Creek Tribe: It took me quite a bit of research to find the information I needed regarding this tribe. I discovered that as the fur traders and mountain men moved west, they discovered many individual Indian groups living along creeks and rivers. Unable to speak these tribes’ languages, they simply called them Creek Indians. Over time, many of these tribes joined and became the tribe we know as the Creeks of today. They, however, call themselves the Muscogee (Mvskoke) people. The ancient Muscogee were known as Mound builders and inhabited the broad river valleys in the present states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. They later built expansive and impressive townships throughout this region.

Civil War: Most people think of the Civil War as being fought between the northern and southern states of America, but that’s not completely accurate. In fact, quite a few battles were fought west of the Mississippi River, extending into Texas, Oklahoma, as far west as Arizona and as far north as Idaho.

Few history books or classes cover the battles that happened in Indian Territory, but several were fought on Indian lands that were devastating to the tribes living there. The Creeks are a perfect example, pitting the Upper Creeks, who served in the Union, against the Lower Creeks, who fought in the Confederacy. After the Battle of Honey Springs, which was an important Union victory for control of Indian Territory, both the Upper and Lower Creeks returned after the war to complete devastation of land and families. Not only were the homes and towns laid waste, but families were torn apart and hundreds of children returned to find themselves orphans.

To punish the Lower Creeks for serving in the Confederacy, the Federal Government punished the entire Creek tribe (even those who fought for the Union and honored the signed treaties) by forcing them to sell a large portion of their land to the Seminole tribe at a fraction of its worth. They also forced them to allow the railroad access to their land, which made it public domain; thus, sowing the seeds for the final destruction of Creek rights and sovereignty.

Bass Reeves: Born into slavery and freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, Bass Reeves became one of the most respected US Marshals the American frontier ever knew. One thing about Reeves most people don’t know is that he couldn’t read or write but always picked the correct written warrant out of the pile. He was meticulously dressed with shined boots, rode a white stallion, and was always polite and courteous. Oh, and he was a master of disguise and loved aliases. He was a true African-American Sherlock Holmes!

Pleasant Ridge (Robbers Cave): This is a cave in the San Bois “mountains” used during the Civil War by deserters from both the Confederate and Union forces. After the war, it became a rendezvous spot for outlaws between raids on stores, stagecoaches, agency payrolls, and farmers. Many of Indian Territory's most notorious outlaws hid there: the James, Younger, and Dalton gangs, Belle Starr, Ned Christie and many others. Bass Reeves once disguised himself as a runaway slave (technically, he still was) in order to capture the outlaw he was after.

The cave is small and formed by two huge slabs of rock that have fallen on top of each other—sort of like a teepee. And it was the perfect spot for Josiah to rescue Mia from the bad guys! In my humble opinion, this is one of the prettiest areas in Oklahoma: colorful foliage in forests filled with varieties of evergreens, oaks, and maples with views that are simply gorgeous.