News Release
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) commemorates the 155th anniversary of the final treaty between the tribe and the federal government.
The Treaty of 1867 was the final push for the first Citizen Potawatomi Nation families to move from Kansas to Indian territory. It promised more than 575,000 acres, stretching from the north fork of the Canadian River to the south fork, which encompasses what is now Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma.
Pictured: Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal members relocating from Kansas to Oklahoma.
Credit: (Photo: Citizen Potawatomi Nation)
Pictured: Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal members outside a log cabin.
Credit: (Photo: Citizen Potawatomi Nation)
Pictured: Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal members.
Credit: (Photo: Citizen Potawatomi Nation)
Pictured: Henry Dawes.
Credit: (Photo: Citizen Potawatomi Nation)Because tribal citizens were required to self-fund the move, it took five years to secure resources and journey together to Indian Territory.
“They had to settle their business in Kansas, and traveling in groups was safer,” said Dr. Kelli Mosteller, executive director of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center. “There are a lot of logistics that go into that kind of move. They had to make sure that they arrived at a certain time of the year so that their wagons didn’t get stuck, so that they weren’t coming right at the beginning of winter and when they would not have time to build any kind of lodging.”
Only the most affluent families could afford to make the trip, hoping for a brighter future after three removals in four decades.
150 years ago, 28 people with 14 wagons full of supplies completed the difficult and dangerous journey to settle in present-day Shawnee, OK.
To learn more about Citizen Potawatomi Nation history, visit https://www.potawatomiheritage.com/ or visit the tribe’s Cultural Heritage Center in Shawnee.
