The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-02-29
Tulsa Attorney Has Diary
Showing Progress of
Expedition.
CHIEFS IN BIG PARTY
After Several Battles, Indians
Get Yellow Metal-Some
Are Shipwrecked.

Reports that small traces OF gold
vers being found in the Kiamichi
mountains, In southeastern Okla
homa causes number of old
Cherokees residing IN this city TO re-
call a pilgrimage that certain Chero-
KEGS made before the war between
the states TO the Golden state in quest
OF gold.
Tho Cherokee gold seekers drove
overland, taking with them a herd Of
cattle so AS toe be provided with
plenty of meat The caravan. II II
may be termed such. left Tahlequah
p N the spring OF 1854, passed up the
banks of the Arkansas river, turning
west just south of where tho present
town OF Red Fork is situated.
The gold seekers left the Arkansas
at the mouth of the Cimarron and
decided TO follow 1t to the foothills
Of the Rockies. and in the western
part of what is today Oklahoma, they
encountered the warlike Cheyennes.
Several battles took place, but as the
Chorokees were all stronger armed,
the Cheyennes soon left them In
peace.
Martin Schrimsher and Richard
Keys were the leaders OF the Chero-
KEGS. who numbered about 100.
Schrimsher was a Cherokee citizen
by marriage. His grandson is Ernest
Schrimsher, postmaster OF Col
linsville. Another member was John
x. Carter. uncle of Congressman
Charles ID. Carter of Ardmore.
A large per cent of the gold seek =
ers were of mixed blood, and all were
sharp shots and efficient horsemen.
Nothing unusual occurred to the
caravan after they crossed the plans
Of Texas. Kansas and New Mexico.
''The Pueblo Indians that the Chero-
KEGS encountered in New Mexico and
Arizona greeted them Hospitality and
guided them on the way west.
After some months time the party
reached Mariposa county, California,
which was then overrun with pros
pectors from all parts of the coun-
try and many from foreign countries.
attracted there by the discovery of
gold in 40
No accurate records were kept by
the Cherokees in the party. but a
diary that is now owned by relatives
Of S. B. Lewis, an attorney of this
city, shows that Carter found some
nuggets on his claim, but "as IT came
easy, IL went the same way" And
this tendency on the part of the 9TH
ers caused them to soon part with
what gold they had found or ac-
cumulated at the gaming table. At
any rate not a single one saved any
money. and in 1857 certain of the
Cherokee mixed bloods took passage
upon a big sailing ship that was to
pass around Cape Horn and land
them in New York city.
Adverse winds on the middle Pa
cific blew the vessel upon the shores
Of Nicaragua while the Walker party
~ revolutionists were seeking to
overthrow the native government.
The Indians were taken prisoner and
sent over the mountains to Greytown,
the Gulf of Mexico seaport OF this
little republic.
The Indians were tried as prison
ers Of war. but It was finally proven
that they knew nothing of the inten-
'tlons Of walker, or the other Ameri-
can adventures with him. TO capture
Central America and establish sort
OF an American empire.
{hey were acquitted bat ordered
tohSuit the country, so took passage
onS vessel going to New Orleans
Ia, and landed there early in 1859.
While In California the mixed
bloods found j.. w. Bushyhead, later
chief Of the Cherokee Nation for
eight years. lie had preceded the
mixed bloods to California, driving
across the plains in an OK wagon in
lSi9. He spent IL years there. In
1879 he was chosen to be principal
chief of the CherOke 90 nation fot
most prominent of tho mixed blQods
He was the father of DR.. ]. c. Bushy-
head of Claremore.