STEALING TVLSE

In August 2022, Crosswinds News (Formerly VNN Oklahoma) teamed up with the Lucinda Hickory Research Institute (LHRI) to produce a new series called “Stealing Tvlse”.

As attention on Tulsa grows through the creation of world class attractions such as “Gathering Place”, so does concern over a lack of recognition for the crimes and injustices committed to achieve its greatness.

Tulsa, the second largest city in Oklahoma, was known as the Oil Capital of the World during the 1900s. Much of that oil came from land swindled away from Native American people, who were forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands and relocated to what is now Oklahoma beginning in the 1830s.

UPDATES

Tulsa’s Gathering Place opened in 2018. After two years of Crosswinds News reporting on the lack of land acknowledgement for Mvskoke allottee Tuckabache, recognition was installed at the park in 2024. It was later taken down to be further improved.

LHRI Founder Tatianna Duncan said she hopes the Stealing Tvlse series will bring awareness to the Tulsa community who for the most part is uninformed of this history.

Click here to connect with Tatianna

PUBLISHED STEALING TVLSE STORIES

Help us ensure these stories are not forgotten.

The tragic story of Lucinda Hickory

(MUSCOGEE NATION) An Indian girl dead at thirteen years old, just eight months after a newspaper reported her land held an estimated 20 million in gas. Coincidence? Her great-niece Tatianna Duncan thinks not. “In reality, we don’t know a lot about Lucinda,” Duncan said. “She was almost forgotten, to

CrosswindsBrittany Harlow

A Creek man’s fight for freedom plagued by “accidents” and suspicious deaths

(TULSA, Okla.) A dead child. A dead wife. Homelessness. A crushed leg. House fires. An untimely end. Such was the life of Thomas Hickory, born in 1877. Hickory married Jennie Coney on the Muscogee Creek Nation reservation before the Creek lands were allotted. She was the granddaughter of Tuckabache, a

CrosswindsBrittany Harlow

The not-so-distant history of Allotment Era injustice

This Stealing Tvlse story is brought to you by One Fire Associates, because telling historical truth is healing for ourselves, our ancestors, and our future generations. (TULSA, Okla.) Sallie is a private woman. She didn’t want to share her last name, but she does want to share her story.

CrosswindsBrittany Harlow

Meet Tuckabache: The Mvskoke legend who won’t stay buried under Tulsa’s dark past

(MUSCOGEE NATION) Described in newspaper clippings as “one of the famous Indian characters of the Southwest”, Tuckabache is the Tvlse legend you’ve likely never heard of. But you are probably familiar with the land on which he lived and hunted and grew crops: Tulsa’s world-class park, The Gathering

CrosswindsBrittany Harlow

Allotment horror remains unsettled at Oaklawn Cemetery

(MUSCOGEE NATION) Land and oil rights. Dead American Indians. Wealthy benefactors. As “Killers of the Flower Moon” debuts the tale of the Osage Murders at the Cannes Film Festival, the deadly series of events is a familiar one for Lucinda Hickory Research Institute founder Tatianna Duncan. It may be over

CrosswindsBrittany Harlow

Investigation reveals dark depths of Indigenous probate crime coverup

Trigger Warning: This story discusses theft, kidnapping, rape, and other trauma, which may be distressing and triggering for some individuals. Please proceed with caution and prioritize your mental and emotional well-being. If you need support, consider speaking to a mental health professional by calling 988, texting the Crisis Text Line

CrosswindsBrittany Harlow

AN AWARD-WINNING SERIES

TUCKABACHE’S LAND WAS ALLOTTED WHERE MUCH OF THE WORLD-CLASS PARK THE GATHERING PLACE SITS TODAY

DO YOU REPRESENT A NATIONAL NEWS OUTLET?

Share these stories from coast to coast.

Crosswinds News Syndication Fees are a small price to pay to save American Indian history at risk of being erased forever.

Click to email us for more information about Crosswinds News Syndication

The “Stealing Tvlse Summer Tour” took place July through September 2023

The goals of Crosswinds’ DDRP project were to travel to the National Archives in Kansas City, the National Archives in Fort Worth, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania with LHRI, locate and make digital copies of research relating to Allotment Era injustice, and report our findings to the public.

Click to read “Stealing Tvlse Summer Tour | Kansas City”

Click to read “Stealing Tvlse Summer Tour | Fort Worth”

Click to read “Stealing Tvlse Summer Tour | Philadelphia”

“Stealing Tvlse Summer Tour” Tee Shirt $40.00

WATCH MORE

Creation of this webpage was made possible through the Mass Communication Database Investigations Program Funded by the Gridiron Grant at the University of Central Oklahoma in partnership with Oklahoma Media Center and In Collaboration with Builders + Backers in Tulsa, Oklahoma

INTERESTED IN TRACKING YOUR OWN HISTORY?

Here are some links to get you started:

Search the Dawe’s Rolls

Locate allotment descriptions

Search through newspapers

The Lucinda Hickory Research Institute (LHRI) is seeking online submissions of Allotment Era stories as part of their ongoing effort to study and spotlight Allotment Era crime

People who know of their family land allotment history are encouraged to fill out the brief online form. Those who submit stories may remain anonymous.

All responses are for internal use only and stories will only be shared with others with an individual’s express permission to do so.

Click here to submit your family’s Allotment Era story into the database.