I had a great visit with Jay Isaacs last week. The 1964 Allen graduate lives in Everett, Washington. His father was William Isaacs and his uncle was “Babe” Isaacs. Babe was a close friend of our families and we visited often.

Both William and Babe were outstanding football players. They were playing for Allen but Holdenville really wanted them to play for HHS.

The story I heard many years ago is that their mother was very poor, and some Holdenville folks offered her a home if she would move to Holdenville and bring the boys.

She accepted the offer and the Isaac boys led the Wolverines to very successful seasons. I don’t think the Allen folks were very happy, but Holdenville folks were delighted.

—PP—

SpThe introduction to her book reads as follows:

“BEGINNING AT COLD SPRINGS, THE HISTORY OF ALLEN (1882-1976)

In the year 1803, on November 30, Napoleon Bonaparte, first Consul of the French Republic, after having received possession of the Louisiana Territory from Spain, delivered the area to the United States.

On December 20, 1803, the American flag was finally raised over the Louisiana territory and what is now Oklahoma became officially part of the United States, via the Louisiana Purchase.

By the year 1828, except for the Panhandle, most of the State of Oklahoma had been assigned to three tribes: The Cherokees in the North, the Creeks in the Central and the Choctaws in the South. [From Harlow’s Oklahoma History] The Chickasaws had been incorporated as part of the Choctaw Nation in the year 1837. In 1855, they were designated an independent Chickasaw Nation. Many of them settled near Boggy and Blue Rivers. The Chickasaw Constitution was adopted by them in Tishomingo in 1856, providing for a Governor, a legislature and a circuit court elected by the legislature.

The Allen area was governed by the Choctaw Nation until 1907, when Oklahoma became a State. However, the town proper had its own Marshal and Mayor, as well as a U.S. Marshal.

The Choctaw government consisted of three divisional Chiefs, plus nine members from each of the three districts. The military was composed of a General, elected by the people, and 32 Captains from each district. Civil law was enforced by 18 light horsemen and three elected district judges. The first Choctaw capitol was established in 1830 west of Talihina. (From Harlow’s Oklahoma History)

Long after other parts of our nation were totally American, Oklahoma History remained one of colonization, and wars for possession. Though the Indians had been given certain territorial land, white settlers began usurping that land, acre by acre, and, as before, they were aided and abetted by the government.

Choctaw law clearly stated that all white people arriving in their Nation, must secure permission to remain, or be subject to expulsion by armed force if necessary. In the year 1839, Choctaw law decreed a death penalty for any Choctaw Indian who offered to sell land to a white man. (From Harlow’s Oklahoma History)

Their legal dealings with the U.S. government were noted by historians to have been knowledgeable and of top-drawer diplomacy. Their final appeal to that government, however, fell upon deaf ears, and in 1892, through the Dawes Commission and the Indian Allotment Act, a survey was initiated of all Indian territory land, so that Indians might be placed on individual allotments, and the remaining land be made immediately available to the white man.

The Choctaw Nation fought with every means of diplomacy it knew which was considerable – but the forces of pioneer spirit and, in some instances, greed (if you will, coupled with a tendency on the part of government, to allow white infringement, proved to be overwhelming. The Choctaws and Chickasaws were incensed and talk of war was prevalent. Although the Allen area survived with little serious trouble, there was open confrontation nearby in Wilburton, Hartshorne, and Antlers in the 1892’s. Several were killed and many wounded U.S. soldiers had to be brought in to quell the angry Indians.

Despite all this, the Indian land was appraised at from %.50 to $6.00 per acre. Each Indian was given $1,040 in cash money; he was then allowed to file on land until his money was used, according to the government appraisal. (Harlow’s Oklahoma History)

During the latter part of the century, the Indian Nation was in great turmoil, and understandably so. Andrew Jackson and U.S. troops, aided and abetted by State and Federal law, had in the early 1800’s under the guise of helping his “little red children,” killed Creeks and Seminoles, and pushed Indian tribes across the Mississippi. We take a second look at the motives of the man, who seized Florida without orders to do so, and through bloody warfare with the Southeastern Indians, perpetrated their abortive uprooting which resulted in the Trail of Tears – which was, in our humble opinion (as we have stated before), an eternal black mark upon the pages of our nation’s history.

The Allen area is steeped in history. It is on the Old Coffeyville-Texas Trail. The Old Montezuma Trail, sometimes called the Crowfoot or Mexican Trail, which is said to lead to fabled gold mines, lies just north of Allen. In early days, many Mexican parties searched but failed to find, the wealth supposedly in plentiful supply there.

Oldtimers talk about the eerie lights often seen in early days, floating five to twenty feet high in the night darkness, many of them suddenly appearing near men’s homes. Many times, they appeared in chimney corners. Natural curiosity, and a bit of foreboding, encouraged investigation. They say, as they followed the light (there was usually one), it stopped as they stopped, until they reached the Canadian River. Then it floated right on over the River, and into multiple rocks beyond the north shore. As a result, many early settlers were convinced that the tales of great wealth were true and had no doubt that the lights appeared periodically for the sole purpose of leading them to the treasure. Others were just as convinced that the lights were an omen of death to some member of the household, and, if perchance, a death occurred within months, they were sure the light had been a warning.

Many parties from other areas, as well as our own people, have searched for the mines unsuccessfully. As for the mysterious lights, scientists have explained the reason for these, very extensively. However, most Oldtimers have their own ideas!