Indian Family's Legacy Given Monumental Honor
Posted on: Saturday, 18 March 2006, 15:00 CST
By Penny Cockerell, The Daily Oklahoman
Mar. 18--Relatives and friends gathered to honor Hughes Crossing. TISHOMINGO -- A historical river crossing for a Chickasaw Nation family in Johnston County was recognized Friday with the dedication of a granite monument. About 100 relatives and friends of the Hughes family, including Chickasaw Gov. Bill Anoatubby and State Rep. Paul Roan, D-Tishomingo, attended the morning ceremony, when Hughes Crossing was given its place in perpetuity. Roan worked with Jimme Sweat, a Hughes relative, to obtain the monument. Favored recreation spot In the late 1890s, Austin Britt and Mamie (Cravatt) Hughes set up a fishing and hunting camp on the east bank of the Blue River and for a fee carried people and cars across the scenic Blue River. Hughes Crossing has remained a favored recreation spot for 100 years. The Hughes family received eight allotments in 1895, when Congress directed the Dawes Commission to begin making out the rolls of Indian citizens in preparation for the land allotment process. Austin and Mamie Hughes chose allotments along the Blue River in Johnston County. Carolee Maxwell, one of the Hughes' great-grandchildren, attended Friday's ceremony. She said it brought back fond memories. "We would gather there several times a year for a reunion, even after my grandma passed away and it was such a serene place," Maxwell said. "We have such warm feelings when we go down there." As the 10 Hughes children slowly moved away, the family sold their original allotments. In 1967, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation bought the land and established the Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area. Friday was the family's opportunity to again enjoy their family's state legacy.
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Source: The Daily Oklahoman
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