Outside of the Five Civilized Tribes domain, the head policemen in the Indian/Oklahoma Territories, captains or chiefs, were always white men. Does anyone know the reason for this? The Union Agency Indian Police always had Indians at the helm, likewise for the Lighthorse police.

Hey there Art,

I suspect that the reason for non-Indians being put in charge of the Indian Police of the western I.T. reservations was related to the government's view of the Plains Indians as still being uncivilized and in need of the "proper" direction. Whereas the Five Civilized Tribes were supposedly more "civilized" by government standards and already, in the opinion of the federal authorities, far more advanced than the Plains Indians.

On the Trail
Diron Ahlquist
Secretary/Editor Oklahombres Journal