Osage Treaty of 1825
by Mike Wimmer
The completion of the Louisiana Purchase brought not only a great expansion, but difficulty between Indian tribes. The U.S. government's removal of the Cherokees from Georgia and Tennessee to the Osage lands caused fighting the two tribes. Previous Osage treaties needed to be revised to solve the problem with the Cherokees.
The treaty established a new Southern and Eastern boundary, moving the Osages basically into Kansas. The United States agreed to pay the Osage $7,000 each year for 20 years. The tribes could draw in either money or goods at wholesale prices. Also they would receive 600 head of cattle, 600 head of hogs, 1,000 domestic fowl, ten yoke of oxen, six carts, one blacksmith, and a house would be built for each of the four principal chiefs.
The treaty was signed by US Indian CommissionerWilliam Clark at St. Louis in Clark's museum, by Principal Chief of the Osage Clairmont and 60 Great and Little Chiefs of the Osage. Dated June 2, 1825, it was witnessed by such notables as Pr. Chouteau, P. L. Chouteau and Edward Coles, Governor of Illinois.
Osage Treaty of 1825 by Mike Wimmer was dedicated on March 26, 2001. The commission was managed by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. The painting is located inside the Oklahoma State Senate Chamber lobby on the fourth floor of the Oklahoma State Capitol and can be viewed daily from 8:30-5:30.
The Artist
Born
and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Mike Wimmer began his career as
an artist during the seventh grade. He earned his B.F.A. from the University
of Oklahoma, where he met Don Ivan Punchatz. Wimmer later moved to
Arlington, Texas to be Punchatz apprentice at Punchatz famous Sketch
Pad Studio. Wimmer learned valuable knowledge regarding the
business aspect of illustrating as well as various painting techniques
and the working methods of the local Dallas illustrators. After his two and a half year apprenticeship, he moved back to Norman, Oklahoma and
set up his own studio using all that he had learned in Texas. Since
then Wimmer has become very successful illustrating children’s
books such as “Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh” by
Robert Burliegh which was the winner of
the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children in 1990. He also illustrated “All the Places to Love” by Patricia MacLachlan which
was published in 1994 and won the Oklahoma Book Award
for Best Illustrated Children’s Book 1995. Wimmer’s latest
book, “Will Rogers” by Former Governor Frank Keating, was
published in 2002 and has won the 2003 Spur Award from the Western
Writers Association of America. Even though Wimmer has worked for some
of the largest corporations in the world including Disney and Procter
and Gamble, Wimmer finds the greatest artistic pleasure within his
creation of fine art.