Oklahoma Historical Society to steward The W.E. Dode and Lulu McIntosh collection

Written By: Frances Herrod

(OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.) The descendants of the last federally appointed Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief, W.E. Dode McIntosh, have donated his personal papers, photographs, and memorabilia to the Oklahoma Historical Society for preservation. This stewardship of the new W.E. Dode and Lulu McIntosh collection will ensure these important pieces of Mvskoke history will be available at the Oklahoma History Center for future generations.

Read this story on Mvskoke Media here.

The collection was donated by Dr. Ken McIntosh (Mvskoke), history instructor at Clarendon College, on behalf of the McIntosh family. 

“I am honored to represent Chief McIntosh’s nine grandchildren, most of whom live in Oklahoma, in the presentation of these materials. It is our hope that the collection will inspire future generations to learn from McIntosh’s dedication to public service in Tulsa and tribal leadership for the Muscogee Nation,” stated McIntosh in a press release. 

W.E. Dode McIntosh led MCN as Principal Chief from 1961-1972.  He also served on the board of the Oklahoma Historical Society. 

The collection is currently in boxes as it awaits curation. Although the public is invited to see it now, it is a treasure hunt to find anything until it is fully archived and finding aids are available.

“Since it is a new collection just coming in, we have not had a chance to really peruse and see what all it is. It looks to be mainly just his paperwork from his time as Chief,” said Veronica Redding (Osage), Registrar at the Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division.

The collection isn’t exclusively about MCN.

“There is…a lot of like general counsel, the Five Tribes (Intertribal Council) paperwork I’ve seen, and so it doesn’t only cover Muskogee Creek. There is information about some of the other tribes in there, but it looks to be like it could be valuable for researchers and especially people in Muskogee (Creek) Nation,” continued Redding.

A few of the items in the collection are prints by artist Jerome Tiger (Mvskoke), the architectural plans for the Eufaula dormitory sent by the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, and a booklet about life at the Old Wetumka Creek Indian Mission 1880-1910 featuring stories of those who survived. The booklet is the newest addition to the boarding school documents already archived at the OHC.

“In more recent years there’s been the whole push for people looking into boarding school history,” explains Redding.

“I would like to let people know we have those type of documents here. That’s one of, I think, one of the most important sets of records that we have here just because so many people are looking for their ancestors that were in these schools.” 

Redding, working with Archival Collections Manager Mallory Covington, hopes to launch a shared stewardship program in which the Native Nations whose boarding school records are held by the History Center will have input into how those records are presented to the public, or if they are presented at all. It’s about respect for Redding.

“We’re hoping to eventually make these connections with the various tribes that we do have records for and ask their input on how we can better get this information out, or are we even supposed to put this information out? Some of it might be culturally sensitive, and we don’t know, you know.” 

The History Center also has a Research Center that offers free admission to everyone. The Center provides access to paid genealogy sites such as Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest Online, and Fold3 and offers a paid research service for those interested in a particular person or historical event. 

Independent researchers and amateur family genealogists may be surprised by what the Center has to offer. 

“We have one of the largest newspaper collections in the whole United States. The Oklahoma Historical Society was founded in 1893 with the purpose of saving all of the newspapers in the new territory,” notes Redding.

“That can be helpful because a lot of transactions that were going on at the time of allotment era, all of that had to be printed in newspapers back then…and people’s obituaries that might show survivors. So newspapers are one of the most valuable resources.”

In stewarding these collections The Oklahoma Historical Society preserves a pathway that allows all visitors to reach across the centuries and the generations to understand and honor those who came before. 

The Oklahoma History Center is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Admission rate varies. The Research Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Closed Sunday, Monday, and all state holidays. Admission is free. 

Online collections and databases are available on the History Center website.