A Chickasaw Planter

A Chickasaw Planter. Natchez Trace Parkway. During the early 1800s, a slave-owning planter class including George Colbert’s family, emerged among the Chickasaw., George’s success stemmed from a variety of endeavors. He fought with the Americans against the Shawnee and Creeks, traveled to Washington, DC, as a tribal emissary, and steadfastly protected Chickasaw rights during treaty councils., In addition to a ferry and an inn that Colbert operated nearby he grew cotton and raised cattle. His large plantation depended on the labor of 150 enslaved African Americans., After removal to “Indian Territory” in present-day Oklahoma, Colbert established another large farm. Already past his 80th birthday, he died in 1839., “Major Colbert, who ranks high in the government of his nation…has labored at the plough and hoe during the last season, and his example has stimulated others.” , Benjamin Hawkins, 1801 , US Agent for Indian Affairs, (caption) , Though run down by the time this photo was taken, Colbert’s Stand was once an important landmark on the Natchez Trace. Until forced removal, Colbert and his family lived in a more substantial house near present-day Tupelo.