George Strother Gaines
Encyclopedia
George Strother Gaines was a leader in the Mississippi Territory
and in both states formed from it, Mississippi
and Alabama
. He was a longtime trader among the Choctaw
s, and was trusted by them. At their request, he led an expedition to scout the prospective Choctaw lands in the Indian territory
before the Choctaws reluctantly agreed to emigrate there.
Mississippi Territory
The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Mississippi....
and in both states formed from it, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. He was a longtime trader among the Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
s, and was trusted by them. At their request, he led an expedition to scout the prospective Choctaw lands in the Indian territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
before the Choctaws reluctantly agreed to emigrate there.
See also
- Gainestown, AlabamaGainestown, AlabamaGainestown is an unincorporated community on the Alabama River in Clarke County, Alabama, United States. It was named for George Strother Gaines. Gaines established an Indian trading post here in 1809.The exact date for the founding of the town is unclear...
, community named in his honor, founded on the site of one of his former trading posts - Edmund P. GainesEdmund P. GainesEdmund Pendleton Gaines was a United States army officer who served with distinction during the War of 1812, the Seminole Wars and the Black Hawk War.-Early life:...
, his half-brother
Further reading
- Pate, James P. (Editor), The Reminiscences of George Strother Gaines: Pioneer and Statesman of Early Alabama and Mississippi, 1805-1843. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 1998.
- Leftwich, George J. Colonel George Strother Gaines and other Pioneers in Mississippi Territory. Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society 1904:442-56.
- DeRosier, Arthur H. The Removal of the Choctaw Indians, Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1970.