SAM SIXKILLER

Captain Sam Sixkiller (deceased) was a full-blood Cherokee who became a legend as a member of the US Indian Police of the Five Civilized Tribes.

Born in Going-Snake District, Cherokee Nation, in 1842, Sixkiller was raised in the Cherokee Nation and educated at the Old Baptist Mission. Sam joined the Southern Army, serving one year under General Watie before joining the Federal Artillery Company at Fort Gibson. He was married at Fort Gibson on December 23, 1865, to Miss Fannie Foreman. After his marriage to Fannie, they moved to Tahlequah, where he was appointed high sheriff. In 1879 Sam moved to Muskogee, Creek Nation, and was made captain of the US Indian Police of the Five Tribes.

At the time of his death, Captain Sixkiller was a deputy US marshal serving as part of the force under Judge "Hang Them High" Parker of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Additionally, Sixklller was a valued member of the Secret Service of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. It has been said Captain Sam Sixkiller did more than any one person to free the railroad towns in Indian Territory of their dangerous and reckless elements.

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