Obituary
J. P. McNaughton, Pioneer Leader And First Man to Mine Zinc in This Section, Dies at Age of 79 Years________ Paralytic Stroke Ends Colorful Career of Man Who Had Major Role in Early History of This Vicinity and Whose Prospecting Decades Before Statehood Led Later to Development of Ottawa County Mining Field-—Funeral Services Held This Afternoon.
Scores of early Oklahoma pioneers and hundreds of their descendants went to the Kay McNaughton home in Rockdale this afternoon to attend the funeral of John Patrick McNaughton, 79- year-old father of one of Ottawa county's most distinguished families and the first lead and zinc miner in what is now Oklahoma.
The elder McNaughton's biography reads like exciting fiction woven into the history of early day Midwestern America, all the more entrancing because it is true—and some of the events therein have a direct bearing on the history and people of this section today.
Paralysis Caused Death
Mr. McNaughton died at the farm home of another son, Willis McNaughton, northeast of Miami, at 3:45 o'clock Sunday afternoon. Paralysis was the direct cause of death, the fatal stroke climaxing a two-year period of failing health.
The dean of all pioneers in this section, Mr. McNaughton came here 55 years ago on a tip from an Indian, and began prospecting in the old Spanish mines area near Peoria. Engrossed with the possibility of a big mineral development in the Peoria area, Mr. McNaughton settled and became closely identified with every major development from 1877 until the last few years, taking a leading part in educational advancement, securing of post- offices at Miami and at Max, the old McNaughton homestead northeast of Miami, developing the Lincolnville mineral district, aiding to build the old Friends ehurch in 1895, helping frame the first state government of Oklahoma and making numerous trips to Washington as the representative of Indians in the Quapaw Indian agency.
In 1881, Mr. McNaughton married Clara E. Peery, daughter of David L. Peery, a Kansas stockman, and Ella Peery. Mrs. McNaughton survives him, along with three distinguished sons, Ray McNaughton of the Ottawa county bar, Dr. G. P. McNaughton in the medical profession and Willis McNaughton, a leading farmer of the county.
Burial in Historic Plot
The Rev. J. C. Linton, former Presbyterian minister here and like Mr. McNaughton, a Scotchman by descent, presided at the funeral service. Burial was in Peery cemetery northeast of here at the old McNaughton homestead, the same place where other members of the McNaughton. family are buried. The spot is marked by 30 acres of trees planted in rows by the elder McNaughton 45 years ago, a grove which has become a lasting landmark in this section.
Pallbearers were Walter Williams, A. H. Seay, M. D. Coffee, Oscar LaFalier, Sherman Staton and Jeff McCleary. The Cooper Undertaking company was in charge.
Heredity Played Part
Like so many of the pioneering spirits whose adventurous wanderings culminated in the building of the new state of Oklahoma, McNaughton was molded by heredity and environment for the role he was to play in the new Southwest. Born in Tennessee in 1853, the son of- Scotch-Irish parents, he was nurtured in those stirring Civil war days which took the life of an elder brother, a captain in the Confederate army, and during which his father, Thomas McNaughton, was wounded in engagements at Shelbyville, Nashville, Dover and Fort Donelson, and incapacitated by six wounds received at the battle of Shiloh. The self-reliance instilled by those events led young McNaughton, a schoolboy in Petersburg, Term., to undertake a journey by boat to Fort Smith, Ark. There, when only 13 years old, he obtained work as a laborer and assisted in construction of the first brick building on Garrison avenue in that city. In 1867 he obtained a job as teamster hauling cotton to Springfield, Mo., then the terminus of the Atlantic & Pacific railroad, now the Frisco system.
J.P. McNaughton, Pioneer Leader And First Man to Mine Zinc in This Section, Dies at Age of 79 Years. Miami Daily News-Record, 14 Nov 1932, pg. 1, cols. 2-3.
