I had gathered these pictures for months on my desktop, so now I could dump
miscellaneous old:
Pre-town formations
Photograph used for a story in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper. Caption: "Hehshahke is a full-blood Osage of Fairfax, and is a 70-year-old incompetent, restricted ward of the government."
How awful and sad.
Another blogger has many old photos and info about the Osage and Oil:
The other side of Main St.: Upper side:
The house of Rita (Osage) + Bill Smith (White) that was blown up in 1923, killing both Rita + Bill and their (white) servant Nettie was on the upper side. 5th St.
We begin uptown on 5th Street
A very quiet neighborhood.
I was fascinated to see the brick on the road more than anything (bricks being the thing I am into at the moment). I can't say I would have known that this street was infamous. I didn't even know the location or the similar house they were using for the movie.
Ok, so this picture and the next 2 are of a much larger and well-kept red brick home. We learned earlier that these "red mansions" (not our pejorative term, but the white tour guides) were built during the boom to show wealth. They are sprinkled all over Osage County. I for some reason thought this might be/have been a TallChief owned house. Could find no information on it however.
The Hollywood Presence. A note from the Osage Nation after we visited:
Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear said there are no plans for the Nation to renovate the mansion at this time. Currently, the Nation owns 1/3 of the estate with the other 2/3 ownership of the property remaining with Tallchief descendants. The ON Wildland Fire Department cleaned the brush away from the house and will continue to do more work to the grounds to prevent any fires around the home.
So now the land is cleared. I sure wonder about the fate of this glorious piece of history.
Not very big, and at the top of a hill, it was a peaceful place to be at the end of the day (I really like cemetery's as reflective spaces).
This was something I had never seen before.
I thought of the bird atop Chief
NE-KAH-WAH-SHE-TUN-KAH as a spirit bird. From the "Exploring OK history" website:
Born in Osage CO. 1839
Died Aug. 3, 1923
He was Governor of the Osages four times
and a member of the Council seven times
His sole aim in life was the welfare of his people
Note:
Chief Ne-KAH-Wah-She-TUN-KAH's burial was the last tradition Osage burial ceremony performed in which a human scalp was place in the grave.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/04/statue-native-american-ballerina-destroyed
Heading out of town at almost dusk it seemed like we were in farmland, all around just grass. Then we came to a seeming road:
Abandoned structures
Looks like it once was a flourishing operation,
...but now this small, shotgun style house is only functioning structure, and it doesn't have a driveway (I wonder how old the place is).
GRAYHORSE:
Final stop of the day. Gray Horse is an Osage ceremonial town (The Big Hill Band of Osage) and a part of the former Osage Indian Reservation. Before Fairfax, this was the town with the trading post store, U.S. government subagency, and place for Osage tribal meetings. It is named in honor of the owner Ka-wa-ko-dsa.
The WPA Gray Horse High School + Gymnasium
Built in 1938, the HS consisted of 4 rooms + a gym in an L-shape. Here is a description of it from "The History Exchange":
...constructed of both rusticated and coursed as well as untooled and randomly laid native sandstone. Entryway facades, corners and pilasters on the gymnasium are of rusticated and coursed stone, while the rest is of colorful untooled native rock. The roof is flat with parapets, Window sills, continuous lintels, friezes and wall caps are of cut limestone. Doors are recessed behind archways, and windows are wood sash.
As a rural WPA building, this structure is unique with regard to size and its construction of two different rock types (cut and uncut stone). Within the community it is notable in terms of type, style, materials and workmanship. Indeed, Greyhorse is an Osage Indian settlement with no building comparable to that of the school; the identification of the Indians with the school in itself makes the structure important. After its construction the school had a student body made up in large part of Osage children. Moreover, the Osages were some of those destitute and unemployed laborers who were given job opportunities when the school was constructed. The economic security that thus accrues to them, after long months of virtual starvation, makes the Greyhorse school building especially significant.
The pretty famous Tulsa architect, Albert J. Love designed this school along with many other building (over 150 in NE Ok). The school was used until 1962. The standout feature= 2 different types of rock usage in building.
Supreme sadness= sits abandoned and nature is reclaiming.
Now:
Then:
I was a tad bit obsessed with the building. For one, it is a historic building, and two, a school! Somebody please save this structure!
The cow neighbors could care less about the structure- heck, look at the state of their building!
In the mid-1880s the Osage at Gray Horse received the i'n-lon-schka dance, traditions, and drum from the Ponca Indians. In 1908 the Osage built a roundhouse in which they could hold their ceremonial dances, and they later constructed a Native American Church building. In February 1963 a prairie fire destroyed both structures. In spring 1964 a pavilion was built to replace the round house. Small arbors were erected for the clans and for visiting Indians who took part in the yearly celebrations (the i'n-lon-schka dance is held every June, we just missed it, although I am unsure if we would've been invited in).
We ended our very long day at the Gray Horse cemetery. Just as at the Fairfax cemetery, I sent silent "I'm Sorry's" for all the horrors, pain, and wretchedness that several gross, greedy, disgusting white folk had visited upon the people of the Osage Nation.
And speaking of shame, I remembered hearing about this (5/19):
I wouldn't normally post this, but believe that the world needs to see that racist, ignorant bullshit like this still is happening here today-21st century.
Please stop the hate. It is gross, hurtful, and wrong.
So to end on a different note. I think sometimes the world throws up signs. Not always sure what they mean, but I believe flora and fauna carry spirits, and so this one spoke to me:
The spiritual meaning of turtle is finding the way to move forward and live through heavy times. I certainly will try.
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