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Newspaper Indian Chieftain (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902

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About Indian Chieftain (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902

The Indian Chieftain, one of the largest and most influential newspapers in the Cherokee Nation, was established on September 22, 1882, at Vinita, in Craig County, Indian Territory. The 8-column, 4-page weekly was committed to the interests of all Five Civilized Tribes. Its motto read, “Devoted to the Interests of the Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Seminoles, Creeks, and Other Indians of the Indian Territory.”

The Chieftain was financed by the Chieftain Publishing Company, owned by local Vinita merchant and trader, George W. Green. White men could not own property in Indian Territory at the time, so Green had to operate behind the scenes as owner and publisher. Green appointed popular Cherokee leader, Augustus “Gus” Ivey, as the Chieftain’s first editor. Although, Ivey’s name was on the masthead, J.W. Scroggs, a white man, did most of the editing work. Scroggs worked as the “local editor” until April 1884.

Subsequently, the Chieftain was edited by a series of prominent Cherokees. Robert Latham Owen, a descendent of Cherokee chief Occonnostolas, served as editor in 1883-84. The founding father of Oklahoma journalism, William Potter Ross, took Owen’s place as editor. Ross was the former publisher of the Cherokee Advocate and later became a United States Senator. Ross resigned in 1884 after Green sold the Chieftain to M.E. Milford, the former editor of the Daily Commonwealth of Topeka, Kansas. John Lynch Adair, a mixed-blood Cherokee poet and former editor of Ross’s Cherokee Advocate, served as the Chieftain‘s editor until 1889.

Although most of the Chieftain’s early editors were Cherokees, the paper did not focus exclusively on native affairs. The Chieftain covered international and national news, as well as fiction, verse, and agricultural prices. News reports covered local politics and legal notices, and the paper included sections on “Cherokee Affairs” and “The Cherokee National Council.” Attention to Indian affairs increased in 1891 with the arrival of David Marrs. As acting editor, Marrs focused on land allotment issues, specifically, the impact of the Dawes Commission and the Severalty Act of 1887. Milford left the Chieftain in 1900, and under Marrs’s leadership, the paper continued to focus on Indian affairs. The dissolution of tribal governments and the enrollment of tribal members were the subjects of many articles.

Daily versions (Daily Indian Chieftain and Daily Chieftain) of the paper appeared from 1891 to 1902. The Indian Chieftain changed its name to the Vinita Weekly Chieftain in 1902 and then to the Weekly Chieftain from 1905 to 1913, when it ceased publication after being absorbed by the Vinita Leader. The Leader would later become a part of the Vinita Daily Journal, which continues to provide news for the residents of Vinita, Oklahoma.

Provided By: Oklahoma Historical Society

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Indian Chieftain (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902

Dates of Publication

  • 1882-1902

Created / Published

  • Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.] : Indian Chieftain Pub. Co.

Headings

  • -  Indians of North America--Oklahoma--Newspapers
  • -  Vinita (Okla.)--Newspapers
  • -  Craig County (Okla.)--Newspapers
  • -  Indian Territory--Newspapers
  • -  Indians of North America
  • -  Oklahoma
  • -  Oklahoma--Craig County
  • -  Oklahoma--Indian Territory
  • -  Oklahoma--Vinita
  • -  United States--Oklahoma--Craig--Vinita

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  -v. 21, no. 17 (Dec. 18, 1902).
  • -  Began Sep. 22, 1882.
  • -  "Devoted to the interests of the Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Seminoles, Creeks, and all other Indians of the Indian Territory."
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format as part of the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Daily eds.: Daily Indian chieftain, Sep. 25, 1891-Oct. 6, 1892, and: Daily chieftain, Oct. 3, 1898-Dec. 15, 1902.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 1, no. 2 (Sept. 29, 1882).
  • -  Vinita weekly chieftain (DLC)sn 86064149 (OCoLC)13764518

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper 7767

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn83025010

OCLC Number

  • 9216437

ISSN Number

  • 2158-8910

Succeeding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Indian Chieftain Vinita, Indian Territory Okla. -1902. (Vinita, OK), Jan. 1 1882. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83025010/.

APA citation style:

(1882, January 1) Indian Chieftain Vinita, Indian Territory Okla. -1902. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83025010/.

MLA citation style:

Indian Chieftain Vinita, Indian Territory Okla. -1902. (Vinita, OK) 1 Jan. 1882. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn83025010/.