Collections Only

Gilcrease Museum is temporarily closed for construction.

Get the Full Story

Anthology of Articles: the John Ross Papers Collection

  1. Collections Home
  2. The Archive/Library Collection

John Ross (1790-1866) was Principal Chief of the Cherokee during the most critical time in Cherokee history - the Cherokee Removal Period and the establishment of the Cherokee Nation. Gilcrease Museum is proud to be the home of the John Ross Papers, a collection of rare documents spanning over 11 linear feet of shelving space and comprised of more than 2,000 documents. This unique collection contains the personal correspondence of Principal Chief John Ross, his proclamation as Chief of the Cherokee Tribe, legal papers, records, accounts lists of names, and rations allocated during the Cherokee people’s forced removal from Tennessee to Indian Territory. Papers of the Cherokee Council, petitions and protests to Congress, and papers relating to the East and West Cherokee controversy and the Civil War are also part of the John Ross Papers. Items of particular interest include papers related to the various detachments of Cherokees being removed from their homes in the East. One such paper is the Muster Roll of Captain John Benge’s Detachment of Emigrating Cherokees. Another document records payments for services rendered for each of the detachments and the costs for which the U.S. Government promised reimbursements. The John Ross Papers holds volumes of knowledge and insights about the history of the Cherokee period during some of most turbulent periods in Cherokee history.

See all items in the online John Ross Papers Collection.

John Ross (1790–1866) was the longest-serving principal chief in the history of the Cherokee Nation, leading the Nation from 1828 to 1866, 38 years. His tenure encompassed the struggle by the Cherokee against forced removal from their original homeland, internal violence due to post-removal factionalism, the unification and rebuilding of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory, and the American Civil War.

Article: The Life and Times of Principal Chief John Ross

The Cherokee Delegation to the Seminole in 1837 was a diplomatic mission to prevent the massacre of a kindred warrior people whom the United States government viewed as defiant terrorists. Furthermore, it was an attempt to create stronger ties with the U. S. government. During this period the Cherokee Nation was fighting against removal to Indian Territory.

Article: Down from the Mountains to the Swamps: The Cherokee Delegation to the Seminole in 1837

“…in due time they will enter College and graduate in a degree that will reflect credit upon the mental capacity of the Cherokee…” – Principal Chief John Ross, 18 June 1844-

Article: Great Expectations William Potter Ross and Cherokee Education

After the Treaty of New Echota was signed, Cherokee people left the Southeast in three different waves. The signers of the Treaty of New Echota and some other families left voluntarily beginning in 1837.

Article: Muster Rolls from the John Ross Papers

Chief John Ross (1790-1866) served the Cherokee tribe for more than 50 years, proving himself an exceptional chief executive, political negotiator, and diplomat.

Article: Chief John Ross