Joseph "Stick" Ross was a

Cherokee Freedman The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

who served in the legislature of the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...

from 1893 to 1894. He was born into slavery and owned by John Ross until his emancipation in 1866.

Biography

Joseph "Stick" Ross was born into

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

in either 1854 or 1855 within

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

. He and his parents, Hector and Sallie Ross, were owned by the

Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Principal Chief is today the title of the chief executives of the Cherokee Nation, of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, the three federally recognized tribes of Cherokee. In the eighteenth ...

, John Ross. He gained the name "Stick" because he was tall and thin. While enslaved by John Ross, he worked at his mill. He was

emancipated Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfran ...

in 1863 by the Cherokee Emancipation Proclamation and granted citizenship in the

by the 1866 treaty with the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He later worked as a mortar carrier during the construction of the

Cherokee National Capitol The Cherokee National Capitol (Cherokee: ), now the Cherokee National History Museum, is a historic tribal government building in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Completed in 1869, it served as the capitol building of the Cherokee Nation (19th century), Che ...

and was a member of

Tahlequah Tahlequah ( ; , ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century Cherokee Nation in 1839, as par ...

's first business club. From 1893 to 1894 he served in the Cherokee legislature representing the Tahlequah district. He frequently supported applications for Cherokee citizenship in the 1890s. According to his great-grandson, he spoke

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

, and sign language and also served as sheriff. In 1901, he was listed on the

Dawes Rolls The Dawes Rolls (or Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes, or Dawes Commission of Final Rolls) were created by the United States Dawes Commission. The commission was authorized by United States Congress in 1893 to exe ...

as a

. His allotment was at Stick Ross Mountain near Tahlequah. He died in 1930. He was buried in an unmarked grave at the Ross Cemetery in Tahlequah, which is named after him.

Legacy

He donated the land for Ross Cemetery in

Tahlequah, Oklahoma Tahlequah ( ; , ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century Cherokee Nation in 1839, as p ...

, where he is buried, to be used a cemetery for Cherokee Freedmen. Stick Ross Mountain and Stick Ross Mountain Road are near Tahlequah are also named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Stick 1930 deaths Cherokee freedmen Cherokee Nation politicians (1794–1907) Cherokee people on the Dawes Rolls