When things were gloomy and seemed hopeless, just one smile and a hug was all I needed to go on. The BOI sent Tom White to lead an investigation. Users agree not to download, copy, modify, sell, lease, rent, reprint, or otherwise distribute these materials, or to link to these materials on another web site, without authorization of the Oklahoma Historical Society. It was in that brief moment we both knew that we must make the very most of the time we had remaining together and not dwell on the despair of all of the things that would never be. We didnt make eye contact, but I could see his eyes. Hate the smart, wealthy people of the USA because they dont deserve it..who here can honestly say none of their ancestors did ANYTHING wrong to get ahead in life. I am laughing at the envy of every person that has posted here. Crystal clear now. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, Osage Nation#Natural resources and headrights, MARGO JEFFERSON, "BOOKS OF THE TIMES; Digging Up a Tale of Terror Among the Osages", "A Historic Settlement with the Osage Tribe of Oklahoma". The fact that the federal government did not get involved and enforce the headright laws, is just one page in a massive book of discrimination against the American Indianhatred and jealousy that resulted in a genocide that rivals anything perpetrated by the Nazis during WWII. [5], Frederick Drummond died in 1913. I think because of that Im more tolerantthat I know something I didnt know before. [1] The Bureau of Investigation (BOI), the preceding agency to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), found a low-level market in contract killers to kill the Osage for their wealth. "He struck me and most of the people as a very sincere person who wants to get this right and do right by us. "And I don't know that you get any better than Martin Scorsese.". As far as Im concerned , Patton won the war. There's plenty of work to be done.". [11] Two of his accomplices had died before the BOI investigation was completed. the new hires moving to town and the dozens of film crew employees who are here Drummond family (Oklahoma) - Wikipedia He changed his plea to guilty and asked to be sentenced to life imprisonment rather than receive the death penalty. She would have long stretches where she was fairly stable and then would become so very ill. But others were concerned about the Pendleton blanket draped around Mollie's shoulders. Today, the Drummonds are recognized by the Land Report as 17th of the 100 largest land owners in the country with several branches of the family operating ranches in other states. Courtesy Archie Mason. The point about the Osage headrights is absolutely correct 85 attorneys lived in a town of 5,000 primarily for the purpose of taking advantage of the osage people and the Drummand law firm was one of them. While he was still Bigheart had said he had suspicions about who was behind the murders and had access to incriminating documents that would prove his claims. His doubts arose from a variety of conflicting evidence. Mollie recovered from the poison she had already consumed and (after the trials) divorced Ernest. Drummond ranching in Osage County, Oklahoma, traces its roots to Frederick Drummond (18641913) who came to the former Osage Nation, Indian Territory, at age twenty-two in 1886. This includes individual articles (copyright to OHS by author assignment) and corporately (as a complete body of work), including web design, graphics, searching functions, and listing/browsing methods. The U.S. Department of the Interior managed leases for oil exploration and production on land owned by the Osage Nation through the Bureau of Indian Affairs and later managed royalties, paying individual allottees. The Commissioner of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior sent four agents to act as undercover investigators. Both Grammer and Kirby were killed before they could testify. Shortly after arriving in the Osage Nation, Drummond met Addie Gentner of Coffeyville, Kansas, and they married in 1890. Largely Forgotten Osage Murders Reveal A Conspiracy Against - NPR He died there in 1942. Price Mercantile Company in Hominy, Oklahoma which was also very successful. The Drummonds acquisition of Osage royalties and land was and s both illegal and immoral. Many were threaten with death or worse if they did not sign over their rights, handed a deed, and forced at gunpoint to sign. They work hard because they enjoy what they do not because they have to or ever had to. "That brings people here. Frederick Gentner Drummond (18951958) graduated from Oklahoma A&M College (now Oklahoma State University) in 1914 and attended Harvard Business School. known as Indian territory and got a job as a store clerk. As a youth