Mayhew, Indian Territory
Encyclopedia
Mayhew, Indian Territory, located two miles north of present-day Boswell, Oklahoma
, was the seat of government of the Pushmataha District
of the Choctaw Nation
, in the Indian Territory
. It was located in Jackson County, Choctaw Nation
, the county seat
of which was Pigeon Roost, south of present-day Boswell.
It ceased its functions upon preparation for Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907, when the Choctaw Nation’s government and political subdivisions were dissolved.
A United States Post Office was established at Mayhew, Indian Territory on February 5, 1845 and operated until September 30, 1902. It then moved two miles south to Boswell, which was then a new townsite along the new railroad, and changed its name to Boswell, Indian Territory.
Boswell was named for S.C. Boswell, a local merchant
.
Mayhew was visited by a Works Progress Administration
field worker in September 1936. At that time she reported the remains of the original site of Mayhew--a half-mile away from its second and last site--were torn down in 1934. The last site of Mayhew still held the steel jailhouse constructed during territorial days to hold the prisoners of the Pushmataha District (Third District) of the Choctaw Nation. The jailhouse was originally located at the first site of the district court, near the present-day Choctaw County community of Sunkist, and was moved to Mayhew in 1903. (The Pushmataha District had abandoned the site of its first courthouse after it burned. Its remote location between the forks of the Clear Boggy River and Muddy Boggy River caused it to move to Mayhew, the court's last seat before Oklahoma's statehood, rather than rebuild.) In 1936 it was still in excellent condition and being used as a granary. The original "whipping tree", from which the court dispensed punishment to those convicted of crimes, had been chopped down.
Riveting accounts of the life and work of the Mayhew Mission may be read in the surviving papers of Cyrus Kingsbury, a longtime missionary. These comprise the sole written record of this part of southeastern Oklahoma from the 1840s onward. Included are descriptions of the Choctaws, white settlers, and also fairly detailed meteorological observations, the first and only such recorded observations of this area.
Boswell, Oklahoma
Boswell is a town in Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 703 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, Boswell has a total area of , of which, of it is land and 1.43% is water.-Climate:...
, was the seat of government of the Pushmataha District
Pushmataha District
Pushmataha District was one of three administrative super-regions comprising the former Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. Also called the Third District, it encompassed the southwestern one-third of the nation....
of the Choctaw Nation
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a semi-autonomous Native American homeland comprising twelve tribal districts. The Choctaw Nation maintains a special relationship with both the United States and Oklahoma governments...
, 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...
. It was located in Jackson County, Choctaw Nation
Jackson County, Choctaw Nation
Jackson County was a political subdivision of the Pushmataha District of the Choctaw Nation, in the Indian Territory. The county was dissolved upon Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907....
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of which was Pigeon Roost, south of present-day Boswell.
It ceased its functions upon preparation for Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907, when the Choctaw Nation’s government and political subdivisions were dissolved.
History
Mayhew was founded in 1836 by Presbyterian missionaries to the Choctaw Indians. They named it for Mayhew Presbyterian Mission in Mississippi. From here they ministered to the Choctaws, providing schooling, medical aid, and other services.A United States Post Office was established at Mayhew, Indian Territory on February 5, 1845 and operated until September 30, 1902. It then moved two miles south to Boswell, which was then a new townsite along the new railroad, and changed its name to Boswell, Indian Territory.
Boswell was named for S.C. Boswell, a local merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
.
Mayhew was visited by a Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
field worker in September 1936. At that time she reported the remains of the original site of Mayhew--a half-mile away from its second and last site--were torn down in 1934. The last site of Mayhew still held the steel jailhouse constructed during territorial days to hold the prisoners of the Pushmataha District (Third District) of the Choctaw Nation. The jailhouse was originally located at the first site of the district court, near the present-day Choctaw County community of Sunkist, and was moved to Mayhew in 1903. (The Pushmataha District had abandoned the site of its first courthouse after it burned. Its remote location between the forks of the Clear Boggy River and Muddy Boggy River caused it to move to Mayhew, the court's last seat before Oklahoma's statehood, rather than rebuild.) In 1936 it was still in excellent condition and being used as a granary. The original "whipping tree", from which the court dispensed punishment to those convicted of crimes, had been chopped down.
Riveting accounts of the life and work of the Mayhew Mission may be read in the surviving papers of Cyrus Kingsbury, a longtime missionary. These comprise the sole written record of this part of southeastern Oklahoma from the 1840s onward. Included are descriptions of the Choctaws, white settlers, and also fairly detailed meteorological observations, the first and only such recorded observations of this area.