1887 Indian Territory
By: U.S. General Land Office
Date: 1887 (dated) New York, NY
Dimensions: 24 x 32 inches (61 x 81.25 cm)
This is a superb example of an informative map detailing the land status of over 30 tribes residing in the Indian Territory, which seen here to comprise much present-day Oklahoma. The map was originally issued in 1885 as a supplement to Part V of the Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution by Thomas Donaldson to accompany George Catlin’s Indian Gallery.
The map distinctly illustrates the reservations of tribes from across the country, and provides the dates of the treaties previously signed with the United States. A reference key at top right defines locations of nation capitals, towns and villages, as well as military reservations. The large black numbers reference the group of Indian nations that reside on the smallest reservations in the northeast corner of Indian Territory.
In 1830, President Andrew Jackson pushed through congress the first major Indian Removal Act that would relocate the “Five Civilized Tribes,” the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, Creek and Cherokee to the region just west of the Mississippi. Over the decades, many other tribes would be relocated to this region original designated for the first five tribes alone. The act of bringing together nations from far-distant aboriginal lands with a wide range of customs and way-of-life such as nomadic hunters and agrarian homesteaders created a great deal of tension within the ever-shrinking region.
Published just three years prior to the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890, this map is an important historical relic representing the end of the centuries-long struggle over land between the United States and Native Americans.
Condition: This map is in A+ condition with no major separations staining or paper discoloration. Originally issued folded, the map has been professionally flattened and reinforced on the verso along fold intersections.
Inventory #12464
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