Charmed by the Spirit Keeper

In the 1830’s, the United States Government discovered gold under land occupied by the Cherokee Indian Nation in Tennessee. They enticed the Cherokee to sign the Indian Removal Act. The Tribe was promised five million dollars and banished to Indian Territory, Oklahoma, by way of what is now called the trail of tears.

Author, Donna N. Miles, ‘ recounts the history of the tribe’s removal all the way to stories her father told of growing up on the family ranch in north central Oklahoma. The majestic Gloss Mountains and the Cimarron River snaking through the foothills were his childhood playground. Miles tells the stories of a second grade teacher of a one room country school, of crossing the Cimarron River over a bridge that washed out, of rodeos where cars formed the arena, and of her family’s band whose robust music entertained the crowd. Miles, a self-proclaimed spirit keeper , takes up her father’s storytelling penchant as she honors the sacred spirits of those who lived, loved, and persevered in the early days of territorial Oklahoma.