he had been told she died of kidney disease, then as a suicide. The investigations went nowhere, but the killings did not stop. It makes life so much more pleasant for you and for those who have to live with you. The Osage sold them. Vaughan's body was so badly disfigured that the coroner could not be certain whether the man had fallen off the train or else been beaten first and then pushed off. The family of Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman, became a prime target. Investigation by law enforcement, including the Bureau of Investigation (BOI; the preceding agency to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI) also revealed extensive corruption among local officials involved in the Osage guardian program. But I also know this is not a documentary and I also know he's an artist," Daniels said. children receive a college education and instilled them with his code of honor, But in real life, The Pioneer Woman 's Ree Drummond is also host to countless skeletons in. I personally find her food a little too rich so Im not a fan, however, if she or any other blogger decides to regulate their comments, thats their right to do so. They also owned a funeral home that performed funerals for the deceased that would be paid for by the estate. [21] Other witnesses and participants were murdered as investigation of the conspiracy expanded. "I'm such a promoter of the book by David Grann and of the movie. Colorado newspapers reported the murders as the "Reign of Terror" on the Osage reservation. As the years went by and the boys grew up into strong and healthy, Jodys health slowly and steadily declined. Shes a cold calculated money greedy person. It was fun, still has a ton of great memories along with a lot of sadness. We had to sell the family ranch due to death, estate issues, family struggles and mostly loss induced by drought and poor management (which was the family struggles. The thing is, we had to worry about money constantly and its pretty obvious that the Drummonds do not have that worry. Your email address will not be published. Very few Osage (perhaps 3 percent) could speak English, much less read or write the white mans language. The majority of these crimes occurred in or near Fairfax and were rarely investigated by local authorities; some were never solved. Copyright to all articles and other content in the online and print versions of The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History is held by the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS). Get the facts. She seems very down to earth and very friendly and has made a name for herself on her own. He also alerted one of the FBI agents. Her heirs became fabulously wealthy. "[5] Most murders of the Osage during the early 1920s went unsolved. [7], Believing the Osage would not be able to manage their new wealth, or lobbied by whites who wanted a piece of the action, the United States Congress passed a law in 1921 which required that courts appoint guardians for each Osage of half-blood or more in ancestry, who would manage their royalties and financial affairs until they demonstrated "competency". Recently Added. No. The history of Oklahoma would not be complete without mention of their accomplishments. Ranching family's speeding tickets repeatedly dismissed - Tulsa World She would just beam with joy when they would sit next to her and when they began to get older shed love to listen to them running through the house and playing together. [8], In the 1930s Jack Drummond helped form a statewide cooperative marketing association so ranchers in the state could take advantage of government-backed loans. And some people are not going to like it," he said. The link will allow you to enlarge the pages; I have no idea what the screen shots will do. These stories include Bill Hale who was otherwise known as the Today I noticed that on Labor Day, 2013 clicks had been recorded on this Pioneer Woman post. He was interrogated for five days in Frankfurt by a Luftwaffe officer one who had a book of information on him as well as copies of what was on the squadron bulletin board back in England. It's a delicate balance that, no matter what, it's going to hurt some. If you had an ounce of sense youd know about the fraud, swindles and outright lies and manipulation that took place with regard to Osage headrights in the early 1900s. Mollie Burkhart Cobb died of unrelated causes on June 16, 1937. To say the Osage sold their headrights to the Drummonds is glossing over a very distasteful part of Oklahoma history. Largely Forgotten Osage Murders Reveal A Conspiracy Against - NPR I do not think they were wealthy when Ree got married. Kyle. Fearing for his life, Pyle and his wife fled to Arizona, where he again served