Chisholm, Jesse Grave Site - Geary, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 43.573 W 098° 17.447
14S E 564140 N 3953814
An inconspicuous grave site for a man who was influential in many ways in the settlement of Indian Territory.
Waymark Code: WMP3WQ
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 06/26/2015
Views: 4
The grave site of Jesse Chisholm is located near where he died in 1868, at the camp of his good friend, Chief Left Hand. The grave site is located about five miles northeast of the town of Geary, out in the countryside. There is a simple stone marker, surrounded by a protective pipe railing. It is off the road, down a grassy slope.
At the road is a granite marker placed by the Oklahoma Historical Society in 1976, which gives an account of Jesse Chisholm's life on one side, and the achievements of Chief Left Hand on the other.
Jesse Chisholm was born in 1805 in Tennessee, and came to Indian Territory in the 1820's. He operated trading posts in several areas and was well known and respected by the local Indian population. He acted as a guide, an interpreter and peacemaker in the sometimes shaky relations between the Indian and the white settlers. He owned salt works, and forged several freight line trails through the wilderness. One of the major trails through Indian Territory became known as Chisholm's Trail, and was later used by ranchers to move huge numbers of cattle from Texas ranches to the rail lines in Kansas.
He died on March 4, 1868 at the camp of his friend Chief Left Hand. It is possible that he died of poisoning from eating buffalo meat cooked in a copper pot.
Street address:
Five miles northeast
Geary, OK US
County / Borough / Parish: Blaine County
Year listed: 1971
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Person
Periods of significance: 1850-1874
Historic function: Funerary
Current function: Funerary
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 2: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.