EARLY DAYS
My father,
Frank Geboe, was Eel River Miami Indian, disbanded at Peru, Ind. He
was Indian and French and spoke both languages. He died in 1871 and
was 35 years old then and he is buried at Ottawa Cemetery in this
county.
My mother,
Pa-tes-noquah Geboe, was a full blood Ottawa. They lived near Ottawa,
Franklin Co., Kansas, where they were married and my sister and myself
were born. I was born November 24, 1861, and my sister, Emma, was born
in 1865.
Removal to Ind. Ty.
My parents
came in the fall of 1866 and located 2 miles north, one mile east and
three-fourths mile back south of Ottawa. The place is now Clay
Stevens’ place. They came in two wagons and brought with them, cattle
and all the furniture, stoves and things that they could load in the
two wagons. My mother’s nephew, Joe Holmes, came with them and drove
one of the wagons.
They were
thirty days on the road. Whenever they wanted to, they would stop and
let the stock graze and rest, they camped at night, wagons all drawn
up close together. Built fires and sat round them after supper, the
men talking.
When they
reached the land bought for the Ottawas, they went around over it and
each selected the place where he wanted to settle. We had a big
spring and were not far from Spring River, though not in the woods.
Our home was a double low house with clapboards for a roof. The men
helped each other and went to the timber and cut and prepared the logs
and when they had enough, then they were hauled to the place where the
building was to be, and the men all came and had a log-rolling. Our
house and stable were both built this was so by the cold days we had a
home for the winter. We had a fireplace in one room for heat but
cooked on a stove. We had coal-oil lights and sometimes used tallow
candles. The Indians of our tribes in this county have had plenty of
money and so have not had to live like some. They are all from the
northeast, and lived like white folks even before they came to Kansas
and there we had nice farms, nice homes, good furniture and lots of
good stock.
The Fort
There was a
fort here then. Where was it? You know where Sunnyside School is,
Yes. It was on the first hill north of there on right hand side of
the road. It is about six miles south of Baxter Springs. What was it
called? I don’t know the name but the name of the hill was Hunt
Hill. Now it is called the Abrams Hill, as they took the land. The
old earth works may still be there. There were stationed at the fort
then one company of Calvary and a company of Infantry. Col. Toe, I
think was in command. Several buildings, two commissaries, soldiers
quarters, etc.
Why was
this fort established? It was to keep the white settlers out of
Indian lands. There was a strip 2 1/2 miles wide from the Missouri
Line on the east, west along the Kansas Line to the Neosho River.
Sometimes referred to as the Neutral Strip-along the north end of the
Quapaws. White settlers kept coming over the line and trying to
settle here. When these soldiers looked after the Nez Perces while
they were camped near the fort. They gave them rations and kept them
together. They were northern Indians, I think, anyway they did not
stay long. They were soon moved.
The Modocs
In 1873, I
think the Modocs were brought to Baxter from Oregon on troop trains in
charge of soldiers. I remember seeing them. They were hideous. They
wore rings in their noses and ears, had flat heads. They bound boards
to the children’s heads over forehead, and shaved the hair high over
the ears leaving the hair through the center of the head. This was
placed and hung down the back. They wore feather headdress. They
wore blankets, the men wore moccasins, leggins and breechclout. They
were not friendly and gave the soldiers lots of trouble. They were
settled on a tract 2 1/2 mile square in the northeast corner of the
Shawnee Reservation just west of Seneca, Mo.
They came
from a different climate and they died like sheep. It did not agree
with them here and then they were not satisfied. I remember Steamboat
Frank. He was a fine looking young man about a half-breed I should
think. He wore citizen’s clothes and nice ones, acted as interpreter
and talked English well. He died here and is buried in the Modoc
Cemetery. So is Scar-Face Charlie.
