[Photo]

A New Beginning - Seger's Colony.   In late February 1886, John H. Seger and twenty-five Arapaho Indians left the Darlington Agency (northwest of present-day El Reno, Oklahoma), crossed the Canadian River, and traveled to a site near Pond Creek (now Cobb Creek) some forty miles to the southwest. In Mr. Seger's words (Cheyenne Transporter, March 15, 1886):

We reached Pond Creek and dark, pitched our tents in the rain, got supper and retired early, as the morrow would bring to view the "promised land," as this was the east part of the land chosen for the colony.
As to the "promised land," Mr. Seger said:

. . . Bear Robe and myself went to the Washita. The next day five of my Indians came over with the oxen and located at what used to be called the headquarter camp of the Washita Cattle Company. I laid out work for them and returned to Pond Creek, where I intend making my headquarters.
The objective of the endeavor was to start a new life away from the agency, where idleness, gambling, and drinking had become problems.

Many expected the new colony to quickly fail. They said the Indians would return to Darlington once the five weeks worth of rations they took with them was exhausted.

By the end of May, 120 Cheyenne and Arapaho had moved to the new settlement. Before long, there were 500.  [Photograph courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration. Caption revised 6/14/06]

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