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Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: May 5, 1937
Name: Walter Choate
Post Office: Bradley Bolinger, Oklahoma
Date of Birth: May 9, 1877
Place of Birth: near the town no of Erobe, Oklahoma
Father: Henry Choate
Place of Birth: Choctaw Nation
Information on father: near Ft. Gibson
Mother: Martha Nolan Choate
Place of birth: near Ft. Gibson
Information on mother: Part Chickasaw Indian 1/2 and White 1/2.
(Note: these percentages hard to read because of type face.)
Field Worker: Bradley Bolinger

My father's name was Henry CHOATE, a half-blood Choctaw Indian. His birth place was near old Fort Gibson.

My mother - Chickasaw and White - I do not remember just where she was born. My father and mother died when I was pretty young. We lived in their life-time in the eastern part of what is now Latimer County. My father was U.S. Deputy Marshal, handling only Indian affairs in this territory.

I was a boy living in this country, now Latimer County, when the first Railroad came through. They called it then the Choctaw road. Later of course the Rock Island Railroad Company took it over. There was a Stage Line starting at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and making a stop at what was known as Riddle Station 2 1/2 miles east of where Wilburton now is. This State Line was going southwest making one more stop in this country at Mt. Station, 10 miles southwest of new Wilburton. It went on southwest to Old Boggy Depot on Boggy Creek in what is now Atoka County. It was run long before any railroad came through this country.

I used to visit the Indian Courthouse which was located about 2 miles southwest of Wilburton. It was built of hewed logs, and was about 16 foot square. An Indian Judge, Jury, sheriff and all Indian help presided at this court. They were very strict on the Indian race in regards to stealing and killing. I remember attending a trial of an Indian there who had stolen a horse. The Indian was notified by the Indian sheriff's force and he appeared there on the morning of the day of his trial. They tried this Indian and found him guilty. After the trial they immediately carried him outside and one Indian deputy took hold of his right arm and another took the left hand arm. They marched the prisoner up to a good sized tree that stood in the yard; placed the prisoner's breast up against the tree and each deputy pulled an hand an arm straight out in front and held it there while the whipping was being put on the prisoner's bare back. The number of lashes was according o the offense he had committed.

The people that lived in this country in those days could go out and find a piece of land that was open enough to farm a little without doing much clearing; they would just build them a log house, settle down and go to work, with a small tax to the Indian Department. We had to travel a long ways to the only Grist mill there was in the country. Some times it would take two or three days to make the round trip as there were no roads around this country then.

About all the pleasure the settlers would have would be Indian ball games and stomp dances through the country.

Transcribed by PJ Achramowicz <PJ_Achramowicz@spe.sony.com> 06-1999.