as an officer of the law. They have obvciously worked very hard for their holdings and for many generations too apparently. With by David Grann May 18, 2017. We have so many tragic things happen to people as it is with out you having to come down on the wealthy rancher! Drummond was born in 1896 on Osage tribal land. Jody was born at sunrise on a bright, sunny, cold, snowy Groundhogs Day and from Day One she was a gift to everyone around her. One time Dad was headed out the door to go to work and she pointed her finger and said, No. [5], Jack worked at the store starting in about 1920 and overcharged Osage customers, saying "those shirts would cost us maybe $6 or $8 a shirt and I'd get $50 or $60 a shirt. In 2000, the Osage Nation filed a suit against the Department of the Interior, alleging that it had not adequately managed the assets and paid people the royalties they were due. Farris). "Osage Reign of Terror. Has anyone thought to check the US Farm Subsidies list..interesting the Drummonds receive free money. I'd say it would be a stretch to see it as modern, sleek nightclub, but I guess if you got a group of those folks lost out here in these parts, they could enjoy themselves sitting and talking and digging down in the soda pop cooler. Ill bring you more next Earlier this month, Drummond filed a motion with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to vacate Glossip's conviction. In May of 1921, the bodies of two tribe members Anna Brown and Charles Whitehorn were found in the woods of Osage County. Its like ur highschool jr law teacher said: you have every right to throw that punch but your right ends when your fist makes contact. Headrights Explained + How They Led to the Osage Murders The Drummond family is an American ranching family from Oklahoma. These stories include Bill Hale who was otherwise known as the king of the Osage Hills back in the 1920s and who will play a big role in long-awaited "Killers of the Flower Moon" adaptation. Oh, THIS is an article in Working Range magazine about the Drummond Ranch the place Pioneer Woman calls home. People were swindled out of hundreds of millions of dollars, they lost loved ones, they lost children," Grann told The Oklahoman in a 2020 interview. Scorsese is adapting David Grann's 2017 best-seller Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. God bless.. Wow ! Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Many of his customers were Osage Indians, and Fred learned their language, earning their trust and loyalty. The family is one of the largest land owning families in the state of Oklahoma and the United States. . ranches in Oklahoma and Kansas. : Family Tree Histories | Oklahoma Historical Society By 2011, Drummond's food and lifestyle blog was seeing 23.3 million page views a month, reported the New Yorker. As the Allies drew nearer, the prisoners were moved farther from the front lines. (The deaths of some alleged victims who lacked discernable wounds were simply . The following morning, Gustave Dominici, a son of the nearest family that lived in the area . This Scottish-born boy came to America at the age of 16 after his father died. The Rare Archival Photos Behind 'Killers of the Flower Moon' I dont know a thing about ranching or headrights, how PW get their $ (which quite frankly in none of anyones business) or any of that stuff but I do know this: it PWs blog and she has the right & should approve and supervise comments on her posts. When I first came upon her blog, I was interested in seeing the land and the cattle and learning about the operation. As part of the process of preparing Oklahoma for statehood, the federal government allotted 657 acres (266ha) to each Osage on the tribal rolls in 1907; thereafter, they and their legal heirs, whether Osage or not, had "headrights" to royalties in oil production, based on their allotments of lands. : Newsfoto Publishing, 1981). This was the most strsightforward way for the greedy whites to get hands on Osage oil money. Hale and his nephews, Ernest and Bryan Burkhart, had migrated from Texas to Osage County to find jobs in the oil fields. And in both cases, justicewas often elusive. Jody always kept her head held high and never seemed to be afraid; she has truly been my inspiration on many occasions. @NOW I get it, I find offense to your free speech comment. He was born on 18 May 1869 in Knox County, Kentucky; died on 29 June 1923 in Oklahoma; and was buried in Pawhuska Cemetery in Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. "I think it needs to be told and I know for a fact that they have reached out to a lot of people. interests and developing a reputation as an extremely honorable man with None of us escape personal challenge and grief. Apple Studios epic, which