The Raven - Huntsville, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 30° 42.754 W 095° 32.890
15R E 255970 N 3400519
Sign is at the feet of a large metal Raven which is near the Life Sciences Building on the SHSU campus.
Waymark Code: WM13R35
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/06/2021
Views: 4
Plaque Text:
(Corvus corax)
In 1809, at the age of sixteen, Sam Houston ran away from his home in Tennessee and lived among the Cherokees. He was adopted by Chief Oolooteka and given the name Colonneh or the "Raven." He developed a deep life-long affection for the tribe and considered the Cherokee his surrogate family.
Returning to the “white world,” Houston became a successful military officer and protégé of Andrew Jackson. He served in Congress and, in 1827, was elected governor of Tennessee.
In 1829, his first marriage collapsed. Devastated, Houston resigned from his office and went to live once again with his adopted family. He married a Cherokee woman, Tlahina or Diana Rogers Gentry, became a Cherokee citizen, and was actively involved in peacekeeping, trade, and other tribal affairs.
After spending three years recovering from his failed first marriage, Houston left for Texas. Though he never lived with the Cherokee again, he spent much of his career promoting peaceful and moderate policies toward Native Americans.