The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-06-09
PASSING OF TRIBAL SCHOOLS
WITH ADVENT OF STATEHOOD
(By Gean Finley Puryear in Oklahoma
City Times.)

(By Gean Finley Puryear in Oklahoma
City Times.)
Since the admission of Oklahoma In
to the union, there has been much in
terest manifested in her past history.
Newspapers and magazines alike have
printed everything that tended in any
way to throw light on the develop
ment of this new and exceedingly in
teresting state from an historical
Ntandpoint. AS is known, the eastern
part of Oklahoma was formerly owned
by what was known as "The Five Civ
ilized Tribes"-the Cherokees, Choc-
taws, Chickasaws, Creeks and Sem
snoles-but it is not so generally known
as it should be, that these five tribes
had typical and practical democratic
government that tended in many ways
toward socialism These tribes, among
other things, had each good school
system, supported by funds set apart
for the purpose more than half CEN
tury ago. Primary schools in the rural
districts and high schools in the larger
towns. OF the five tribes, the Chero-
KEGS have made greater strides to-
wards civilization and enlightenment,
generally-having set apart and pro-
vided buildings for the insane and indi-
gent, one fer the orphaned children,
another for the colored children, and
two beautiful buildings-the Cherokee
Female Seminary and the Cherokee
Male Seminary-where, after finish.
ing the branches taught in the rural
schools, the boys and girls received
instruction in the higher branches.
The history of both these schools
dates back to May 7th, 1850, when
they were opened to the youth of the
Cherokee nation-and theer are many
men and women still living who proud
ly tell of what a gala day that was
what day of rejoicing, of Speech
making" and feasting with which they
commemorated the beginning of higher
,4education among the Cherokees. Then
came the civil war, which brought
death and disaster to so many south
ern families-your years of privation.
moving from place to place, years of
toreboding, sacrifice and heroism. One
of the greatest sacrifices was the Civ
ing up of the hospitals till 1866, then
the Male Seminary was used as home
for orphan children whose fathers had
given their lives to the lost cause.
In 1876 it S&as re-opened for the
original purpose and has continued to
educate the Cherokees till
"The Male Seminary is burning to
the ground" called a student of that
institution breathlessly, as he ran
from church, hoping to save something
from the conhagration; and a man
standing near said: "Thus tolls the
death-knell of the educational history
Of the Cherokees''-who, it seems, have
been peculiarly unfortunate in this re
spect.
Twenty-three years ago april 10th
1887 the sisteg%chool, the Female
seminary, waSr6urned. and it is an ode
coincidence that it was just calm
beautiful Sabbath day as was Marcel
10th, 1910. It was rebuilt and dedi
4od Nov 7tb 1901 opd aftnr +ha die
solution of the Cherokees school prope
in 1908, the building was purchases
by the state for the Northeastern Stat
Normal
In November, 1889, the Cherokee On
. phan Asylum, which had been for S
7 many years home for hundreds Q
homeless boys and girls, a home wher