J.P. McNaughton, Discoverer of Zinc Field, Dies
With Government Surveyors
For three years he held this job, driving a six-mule team across the country. By that time he had accumulated sufficient capital to enable him to purchase teams and engage in the business for himself. This undertaking brought him into Indian Territory for the first time, his services being engaged by a party of government surveyors who traveled throughout the territory. He then spent a year in Fort Worth, Tex., but still urged on by that nomadic impulse, he left Texas to go to Salt Lake City, Utah, as "bullwhacker" with a wagon caravan making the overland trip. From Utah he went to Arizona as "mule skinner" with another freighting crew and then made his way to Sherman, Tex., where he obtained the contract supplying timbers and railroad ties for building the Texas & Pacific railroad in that vicinity.
Picked Up Mineral Lore
During these apparently aimless wanderings, McNaughton acquired the knowledge of geological formations, familiarity with minerals, and a smattering of Indian language which were to help him in his more fruitful pioneering in what is now Ottawa county. One of his side trips in to Mexico, in particular, equipped him for the part he was to play in Oklahoma's early history.
Chance, in the guise of a Shawnee Indian from Indian territory, stepped in to prevent McNaughton from reaching the objective of his next long pilgrimage. In September, 1877, McNaughton decided to go to the Black Hills of South Dakota on a prospecting trip, planning to travel by way of Kansas City. As he set forth on this journey he encountered the Shawnee, a penniless derelict seeking a way back to his people. Touched by the Indian's plight, McNaughton invited the Shawnee to accompany him. In addition to paying the Indian's transportation to Vinita, McNaughton provided him with food on the journey.
Told of "Old Spanish Mines"
In the course of the confidences thus inspired, the Indian told his benefactor of the "old Spanish mines" on the Peoria Indians' lands in the extreme northeastern part of the territory. Intrigued by the Indian's description of these supposedly primitive mining operations, McNaughton decided to investigate them before proceeding on to his destination. From Vinita he went to Seneca, Mo., where he hired a buckboard and pushed into the wild and hilly region along Spring river west of the Missouri line.
When the lone white man finally located the "mines" described to him by the Indians, he was amazed at the apparent magnitude of the operations that had been carried on there. Scattered over an area of 40 acres, crude shafts and tunnels indicated that intensive digging had been done there over an extensive period of time. From 500 to 1,000 men must have participated in that primitive burrowing he deduced from his knowledge of similar undertakings in Mexico. He found shafts 250 to 300 feet in depth, round in shape, similar to mining practices of the early Spaniards in other parts of the continent, and showing evidences of having been excavated largely by means of stone implements.
Explored Ancient Diggings
Rigging up ropes which enabled him to descend into these pits, McNaughton found drifts extending out from the sides of the shafts and felt drafts of fresh air which indicated that these tunnels extended for considerable distances with other openings to the outer air. Owing to fallen rock that had accumulated during the years since the mines were worked, the explorer was unable to penetrate far from the shafts.
Although he found no traces of mineral in these old diggings, McNaughton felt confident the men of DeSoto and Cortez, to whom he attributed the work because of knowledge obtained in his earlier travels, would not have expended so much time and energy in futile burrowing.
After this preliminary survey, McNaughton abandoned all thought of pushing on north and applied to Hiram Jones, agent at that time over Indians in this part of the territory, for permission to prospect. Jones, who did not know of McNaughton's already extensive investigations, refused even to grant permission for him to enter the region.
Special Permit Issued
Undaunted, McNaughton returned to Texas to interest others in the prospecting project and obtained the financial aid of George W. Newcombe, a wealthy resident of Sherman. They decided to go direct to the Department of the Interior for permission to carry on their investigations. A trip by McNaughton to the national capital resulted in the issuance of a special permit by Carl Shurz, secretary of the interior under President Grant, enabling the young prospector to search for mineral on the lands of the Peorias, but prohibiting him from mining or selling any ore discovered.
Despite this severe limitation on his activities, McNaughton returned to the Peorias and on further investigation learned that the Peorias had bought their land, a strip three miles wide and extending from the Neosho river on the west to the Missouri line on the east. For this approximately 50,000 acres they had paid $1.25 an acre when they moved to Indian Territory from their earlier reservation near Paola, Kas.
Leased From Indians
In 1878 he obtained leases from the Peorias on several sections of this land near Peoria. These documents, signed with the thumbmark of Jim Charley, chief of the Peorias, and the signature of Ed H. Black second chief, who was able to write, are said to be the first lease of land in Indian Territory. The action of the chiefs had been endorsed by the tribal council of the confederated Indian tribes.
