoRED GENERAL
STREETS MEMORY.
keokuk Man Tells of the Land Deal
Affecting What is Now Agency =
Was Carried Out BY Chief keokuk
and Governments Representative.

and governments Representative.
Keokuk, July 9.-Professor L. F.
Parker of Keokuk spoke before
the teachers institute at Boston
recently, and in the course of
his address recounted bit of unwrit-
to all residents of central Iowa. Pro-
lessor Parker who has been connected
with the historical department of Grim
nell college and the state university
for forty years or more, believes that
more of the history of the Indian tribes
once occupying Iowa territory should
be recorded. In the course OF his re-
search along this line he has discover
ed an anecdote that is worthy Of a
place in all school histories.
Written history records that the In
dians We're at first very reluctant to
give up the strip of territory in Iowa
now comprised by Hardin, Marshall,
Tama, Poweshiek, Jasper, Mahaska,
Keokuk, Wapello Appanoose and Da-
Wis counties, but finally yielded in the
treaty of AZ, but nowhere do the rec
ords state why this reluctance. Pro
fessor Parker from letters and old
county histories has unearthed the fol-
lowing story which he told at the insti-
tute:
General Street and the Indians.
Prior to 1S49 General j. M. Street
had been made Indian agent stationed
at Agency City, now near, OttumWa.
General Street was an honest agent,
real friend of the Indians, while the
traders were not Street wanted to
teach the Indians the ways of the white
man, to farm and be civilized, while
the trader wanted to keep the red
skins wandering in the pursuit of game
that they might be exploited for the
traders gain. The Indians knew who
was their friend. abWhen Street died,
so great was the love of the Indians for
their friend that they same to the
widow with an offer to give her
square mile of land and to each of her
ten children a half section of land if
she would allow the body Of General
Street to be buried there, at Agency
City. upon Indian soil, instead of be-
ing taken back east. Mrs. Street &C
cepted the offer.
True to Friends Memory.
In 1912 when Governor Chambers
came to negotiate with the Sacs and
Foxes. through their chiefs, Poweshiek,
Wapello, Keokuk and Appanoose, for
the purchase of their lands in central
Iowa. the Indians finally consented to
all the proposed terms with the single
exception that they insisted upon re-
! serving the land given to the Street
family. Chief Poweshiek, a powerful
warrior with a strong taste for tire
water yet a man of his word always
declared heroically in one OF his
speeches: There lies the best friend
we ever had. We will never cheat his
family so long as warrior lives
among our people"
Governor Chambers was insistent.
The sons of Street came forward with
an offer to relinquish their land, but
the Indians still held out for the
square mile for Mrs. Street. Finally
Chief Keokuk, the orator of the as
sembly, was delegated to close the ne
/ gotiations because he seemed to be the
only compromiser among them. He
| stuck for the square mile. Finally
| Chambers asked: well, where do
/ you want to reserve this land?" Right
here declared Keokuk, sweeping his
arm around the spot where the grave
/ stood. "That can't be-" replied Cham
/ bers. 'The United States has spent ST.
500 on agency buildings which are
standing on this ground" Take the
$4,000 out of the money you will pay
us for our land' answered Keokuk,
and this was done.
] Burial of Chief WapelIo.
Such was the magnificent exhibition
1 of Indian gratitude and love for a
1 friend that stood in the way of the
| treaty Of 1872. Old Chief Wapello. who
afterward died far away from Agency
4 City, was carried on the backs of his
warriors at his dying request to be
i buried by the side of the Indians
! friend. General Street, and others died
out west in Indian territory