The original version of this story included an incorrect photo for Chuck Hoskin Sr., the Cherokee Nation's chief of staff. The photo has been removed.
SALLISAW — The onetime home of Sequoyah, legendary Cherokee statesman and inventor of the Cherokee syllabary, will soon be in Cherokee Nation hands.
As first reported in the Sequoyah County Times, the tribe has announced it has agreed to buy Sequoyah’s Cabin — a National Historic Landmark and popular area tourist attraction — from the Oklahoma Historical Society.
The society, which has owned and operated the property for 80 years, had been looking at options for the cabin, needing to divest itself of the property due to state budget cuts, officials said.
Chuck Hoskin Sr., the tribe’s chief of staff and a state representative, said, “the Cherokee Nation is taking an important step by ensuring the preservation of Sequoyah’s homestead. … Sequoyah is one of our most well-known statesmen and historical figures, and his contributions to the (tribe) are immeasurable.”
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The property includes the one-room hand-hewn log cabin and more than 200 acres.
The cabin was built in 1829. It was acquired by the state Historical Society in 1936 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
Bob Blackburn, society executive director, said the society’s state appropriation has been cut by 40 percent over the past eight years.
“Fortunately for us and the legacy of Sequoyah, the Cherokee Nation is willing to assume ownership and keep the site open,” he said.
Born in Tennessee around 1778 and later moving to present-day Oklahoma, Sequoyah began experimenting with an alphabet for the Cherokee language before completing it in the 1820s. The Cherokees were the first Indian tribe to develop a written alphabet, and within years tribal literacy rates had soared.
Hoskin worked with the historical society for months to find a solution for the site, officials said.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker praised him for leading the effort to secure the cabin.
Baker said, “I commend Chuck on his vision, determination and leadership to see this mission through … for the benefit of the Cherokee Nation, the state of Oklahoma and the thousands of tourists that visit this historic site each year.”
Hoskin said: “It’s unfortunate that after 80 years, the state no longer has the resources to manage and maintain the property, because the significance of Sequoyah’s homestead cannot be overstated.”
He added that it’s the latest example of the Cherokee Nation taking over a state facility that might otherwise have been shuttered. The tribe previously assumed ownership of two Oklahoma welcome centers, one in east Tulsa and one in Kansas, Oklahoma. The centers still operate as welcome centers but additionally feature Cherokee merchandise and information on tribal attractions.
