"The Creeks, now on their way…left their country in such haste, that many of them were not able to make sale of their property…," wrote a contributor to the Arkansas Gazette in 1837. "It is thought [that the Creeks] have been recently hostile to the whites, and that they have been removed by force of arms from the country east of the Mississippi [River] but such is not the fact…If the removal of the Indians had been made by officers of the government…the case would have been very different from what it has been…and the actual expense to the government much less…They would have been more comfortable and less liable to sickness and death, and to the terrible suffering which they at present have to endure…To each separate party of four or five thousand of these Indians there is attached [one] officer…"
In March of 1832, the Creek Indians of Alabama entered into a treaty with the U.S. government that ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi River. Approximately 22,000 Creeks were moved with their belongings and slaves. The U.S. government would pay the tribe $12,000 a year for five years, pay any debts incurred by the tribe during removal, give them food, supply $3,000 for education, and protect them from hostile tribes in their new home.
Since the early 1800s, the Creeks were subjected to white encroachment. They had fought against Andrew Jackson at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814 and suffered devastating losses.
Since that battle, the Creeks had not been prosperous or strong in numbers. This lead to poverty, clashes with white settlers, and a general distrust of the U.S. government. In the 1830s, the tribe was divided over removal. Upper Creek Towns favored removal and Lower Creek Towns wanted to hold out on moving westward. In addition to the divisions within the tribe, the state of Alabama took jurisdiction over the Creeks and the tribal chiefs had little control over tribal issues, including removal. Only a few Creeks anticipated removal and sold their land, cattle, and household goods.
In the winter of 1834, harsh weather conditions made travel miserable for the Creek emigrants. A U.S. army captain said, "I have to stop the wagons to take the children out and warm them and put them back against six or seven times a day. I send ahead and have fires built for this purpose. I wrap them in tents and anything I can get hold of to keep them from freezing…Five or six in each wagon constantly crying in consequence of suffering with cold." Of the 630 emigrants in this winter detachment, only 469 survivors arrived at Fort Gibson after three months of travel.
A group of "hostile" Creeks also left Alabama in 1834. This group was made up of mostly women and children who traveled by boat and railroad through Alabama and Louisiana before boarding riverboats at Montgomery's Point, Arkansas. By the time they reached Montgomery's Point, many of the emigrants had died of sickness and disease. From Montgomery's Point, they traveled up the Arkansas River to Arkansas Post where they loaded into "miserable ox carts, many without tired wheels or indeed without iron of any kind." They continued to travel by road to Rock Roe, Little Rock, and on the "cut-out" roads of western Arkansas where heavy rains caused delay in reaching Dwight Mission (present-day Dardanelle) and Fort Gibson.
In 1835, Upper Creek Towns under the leadership of Chief Opthleyaholo migrated to the Mississippi River. They crossed the river at Memphis, walked through eastern Arkansas, and traveled by boat on the Arkansas River. After reaching Little Rock, the Creeks were not allowed to leave their boats and enter the town so they continued up the Arkansas River to Fort Smith where they procured wagons and headed for Fort Gibson where they intended to settle. Short of supplies along the route, these Creeks stole hogs and other food to keep from starving. Of 3,000 Creeks, approximately 2,000 arrived safely at Fort Gibson.
In 1836, a civil war erupted between the Lower Creek Towns and citizens of Alabama. Those who had taken part in the conflict, including Chief Eneah Micco, were captured and sent west with many of his people. They faced the humiliation of being chained together and marched double file from east Alabama to Montgomery, where they were placed on boats headed for Arkansas. One observer remembered the scene, "To see the remnants of a once might people fettered and chained together forced to depart from the land of their fathers into a country unknown to them, is of itself sufficient to move the stoutest heart."
Eneah Micco's group traveled to the Gulf Coast under the guard of the Alabama artillery, crossed over to New Orleans, and then headed up the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers. They landed at Rock Roe and exchanged their boats for horses. Heading to Little Rock, they encountered intensely hot weather that forced them to change their travel plans. The tribe traveled at night and rested during the day as they pressed on to Fort Gibson.
In Arkansas, the newspapers reported seeing the Creeks travel through Little Rock, "They all presented a squalid, forlorn, and miserable condition, and seemed to be under the influence of deep melancholy…They are said to have left their homes with great reluctance, but they are becoming more reconciled to their destiny."
It is estimated that 14,000 or more Creeks were forcibly removed during the years of 1833 to 1837. This number did not include warriors with families who had been left behind to take part in the Seminole Wars in Florida. They would leave Alabama later. Many Creeks were abducted and put into stockades without being able to collect their belongings. Today, a small faction of the Creek Nation, known as the Poarch Band, is still living in southern Alabama.
Resentment towards removal lasted for many years. A letter was written to a U.S. army officer by a Creek citizen that described the anger, "You have been with us many moons…you have heard the cries of our women and children…our road has been a long one…and on it we have laid the bones of our men, women, and children When we left our homes the great General [Jackson] told us that we could get to our country as we wanted to. We wanted to gather our crops, and we wanted to go in peace and friendship…but tell him these agents came not to treat us well, but make money and tell our people behind not to be drove off like dogs. We are men…we have women and children and why should we come like wild horses?"
Approximately 30,000 people identify themselves as members of the Creek tribe, or Muskogee Nation. Their present-day capitol is located at Okmulgee, Oklahoma near Tulsa. The tribal government elects their chief and a constitution guides their government. They offer health care services, education, employment opportunities, and housing for low-income tribal members. Stomp dances and the traditional identification of a town are still found among members of the Creek tribe. They still instruct their children in various Muskogee language dialects and live among four main groups of Muskogee: the Creek Nation, Alabama Quassarte Tribal Town, Kialegee Tribal Town, and Thlopthlocco Tribal Town.
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