Today’s story takes place in the history of crime south of our border in Oklahoma — the Osage Indian murders, known as the Osage Reign of Terror (1921-1926), lasted from 1918-1931 in Osage County, Oklahoma. But first some house management. I am an indigenous woman, so while this is not part of my personal history, it is part of the collective history and memories of indigenous people. I’m Miami from the Banks of the Wabash River, and my family moved to Miami, Oklahoma.
Back to the Osage. In 1897, oil was discovered on Osage Reservation land, and the federal government distributed over 600 acres of mineral rights to each Osage on the tribal rolls of 1907. In the 21 years between discovery and the first murders, the market for hello This rapid growth brought substantial wealth to the Osage, who, according to Grann, were considered “the richest nation, clan or social group in the world, including the white people, man for man.” Most of the murders were connected to a scheme to inherit the Osage land, the mineral rights, and thus the wealth. Few of the crimes were prosecuted, but some were convicted and sentenced. William Hale was one of the few arrested and tried for ordering the murder of his nephew’s wife and other family members. After 5 years of pinpointed killings and 13 total years of incidents, the US Congress changed the law to exclude unregistered families from inheriting land and rights.
