Drum Creek Treaty facts for kids
The Drum Creek Treaty was an important agreement between the United States government and the Osage Nation in 1870. It came about because of problems with an earlier agreement called the Sturges Osage Treaty of 1868. The Sturges Treaty was discussed by the US government but was never officially approved.
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Why the Treaties Were Needed
In the early 1800s, many American settlers started moving onto lands that belonged to the Osage Nation in Kansas. As more and more settlers arrived, the Osage people began to lose control of their traditional lands. By the late 1860s, so many settlers were moving in that the Osage asked the US military for help to make them leave.
Because of this pressure, the Osage started talking with the US government about a new home. An earlier agreement, the Canville Treaty of 1865, said that the US would sell the Osage's lands in Kansas for them at $1.25 per acre. Then, the money from these sales would be used to buy new lands for the Osage in what is now Oklahoma.
The Sturges Treaty Proposal
However, the Sturges Treaty had a different idea. It suggested selling a huge area of Osage land, about 8 million acres, directly to a railroad company. The price offered was very low, only 20 to 25 cents per acre.
Why the Sturges Treaty Failed
Many settlers and some members of the US Congress strongly disagreed with the Sturges Treaty. They didn't want the land to go to a railroad company. They wanted it to be open for individual settlers. Because of their strong opposition, the Sturges Treaty was never approved.
The Drum Creek Treaty and New Law
After the Sturges Treaty failed, the Osage Nation and the United States worked out a new agreement. This new agreement brought back the ideas from the Canville Treaty of 1865.
This agreement was made official by a law passed by Congress on July 15, 1870. This law was a big step towards the Drum Creek Treaty.
What the 1870 Law Said
The law stated that if the Osage Nation agreed, the US President would move them from Kansas to a new, permanent home in Indian Territory (which is now Oklahoma).
- New Home Land: Each Osage person would get 160 acres of land in the new territory.
- Paying for New Land: This new land would be paid for using the money from selling the Osage's old lands in Kansas.
- Kansas Land Sales: The Osage lands in Kansas would be opened for settlement. They would be sold to settlers who were heads of families or over 21 years old. Each settler could buy up to 160 acres for $1.25 per acre.
- Money for the Osage: The money from these sales would be held by the US government for the Osage. It would earn 5% interest each year, which would be used to help the Osage people.
- Help for Moving: The law also set aside $50,000 to help the Osage move and to support them during their first year in their new home. This money would be paid back from the land sales.
- Compensation for Past Promises: The law also gave the Osage money for things the US had promised them in an earlier treaty (from 1839) but hadn't fully provided. This included $20,000 for farming tools and livestock, and $10,000 for a saw and grist mill. These funds would be used to build new agency buildings, a school, a church, and a new mill in their new home.
This important law led directly to the signing of the Drum Creek Treaty on September 10, 1870.
Senator Clarke's Role
When the treaties were being discussed in Congress, Senator Sidney Clarke from Kansas spoke out strongly. He wasn't supporting the railroad company. Instead, he argued for the rights of the farmers and settlers. He insisted that the Osage lands should be open for settlers to buy, not given to a railroad.
Senator Clarke said that selling the land to the railroad was unfair to the settlers. Because of his efforts, the Sturges Treaty was pulled from consideration in 1869, soon after President Ulysses S. Grant took office.
In July 1870, Senator Clarke proposed a new bill. This bill asked for the Osage lands in Kansas to be opened for settlement at $1.25 per acre. Congress quickly approved his bill. As soon as the bill was signed by President Grant, settlers began moving onto the land. President Grant also approved the removal of the Osage people to their new home in Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma. Senator Clarke's bill was a key step that led to the Drum Creek Treaty of 1870.
