November Lunch & Learn – “A Shield Against the World”: Opothleyahola and the Trail of Blood on Ice Campaign.

The Bartlesville Area History Museum is excited to announce our, “November Lunch and Learn” event will feature guest speaker, Dr. Michelle M. Martin. Dr. Martin completed her BA and MA degrees in history at Western Michigan University. From 1997-2015 she lived in Kansas and Oklahoma where she taught history at the community college and university levels and worked as a museum professional and historical consultant to the television and film industries. She earned her doctorate in history (and a minor in museum studies) at the University of New Mexico in 2022. Her areas of interest include Native American history, the U.S. West from 1800-1925, interracial marriage and family in North America, and Public History. Her current project explores an interracial marriage in the Muskoka Nation during the Indian Territorial period.

Join us as Dr. Martin discusses the harrowing details of Chief Opothleyahola and the Trail of Blood on Ice Campaign. During the American Civil War, Opothleyahola was among the minority of Muscogee in Indian Territory who supported the Union. Due to rising conflict within the tribe, he led his followers to Kansas as a refuge. They engaged in three battles against the opposition along the way, causing their journey to become known as the Trail of Blood on Ice.

This event will be held Friday, November 10th, from 12:00 p.m. – 1 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to enjoy the museum’s current exhibit, “Faces and Places: A look at The Key Faces of Bartlesville Development.” on display from October 6^th through December 29^th. Tables and chairs will be set up for people who bring a lunch and little ones may enjoy our Faces and Places coloring station.