Building the New Park

BUILDING THE NEW PARK

Joseph Swords was the first superintendent of Sulphur Springs Reservation taking his oath of office on September 12, 1903. He was also probably the most hated man in Indian Territory. The 1,200 angry citizens of Sulphur, who had problems with having to move once, or move twice, saw him as the source of all their misery. Many were homeless and others had lost their businesses, but they were all on the move.

With the coming of the allotments, the Indian Service created the office of "Special Inspector in Charge for Indian Service" in Muskogee, I.T. This office later became the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes.

This Inspector, George Wright, had several assistants who carried out the policies of the government resulting from passage of the Dawes Commission of 1887, the Atoka Agreement of 1897 and the Curtis Act of 1898. Joseph Swords was one of these assistant inspectors who came to Sulphur to do the prep work for the coming of the allotments and the platting of current town sites with a population of 200 or more.

Swords fell in love with the area and with many of the town leaders, tried to persuade the Secretary of the Interior to set aside from allotment the springs and creeks in the area in perpetuity. The Secretary agreed that six square miles should be set aside for the reserve.

However, there was a question if the Chickasaws wanted a reserve in their nation. Swords and several of the town's people went to Tishomingo on many occasions and talked with Douglas Johnston, Governor, and many of the leaders of the Chickasaw tribal council.

The Chickasaw Council and the Governor both seemed in agreement that there was a need for some kind of reserve but absolutely refused to accept the idea that six square miles was necessary for the protection of the springs and creeks. These six square miles would be excluded from the pool of allotment land that would be available to their tribal members and it was indeed some prime real estate. It was finally decided that one square mile was more reasonable.

The Curtis Act had time limits on everything. If anything was going to occur about the formation of a federal reservation around the springs, it was going to have to happen in a hurry. According to the Act, if a town was platted, then the owners of the improvements were entitled to the land if they could pay a certain percentage of the value of the land the improvements rested upon. They could then pay the balance in annual installments. If this breakup of the land occurred, the springs and creeks would be irretrievably divided up among hundreds of owners and lost forever.

Superintendent Swords, at first glance at his reports, seemed like an iron-fisted Washington bureaucrat. But, as the days and weeks pass, one can read that he had to walk a very fine line; a fine line between common sense and the law.

First, he had to uphold the laws and promote the general good of the U. S. Government for whom he worked and paid his salary. Second, he had to protect and promote the wise use of the reservation's existing limited resources. Third, he had to make the appraisements of the seized property fair and equitable for both the citizens and the government. Fourth, he had to build a national Park out of nothing more than a couple of small creeks and a dozen or so springs. The difficult part is that he had to do all these things at the same time.

The new superintendent had practically no paid help. There was only himself, one ranger, Forrest Townsley and a clerk, Una Roberts. He had no office building or even quarters for himself. He didn't even have a desk or chair and had to requisition these from the Indian Agency in Muskogee.

Swords first problem was to get the buildings off the reservation land. There were hundreds of buildings that ranged in size from a privy to the 124-room Bland Hotel. Shanties and buildings of no value were burned.

As Swords was an inspector for the Indian Service, his job, along with two others in the community, were to evaluate the land and structures. Along with Swords, were to be a member of the community who was a Chickasaw by blood and one other member of the community who had no interest in the land except for his own homestead.

A certified check for 20% of the bid was required with the bid. If one was the high bidder they had normally had 30 days to remove their building such as a house or small building. If the building was stone they had 60 days. If the building was a hotel they had 90 days.

If the winning bidder did not complete the sale within 30 days they lost their check. If they were an unsuccessful bidder, the check was returned. Checks were received that were for the bid amount instead of 20%, others were not certified and other bids had no check at all with them.

Supt. Swords prepared a list of buildings with enough value that they could be auctioned to the public. Many of the homes and businesses were still occupied. The people utilizing those structures were required to pay the government monthly rent ranging from $1 to $15. On May 1, 1905 the first auction was held.

This auction was by sealed bid. As was the norm in the new Park, pandemonium reigned. People did not understand the plat numbers or the lots they were bidding on and bid on the wrong property, often-vacant lots.

This brings up a point that some have wondered about. What about the vacant lots that people owned in Sulphur Springs and was now in the reserve? If a lot was vacant but was claimed by a person and that lot was platted on the town plat, it reverted back to the Chickasaw tribe and the person who held claim simply lost it according to the Curtis Act. A barbed wire fence, peach orchard or stand of corn was not considered an improvement.

Supt. Swords had another problem. Some building owners would accept the government appraisal and check for their property and then move their former buildings to new Sulphur. Other people would accept the appraisal and then tear down parts of their old house to build their new house. On more than one occasion, Supt. Swords had to write letters to citizens to tell them to bring their houses back as the government had paid them and they were now guilty of theft of government property.