Okfuskee
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Uncover the rich history of Oakfuskee, Alabama, through the lens of Sleuth Matron. Delve into the past and explore the untold stories that shaped the region. Our team of dedicated researchers is committed to preserving and sharing the historical legacy of this vibrant community. Join us on a journey through time as we unravel the mysteries of the past and shed light on the forgotten tales of Oakfuskee.
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"AKFVSKE"
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OKFUSKEE
Oakfuskee was an indigenous town in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. It was a prominent settlement for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, situated along the Tallapoosa River. The town held strategic significance, positioned at the crossroads of two major trade routes: the Upper Trading Path connecting to Charleston, and the Okfuskee Trail leading to Savannah.
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In the 18th century, Okfuskee was among the largest Creek towns, inhabited by numerous warriors and traders. The British constructed two forts, collectively known as Fort Okfuskee, to protect their trading interests with the Creek Indians. These forts played a role in the wider rivalry among European powers to gain influence over Native American tribes.
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The town boasts a history enriched by the interactions between the Creek people and European settlers, encompassing trade, alliances, and conflicts. Menawa, the Red Stick leader notable for his significant role in the Creek War, hailed from Okfuskee.
The Okfuskee formed part of the former Creek (Muscogee) Confederacy in Alabama before their removal during the 1830s to the Indian Territory. Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, is named for a settlement where members of the tribe formerly lived.
The talwa (town) was located on the Tallapoosa River near Sandy Creek. The city occupied both sides of the river and lay at the intersection of two major trade routes: the Upper Trading Path, which connected it to Charleston, and the Okfuskee Trail, which connected it to Savannah.
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The Upper Trading Path continued toward the west, connecting Okfuskee with the Chickasaw tribe.[4] In response to the French construction of Fort Toulouse, British traders from the Province of Georgia occupied a fort in Okfuskee, known as Fort Okfuskee, from 1735 to 1743. Traders from the Province of South Carolina built a second Fort Okfuskee, which was only occupied in 1744
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Okfuskee was situated 15 miles south of the current location of Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. In 1833, the first County Court was held in November at Okfuskee, with Judge William Atkins preceding. The court continued until the county seat changed 1835 to Dadeville, Alabama. Records state that Okfuskee was near Young's Ferry. Okfuskee was the largest Native American town at that time. In the early 1800s, Great Britain had a military fort on the opposite side of the river, according to one record. It was about 1814 when the town was reduced to ash.
Judge Joseph Bryan, Harrison Young sheriff Nov 30, 1834, Daniel G Watson was clerk, Joseph J Johnston took over clerking in 1835.
W.G. Milligan owned and operated a flour and grist mill, and William J.Thrash also owned a flour and grist mill in Oakfuskee, both of which were used as power sources.
OKFUSKEE WAY
The Great Indian Trading Path reached from the iroquois country of New York down through Pennsylvania and Virginia into the Yadkin country of North Carolina thence across the Piedmont country of South Carolina down the Waterree River at Augusta Ga to Eatonton Greeneville a bit south of LaGrange to the shallow waters of the Chattahoochee at West Point Across Alabama it touched old Okfuskee near the Tallapoosa River and south of Alexander City undoubtedly tied in with the Indian town of Cosa or Coosa near Childersburg continued generally westward and reached the Mississippi somewhere in the vicinity of Greeneville Miss and above the junction of the Arkansas and White Rivers.
Murder
•INDIAN WOMAN HUNG.
Brutal Murder of Woman and Girl in Creek Nation. OKMULGEE, I. T., June 16. United States Marshal Dave Adams and posse, consisting of Sam Scott and John Schotield, arrived in Okmulgee yesterday morning with Bill Bear and George Jacobs, fullblood Creek Indians, charged with the killing of the Indian woman and her daughter at Okfuskee. The two persons refused to talk, but do not seem to be worried over their fate.
They wiil be taken to Muskogee and placed in jail. The circumstances, as learned from Scott, the father of the murdered woman, are as follows: Bill Bear, Nekose Bill, as he is called in Indian, had made a deal with some real estate men at Muskogee for his land and also for the land of his wife and daughter, provided the woman would sign papers. This the woman, after consulting with her relatives, refused to do, she alleging that Bear only wanted to get the money, have a big time and forsake her. That if she would wait a short time her deed would be issued to her and the girl and they would receive a much larger amount for the portion they were entitled to sell. When Bear was informed of the decision of his wife and that his prospects of receiving the Muskogee money | was thus vanished, he, it is alleged, flew into a passion and gave his squaw a terrible beating.
The assault of Bear and his wife stirred up bad blood between the Bears and the Scotts. After the killing Bear and Jacobs went to his mother's and told them that some one had hung the woman| in his cabin and that he was not going to stay about the place. Little heed was taken of the matter, as both of the Indians were drinking. An investigation on Friday found that the women were dead and upon a drumhead examination held Saturday sunticient facts were secured to warrant the officers in arresting Bear and Jacobs. He Missed His Chance.
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Woman and Girl Killed. United States Deputy Marshal David Adams arrested Will Bear and George Jacobs, fullblood Indians, accused of murdering Bear's wife and 13-year old orphan piece last week. The crime was committed at Bear's home, four miles northwest of Okfuskee. Both victims were found hanging from the ceiling by neighbors and they assert that Bear threatened his wife's life a week before. The presumption is that years thus found is due him by Father Time.
-Muskogee Phoenix..
Families of Okfuskee, Alabama
Surname
First Name
Maiden Name
TARVER
Mollie
MENAWA (Hothlepoya)
MILNER
Claud
CROUCH
C. A.
MILNER
Gover
Okfuskee
Ancestry.com - A history of Methodism in Alabama
Ancestry.com - Alabama History, 1540-1872
Feb 23, 1881, page 2 - The Macon Mail at Newspapers.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okfuskee
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Sources and Resources
* '''1953 Newspaper''': "okfuskee" Newspapers.com<br/>The Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Alabama) Sun, Aug 30, 1953, page 32<br/>{{Newspapers.com|148097008}} (accessed 21 September 2024)
Martin Dam Project No.349 - Google Books
Report of the Select Committee of the House of Representatives, to which We... - Google Books
The Four Deaths of Acorn Whistler - Google Books
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^ Martin, Jack B. (2000). A dictionary of Creek/Muskogee: with notes on the Florida and Oklahoma Seminole dialects of Creek. University of Nebraska Press in cooperation with the American Indian Studies Research Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington. ISBN 0-8032-3207-1. OCLC 43561668.
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^ "Creek Research". Alabama Indian Affairs Commission. State of Alabama. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
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^ Wright, Amos J. Jr. (2003). Historic Indian Towns in Alabama, 1540-1838. University of Alabama Press. p. 120. ISBN 0-8173-1251-X.
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^ Piker, Joshua A. (2004). Okfuskee: A Creek Indian Town in Colonial America. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 36. ISBN 0-674-01335-2.
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^ Harris, W. Stuart (1977). Dead Towns of Alabama. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press. p. 47. ISBN 0-8173-1125-4.
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^ Braund, Kathryn. "Menawa". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
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* '''1902 Newspaper''': "Murder Okfuskee Ok creek women" Newspapers.com<br/>The Tahlequah Arrow (Tahlequah, Oklahoma) Sat, Jun 21, 1902, page 1<br/>{{Newspapers.com|148243156}} (accessed 18 January 2025)
