Manuscript diary in the hand of Henry Ridinger, 1878-1882. Ridinger describes his work as a herder in Colorado, landscapes and topography in Colorado, Navajo settlements, working in the hay trade, a shooting and arrest in Colorado, and his travel through Kansas to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Ridinger describes life with a group of Osage, including the construction of buildings, hunting, fishing, agriculture, and Osage funerary and religious ceremonies. Ridinger also records his interactions with other tribes, including Pawnee, Cherokee, Ute, and Waco. He describes relations and treaties between the tribes, as well as the tribes' relations with the United States government, including the disbursement of food and clothing. Other passages describe copies of earlier treaties with France and Spain which the tribes showed Ridinger. A later entry describes the aftermath of the United States Army burning a Jewish settlement in Oklahoma in 1881 and The diary also includes an essay about the history of Native American treaties with the United States government and several pages of accounts listing expenses and sales of hay, wheat, and corn. The diary includes several drawings of people, horses, insects, dogs, and symbols. Accompanied by 3 photographs, one hand-colored portrait of Henry Ridinger, one of an unidentified woman, and one of a man and woman captioned "Uncle Sam [Ridinger] with his sweetheart who died."
Description:
Henry Ridinger (1851-1938) was born in either Iowa or Illinois in 1851. His family moved to Kansas in 1857 and he left home at the age of 11, circa 1862. He worked as a cattle herder and hay farmer in Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma for several years in the 1870s and 1880s. He later became a hay farmer in Lincoln County, Nebraska, circa 1885., In English., and Front and back covers are detached.
Subject (Geographic):
Colorado., Oklahoma., Oklahoma, Colorado, Indian Territory, and Kansas
Subject (Name):
Ridinger, Henry, 1851-1938. and Ridinger, Sam
Subject (Topic):
Agriculture, Cherokee Indians, Crime, Hay trade, Herders, Hunting, Indians of North America, Government relations, Jews, Navajo Indians, Osage Indians, Pawnee Indians, Ute Indians, Waco Indians, and Description and travel
Two individually captioned designs on sheet showing Native Americans in London. On the left, an Native American man and woman attempt to ride bus, much to the horror of the passengers. On the right, a Native American man steadies himself by holding onto a lamppost outside the Coal Hole Tavern as two boys point and laugh at him; a policeman looks on.
Description:
Title from captions below images., Date of publication based on running dates of the Great Exhibition: 1 May to 15 October, 1851., and Sheet trimmed within plate mark.