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1107 W. Main -- Collinsville, OK

371-3899


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Ted Wright -- last update 8/13/2005 (CherokeeVCO.html) www.cvilleok.com
Copyright 2005 -- Collinsville, Oklahoma

Victory Cherokee Organization
August 9, 2005
Local Office Now Setup
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VCO Monthly Meeting (2nd Tuesday)


Officers of Collinsville's Victory Cherokee Organization (VCO) led the meeting Tuesday Aug. 9th in the sanctuary of the Trinity Faith Church where the group meets monthly. They are (L-R) Tom Burr, Lenora McMullen, Karen Borgsmiller and Charles Tripp. The group's new office is now also set up in the church building (at 1107 W. Main). The new office phone number is (918) 371-6688.

VCO will set up a table in front of the church during Founder's day to show some of the remaining art work that is still available from from their fund raiser. VCO will also be working with Janice Fields to help provide school supplies for up to 50 kids to supplement other programs in place which don't always meet the needs of the kids at the start of school.

Several group members are planning to participate in the 53rd Cherokee National Holiday parade in Tahlequah Saturday Sept. 3rd (Labor Day weekend). The holiday has been celebrated since 1953 in commeration of the signing of the 1839 Cherokee Constitution. The theme of the holiday this year is celebration of the "Great State of Sequoyah".

At the July 2005 VCO meeting Marcus Juby gave a brief history lesson on the "State of Sequoyah" which was one of the alternatives to the current State of Oklahoma in the years prior to statehood in 1907. Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory eventually combined to form a single state but many had favored two separate states. One of the challanges in 1905 was getting all of the different tribes in Indian Territory to agree on a single state constitution. The 1905 story (below) from the Collinsville News is an example of that challange. A quick glance at other 1902-1906 one-vs-two state stories shows there were several other issues and concerns driving the eventual one-state decision process.

Summer Youth Tour Followup
The photos below are just a small sample of the sights seen this summer by a group of Collinsville youth who had the priviledge of visiting the homeland of their Cherokee ancestors. (Link to previous coverage). Davie Henry attended the Aug. 9th VCO meeting and noted that the youth on the tour learned much more than what is taught here in the textbooks which cover mainly the "Trail Of Tears" aspect of Cherokee history. Davie said he learned they were a well educated people with a republican government and they never lived in tepees. He said he also learned that Cherokee was a Creek word meaning "people that lived in mounds". Henry also said he and the other youth took dirt from Collinsville that was used in a "touching ceremony" at one of the mounds in the Cherokee homeland.

Previous Coverage
Youth Tour Photos by Alice Wilder