Did You Know?
Here are some quick facts about the Seminole Nation and Seminole County.
Abraham
Abraham was a prominent Black Seminole in Florida in the mid-1800s. He was the leader of the Alachua Maroons and the interpreter and an adviser of Principal Chief Mikkoanapa.
The Betsy Foster #1
Discovered on St. Patrick’s Day 1923, The Betsy Foster #1 was the first oil well discovered in the greater Wewoka area. This well was located two miles southeast of Wewoka and was discovered by a Pennsylvania transplant by the name of R.H. Smith.
Emahaka Mission
Emahaka Mission, a Seminole school for girls, was established in 1894 and was located approximately five miles south of Wewoka on the Seminole-Creek border. Full capacity of the school’s boarding department was 112. Studies ranged from elementary arithmetic to foreign languages and philosophy.
Chester Pittman
Native Wewokan Chester Pittman became the first black football player to letter at Oklahoma State University more than 50 years ago in the fall of 1957.
Juanita Kidd Stout
Wewokan Juanita Kidd Stout was the first African-American woman elected to any judgeship in the United States and the first to serve on a state Supreme Court.
“Konawa”
The name “Konawa” means “string of beads” in the Seminole (Maskoki) language.
The Universal Man
The Universal Man is an iconic piece of Seminole artistry and craftsmanship. Sculpted by past Seminole Principal Chief and master artist, Enoch Kelly Haney, The Universal Man, is made completely of bronze and stands 22 inches tall by 23 inches wide atop of a mahogany base. Haney has said that “The Universal Man makes a statement about human relation which goes beyond the boundaries of Indian Culture.”
“Pretty Boy” Floyd
Famous outlaw and member of the FBI’s “Most Wanted List”, “Pretty Boy” Floyd spent much time in the Seminole County area and was said to have attended the Earlsboro funeral of his partner-in-crime dressed as a woman.
Lighthorsemen
In the days before statehood, the law of the Seminole Nation was enforced by a rugged, determined and much-feared group of men known as Lighthorsemen. Numbering approximately ten able men, the force usually consisted of a Captain, a Lieutenant and eight Privates. Each served for a term of four years. The duties of the Lighthorse ranged from escorting shipments of Tribal monies to exacting the swift and terrible punishments of the Nation – execution at the foot of a narrow oak tree or a multitude of lashes under the arm of the famous “Seminole Whipping Tree.” It was a dangerous job, as four Lighthorsemen were known to have been killed before statehood.
Jeanetta Calhoun Mish
Jeanetta Calhoun Mish is a scholar, poet, and prose writer who started her academic career at Wewoka Head Start with Mrs. Lucille and in kindergarten with Mrs. Dunlap. Calhoun Mish has said her love of reading and writing was fostered by Wewoka teachers Mrs. Carolina, Mr. Dedmon, and Mr. Shivers. She completed her Ph.D. in American Literature at OU in 2009. Her most recent books are ‘Oklahomeland: Essays’ (Lamar University Press, 2015) and a poetry collection,’What I Learned at the War’ (West End Press, 2016).
Lee P. Brown
Lee P. Brown, born in Wewoka in 1937, was the first African- American elected as mayor of Houston, TX.
Celebration of Law Day
The nationally recognized celebration of Law Day was established by Wewoka attorney Hicks Epton.
Sterlin Harjo
Sterlin Harjo is a director and producer and member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. Mr. Harjo is best known for his films Four Sheets to the Wind, Barking Water, and Mekko as well as his documentary This May Be the Last Time. His films and documentaries primarily focus on the Native American community and have all been set in Oklahoma.
Alice Brown Davis
Alice Brown Davis, the first female chief of all of the five civilized tribes, was sworn into office in July of 1922 by President Warren G. Harding. Before being sworn in as chief, Alice spent the early decades of her life as a farmer, rancher, postmistress, educator, interpreter, missionary and mother to eleven children. Chief Alice’s compassion, determination and charity to the Seminole people made her one of the most beloved and honored leaders of her time.
Tony Palmer
American “Code Talkers”. After joining the army in 1942 with two other Seminoles, he went on to use the Mvskoke language to outwit Japanese forces.
J. Coody Johnson
African-American attorney and oil man J. Coody Johnson motivated many black businessmen in early-day Oklahoma to establish a Negro State Fair. Opened in 1915 in Muskogee, this event came four years later to Wewoka.
Vance Trimble
Wewokan Vance Trimble won his 1960 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting.