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THE CHRONICLES OF OKLAHOMA
gee, the tribal records of the Five Civilized Tribes, dating back to the 1830s
in some cases, and the records of the Dawes Commission lay moldering in
the artic of the federal building where they not only took up valuable space,
but where they were also virtually inaccessible for historical research. If the
Historical Society could persuade the Federal government to transfer cus-
tody of these records to itself, thereby adding substantially to its collection
and its reputation, it would have the argument it needed to appeal to the
legislature for a permanent and separate home.
On February 1, 1927, Foreman submitted a resolution to the Board of
Directors of the Oklahoma Historical Society which called for the acquisi-
tion of "this valuable addition to the archives of the Oklahoma Historical
Society." Unanimously adopted by the Board, the resolution made the
acquisition contingent upon the construction of a "ire proof building" in
which to house the collection. Copies of Foreman's resolution were then
sent to all members of the Oklahoma Senate and House, and within two
weeks, a resolution supporting the acquisition passed the lower house. Ob-
taining support for an appropriation to construct a building, however,
proved more difcul . It was not until February, s929, that a bill authorizing
$50o,ooo for this task finally cleared the legislature and was signed into law
by acting Governor William J. Holloway. In late g30o, the building was ded-
icated. By that time, however, negotiations for acquiring the Indian records
from the Federal government had become entangled in Washington, D.C.'
The difculty was that neither Foreman nor Williams had ever received
more than a verbal pledge from the Indian O ice that the records would
be transferred once the Historical Society Building was completed. In
late 1928 or early 1929, just prior to the authorization of construction funds
for the Society building, they apparently talked with Indian Commissioner
Charles Burke in Muskogee about the records. Burke and the Superinten-
dent of the Five Civilized Tribes agreed at that time that the Society "might
place a person in the oice of the Superintendent for the Five Civilized
Tribes and have these papers sorted, fled and calendered and placed in
steel cases." Shortly afterwards, Burke was forced to resign from os ce.
E "Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Oklahoma Historical Society," The Chronidles
of Oklahoma, Vol. V. No. I (March, 1927), PP. I 10-1 11t; ibid., Vol. VII, No. I (March 1929).
pp. j-6, 137; Grant Foreman, "A Survey of Tribal Records in the Archives of the United States
Government in Oklahoma," The Chronidles of OklaAoma, Vol. XI, No. I (March, 1933), pp.
I-3; Foreman to Robert L. Williams. January 3. 1937. and Foreman to Charles A. Moon.
February 15, 1927, Grant Foreman Papers, Indian Archives Division, Oklahoma Historical
Society, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. To obtain needed legislative support for the Oklahoma
Historical Society Building, the final bill provided that the building should also supply offices
for a variety of veterans organizations: The Union Soldiers of the Civil War, the Confedcrate
Soldiers, the Spanish-American War veterans and "any other veteran and service organizations."