Smith Paul's Valley

For a long while after 1859, when Smith Paul and Ela Teecha, my great great grandparents, moved their family west to the Washita Valley, they were alone on the frontier. When the Civil War began, both of Ellen's older children, Tecumseh McClure and Catherine Waite took their families to Kansas, so until the end of the war it was just Ellen and Smith and their three younger children, Sam, Jessie, and Sippia.  

Smith and Ellen prospered though. Smith planted corn, and a large fruit orchard, and he also raised cattle. He shared his crop with the plains Indians living nearby, and as time went on more Indian bands moved into the area. As a result, the Confederate Government, who took over Fort Arbuckle during the Civil War, made Smith Paul agent over the local tribes, and so he was not recruited to fight.  

Just as moving away from Fort Arbuckle had saved the Pauls from suffering much of the hardship brought by the Civil War, living in the midst of friendly Indians probably protected them from attacks by hostile tribes. The Comanche in their raid of 1866 passed right by the Paul farm without taking any livestock or causing any damage. (see Post of May 29, 2011, The Comanche and the Chickasaw, Again) Aunt Sippia even mentions the Comanche as one of the tribes living near the family farm. (see Post of June 12, 2011, Aunt Sippia, Part One )  

After the Civil War the McClures and the Waites returned, and gradually other Chickasaw and Choctaw families settled in the area. When Fort Sill was established in 1869 to protect the trails west and to subdue the remaining nomadic tribes, the Paul home became a regular stopping place for travelers to replenish their supplies and to repair their wagons. This is how Bill Hull, the blacksmith whom Aunt Sippia married became wealthy. Soon there was a Butterfield Stage stop and a post office nearby, and people began referring to the little community as Smith Paul's Valley. 

The governments of the Five Civilized Tribes were patterned after the government of the United States, but there were significant differences, reflecting the differences in the Indian culture. 

Firstly individual land ownership was an alien concept to the Indians. According to Indian tradition the earth was the source of life and of the spirit of the tribe. It belonged to the tribe as a whole. That was one of the reasons why the Removal broke the spirit of the Chickasaws. It separated them from their life source. Chickasaw law gave every tribal member the use of as much land as he needed, but when he died his land was returned to the tribe. 

Enterprising tribal members, especially mixed bloods or intermarried whites, used this tradition to their benefit by laying claim to land, and then leasing it to white settlers for a share of their crop. When word spread about the fertile Washita Valley, white settlers began to come, more than willing to pay the $5 permit fee to enter the Chickasaw Nation, and to share 10% of their crop with the Chickasaw and Choctaw citizens who controlled the land, so Smith Paul's Valley flourished and made the Pauls, the McClures, and the Waites rich. According to one source, 60 families came to Indian Territory at the invitation of Tom Waite alone. Soon white renters outnumbered Chickasaw citizens.  

Originally, Indian communities were small and clan based. To them a town was a few families living near each other, sharing goods and services. There was no need for municipal governments, so the Indian constitutions made no provisions for them. Smith Paul's Valley was not much different from a traditional Chickasaw town, with only a small number of families, a few stores and a few skilled workers such as blacksmiths and bridle makers, but people living in larger communities agitated for change. They wanted local services; they wanted to own their homes and businesses, and they wanted a say in the government.    

Another growing problem in Chickasaw society was crime. There was little need for law enforcement in the traditional Chickasaw community. The few offenders were dealt with by shaming or shunning, so laws were few and punishments were simple. There was whipping for minor offenses such as stealing, and execution for murder. Indian communities had no jails because an Indian never attempted to avoid his punishment. If he did, a member of his family would be chosen to take his place. Gradually Indian Territory was becoming a refuge for criminals. The white man had no respect for Indian laws, and the Indian police had no jurisdiction over them.  

The Chickasaw leaders of the time were divided over how to deal with the new problems they faced. Most favored limiting the influx of whites and preserving traditional values, but a vocal minority, supported by the now numerous white population, favored incorporating white settlers into tribal governments. Smith and Ellen's family was divided within itself over the question. Ellen's older son Tecumseh McClure became a leader of the traditional or "National" party, and her younger son Sam Paul became a leader of the Progressives.    

Feelings were strong but polite at first, but these issues were about to come to a head with the coming of the railroad and the changes it would bring to the little town of Smith Paul's Valley.