Then He Struck Lead
Under this supposedly valid grant, McNaughton began intensive prospecting in the vicinity of Peoria, west of the Spanish mines and in an area whose geological formation led him to believe ore deposits might be found. And there he found it–not the gold which the Spaniards apparently had been seeking, but lead. The deposits lay close to the surface in a sheet and bunch formation, at a point more than 20 feet below the surface of the ground. Mixed with lead was another ore which was later found to be zinc, but which at that time was discarded as valueless. The electrical and mechanical age had not yet reached the zenith which was to make these zinc deposits of northeastern Indian Territory a source of much=sought after raw material for industry.
For a time it appeared that McNaughton would not be able to exploit his discoveries. The secretary of the interior refused to approve the tribal leasing agreement on the grounds that is might establish a harmful precedent and decreed that McNaughton confine his activities to prospecting.
Turned to Farming
Temporarily abandoning his mining work, McNaughton obtained a clerical position at Baxter Springs, Kas., to replenish his finances and to remain close to the scene of his strike and await future developments. While residing in Baxter Springs he married Miss Clara E. Peery, whose father, a native of Indiana, was the Peoria's purchasing agent. After this marriage he and his bride returned to Indian Territory and he engaged in farming an 80-acre tract.
In 1889, Congress passed legislation allotting to each member of the Peorias 200 acres of land. Maj. Spencer Hartwig, government representative in the allotting process, made his headquarters at the McNaughton farm and issued the allotment certificates to the 153 Peorias and 66 Miamis on the tribal roll. The patents contained a clause prohibiting the sale of these lands for 25 years, but no restrictions as to leasing.
Here was the opportunity the prospector - farmer had been awaiting and he proceeded to lease 8,000 acres for grazing purposes and several thousand acres for mining.. The former leases were five years and the latter for 10. The 8,000 acres were fenced with wire and became the first fenced tract of large extent in Indian Territory.
Mining Company Organized
McNaughton then went ahead with his plans for mining on a comprehensive scale. He brought a horsepower drill to the scene from Texas, transporting it on a wagon. Then he interested several men with capital and the Peoria Mining company was organized under the laws of Kansas with a capital stock of $1,000,000 to mine in Indian Territory. The incorporators were: W.C. Perry of Fort Scott, Kas., president; J. P. McNaughton, vice president and manager; W. H. Herner of Baxter Springs, secretary-treasurer, and J. C. Wilson of Topeka, Kas., and Col. J. R. Hallowell of Columbus, Kans. The incorporators were equal owners, each "chipping in" to furnish the capital.
Using the horsepower drill, prospecting was resumed in 1891 northwest of Peoria and the first shaft sunk soon afterward.
In the meantime, critics of the new enterprise had questioned the validity of the leases. McNaughton backed by his associates, again took the issue to Washington with the result that Congress passed a bill declaring the Peorias to citizens of the United States, which would serve to validate their leases further. The text of this action, said to have been unprecedented at that time, was as follows:
"And the confederated Peoria Indians residing in the Quapaw Indian agency who have heretofore or who may hereafter accept their lands in severalty under any of the allotment laws of the United States, from and after their allotment are entitled to all the rights, privileges and benefits as such and parents are hereby declared to have been and to be the legal guardians of their minor children without process of court."
The Peoria Mining company then began re-leasing for mining purposes on the basis of 25-year grants. These leases were approved by Congress in the same year.
Ore Prices Were Low
In the meantime, McNaughton's associates had become disheartened by the series of legal entanglements, which, coupled with the low prices of ore at that time – lead selling for less than $50 a ton and zinc $12 to $15–they decided to sell their holdings. The company suspended mining operations. McNaughton, however, still had faith in his project and took an option on his partners' holdings. He went to New York with this option, where he sold it for $100,000 retaining a third interest in the reorganized Peoria Mining, Construction & Lead company, which was organized in February, 1892, under the laws of New Jersey with $3,000,000 capital stock. McNaughton remained as vice president and manager of the new organization.
