Near Oakville in Lawrence County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Doublehead
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 8, 2009
1. Doublehead Marker
Inscription.
Doublehead, (c1744-1807), aka Dsugweladegi or Chuqualatague, was the son of Great Eagle (Willenawah) and grandson of Moytoy. Among his siblings were Pumpkin Boy, Old Tassel and the unnamed grandmother of Sequoyah. After his sister's son John Watts Jr. was elected chief over him, Doublehead moved into Lawrence County and became a powerful Cherokee leader. While living at Browns Ferry from c1790~c1802, the head of the Elk River Shoals, Doublehead terrorized settlers on the Appalachian frontier until his 1794 meeting with George Washington. By treaty on 10 Jan 1786, most of Lawrence County became Chickasaw land. Doublehead was permitted to stay because of his daughters' (Tuskihooto and Saleechie) marriages to Chickasaw Chief George Colbert. Learning of the wealth in cotton, Doublehead in 1802 petitioned the government for a keelboat, signed the 1805 treaty authorizing Gaines Trace, and negotiated the 1806 Cotton Gin Treaty. This treaty placed a cotton gin at Melton's Bluff and gave him a 99 year lease on Doublehead's Reserve between Elk River and Cypress Creek. In partnership with John D. Chisholm, they leased this reserve to settlers. On 9 August 1807, Major Ridge, Alex Saunders and John Rogers killed Doublehead, either for control of the cotton trade or for his ceding of Indian Lands.
Doublehead, (c1744-1807), aka Dsugweladegi or Chuqualatague, was the son of Great Eagle (Willenawah) and grandson of Moytoy. Among his siblings were Pumpkin Boy, Old Tassel and the unnamed grandmother of Sequoyah. After his sister's son John Watts Jr. was elected chief over him, Doublehead moved into Lawrence County and became a powerful Cherokee leader.
While living at Browns Ferry from c1790~c1802, the head of the Elk River Shoals, Doublehead terrorized settlers on the Appalachian frontier until his 1794 meeting with George Washington. By treaty on 10 Jan 1786, most of Lawrence County became Chickasaw land. Doublehead was permitted to stay because of his daughters' (Tuskihooto and Saleechie) marriages to Chickasaw Chief George Colbert. Learning of the wealth in cotton, Doublehead in 1802 petitioned the government for a keelboat, signed the 1805 treaty authorizing Gaines Trace, and negotiated the 1806 Cotton Gin Treaty. This treaty placed a cotton gin at Melton's Bluff and gave him a 99 year lease on Doublehead's Reserve between Elk River and Cypress Creek. In partnership with John D. Chisholm, they leased this reserve
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to settlers. On 9 August 1807, Major Ridge, Alex Saunders and John Rogers killed Doublehead, either for control of the cotton trade or for his ceding of Indian Lands.
Erected by Lawrence County Historical Commission Inc.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical date for this entry is January 10, 1786.
Location. 34° 26.647′ N, 87° 10.717′ W. Marker is near Oakville, Alabama, in Lawrence County. It is on County Road 187. Located inside Oakville Indian Mound Park near Museum in a clump of trees on the left. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1219 Co Rd 187, Danville AL 35619, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America,
Credits. This page was last revised on March 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 4, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 4,495 times since then and 151 times this year. Last updated on June 12, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos:1. submitted on March 4, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 2. submitted on August 27, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