is believed to be the biggest movie production ever launched in Oklahoma. According to NPR, even those who were friends of the Osage were targeted. The coroner ruled the cause of death was "suspicious," but did not rule that it was murder. In 2017, the family owned 433,000-acre (175,000ha) according to The Land Report magazine. This Scottish Subsequently, an autopsy revealed that the cause of Brown's death was not alcohol, but a bullet fired into the back of her head. Grann told The Oklahoman in a 2020 interview. It has taken an army of doctors, nurses, teachers, aides, pharmacists, friends, and family over the years to maintain Jody at home, and we could never begin to thank you enough. Vaughan is correct. Being the granddaughter of one way the Drummond got some of their Headrights I can tell you first hand it wasnt legal. But it's going to bring back some stuff that needed to be talked about, that needs to be said, that some people know and some people don't know. William Hale, trusted . But other than that, I think it will be very factual," said Ponca, the former site manager of the White Hair Memorial near Hominy who now works at the Water Bird Gallery. John Burger An agent who works with Tom White on the investigation of the Osage murders. Some of the murders were committed for the purposes of taking over land and wealth of Osage members, whose land was producing valuable oil and who each had headrights that earned lucrative annual royalties. established families the Drummond name grew and then grew again with the [3][4] This was after a major class-action suit had been filed against the departments of Interior and Treasury in 1996 by Elouise Cobell (Blackfeet) on behalf of other Native Americans, for similar reasons. Jody was very seldom crabby, always happy and she wasted no time in spreading that joy to everyone around her. Subscribe Now. Some families sold their allotments to the Drummonds to cover the costs of their debt to the Hominy Trading Company. Turn away from the screen and see for yourself. Though the Osage Reign of Terror spanned over ten years and claimed the lives of hundreds, the murders at the core of Grann's text largely befall one family: that of Mollie Burkhart, an Osage Indian who is forced to reckon with her husband Ernest 's betrayaland her county's racism, greed, and corruptionafter her mother and three sisters perish You know sometimes I just dont know what to think of little Miss Ree. In the spring of 1921, Mollie's older sister, Anna, disappeared. After talking with Bill Randolph, I think I can almost remember it. National Museum of the American Indian. He later acquired a further another one-fourth of a head right in 1928 for $11,250. In the late 1880s, Frederick Drummond moved to the Osage Reservation and secured an important document that set his family on a path toward wealth and influence: a license from the US government to sell goods to Osages. Because of this experience, I felt like I had gotten closer to Godit was a spiritual thing. The murder of Sir Jack Drummond and his family in 1952. working in Pawhuska Fred had met Adeline Gentner who was from Coffeyville, Billabong Jeff An Osage man who is found murdered by gunshot in the middle of May of 1921, just days before Anna Brown 's body is discovered. It has been reported that the cost of the project could be 16192 Views. I have wondered if it is part of an effort for the business to diversify. As investigator Tom White studied the probate records dealing with the estates of murdered Osage, the outline of the murderous plot began to make sense. The Drummond family is an American ranching family from Oklahoma. Glossip was sentenced to death for his part in the murder of Barry Van Treese. A man standing 5 feet 8 inches, weighing 165 pounds . The Drummond Family and Pawhuska Oklahoma History, Another Report from McAlester State Prison, Behind the Walls at McAlester State Prison in Oklahoma-Part One, Woolarocs Cow Thieves and Outlaws Reunion. Who wouldnt? An Osage who suffered many deaths in their family could find themselves with title to multiple headrights. Leo and Marty are literally one block down the road filming this second. Hale, his nephews, and one of the ranch hands they hired were charged with the murder of Mollie Kyle's family. The three of them loved watching Saturday morning cartoons and The Three Stooges. [16][g] Bigheart died at the hospital that same morning. The new camp was near Munich, about 20 miles from Dauchau. The attorney's name is given as W.W. Vaughan in some sources (e.g. Fred insisted that his Construction projects arescattered across the county for Scorsese's big-budget epic, Apple Studios recently released through the Osage Newsa first-look image from "Killers of the Flower Moon".