First Real Mining Begun
Returning to the territory, he began the first real mining operations, taking out three million pounds of virtually free lead ore and also shipping 12 carloads of zinc ore and silicate during 1892 and 1893, smelting of zinc having been started by a company at Webb City, Mo.
Oklahoma's first mining boom followed and Peoria, at that time a mere cluster of miners' hits, began to attract new residents by the hundreds. Steam drills were brought in by the company and shafts sunk to a depth of more than 100 feet into still deeper deposits of ore. The town then was incorporated, which is the basis of Peoria's claim that it was the first incorporated town in what is now Oklahoma.
Boom Short-Lived
But the boom was short=lived. The drills that struck ore at lower levels after the shallower deposits had been gouged of their mineral also encountered underground streams which presented and engineering problem requiting costly financing. One after another of the companies quit in the face of this obstacle, dozen after dozen of the new residents drifted away from Peoria. Soon after mining in that vicinity was abandoned altogether and Peoria's star in the mining firmament immediately went into eclipse.
In the meantime McNaughton retired to his farm, which had grown to 800 acres through wise acquisitions. Turning the same energy that he had devoted to mining into agricultural pursuits, McNaughton began farming on a large scale, breeding Shorthorn and Angus cattle and Percheron and Clydesdale horses. These were the first purebred animals brought into the county and set a standard for the many fine herds of cattle in Ottawa county today. The former miner purchased a farm outright from Chief Jim Charley of the Peorias, obtaining the first deed to land in what is now Ottawa county.
Mail by Stage Coach
The old McNaughton homestead, known to postal authorities in the early days as Max, to which mail was sent by stage from Baxter Springs, lt was for several decades one of the few settlement nucleuses in this section.
Mr. McNaughton, influential because of his wide pioneering experience, close friendship with the Indians and leadership among the early day whites, once invited officials of the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf railroad to his farm for a prairie chicken shoot as the road was first built south of Baxter Springs. The railroad men accepted, and for many years thereafter the event was an annual affair. The road finally became the Frisco railroad of today.
McNaughton continued to remain a friend and adviser of the Indians even after his retirement from mining. He represented them several times in allotment proceedings at Washington. In the course of this work he obtained the first copyrighted map of the first survey of what is now Ottawa county.
In 1895 the McNaugtons, with the exception of one son, Willis, who remained to manage the Max Mirage View farm, moved to Miami. Here the elder McNaughton continued to be a force for progress, helping to build up the city, then only four years old. He was instrumental in obtaining a postoffice for Miami and in establishing the first rural route out of the city. In later years, the elder McNaughtons had the pleasure of seeing their sons rise prominent places in their separate spheres in Miami, Ray McNaughton becoming a leading attorney: Dr. Guy P. McNaughton acquiring distinction even outside his own community as a bacteriologist and recognized authority on that branch of medical science, and Willis McNaughton, a prominent farmer.
The words of his Indian friend not only brought McNaughton success in a material way, they also brought him a wealth of interesting experiences and the respect in his declining years that less venturesome individuals pay to those who have pioneered.
J.P. McNaughton, Discoverer of Zinc Field, Dies. Miami Daily News-Record, Monday, November 14, 1932, p. 2.
Courtesy of Contributor: Scott Edwards (49609769)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot number corresponds to the map as recorded in the canvass and survey from the American Indian Institute; "Our People And Where They Rest," (OPAWTR) James W. Tyner and Alice Tyner Timmons, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. 1971, Volume 4, p. 75, under Peery Family Cemetery. (Library of Congress No. QE99-C5-T97)
Their information (including any diagrams or maps) is given here as a historical reference and is presented "as is." Their book, like many such cemetery listing compilations, may contain errors. As with any genealogy information, this is merely a "source" and should be considered as such. It falls upon the end-user to verify the accuracy. See their map for use as a quick locator tool for graves here. Once freely available for online viewing, the OPAWTR volumes can now be accessed only at a LDS Family History Library, a partner library, or a Family History Center. (LDS)
Aug. 2021 update: I am informed that the set is now available on the Family Search website, but you have to be a member, and be signed in, to access it under "Books."
NOTE: Based upon a survey done in 1971, with a visual assessment at that time; i.e., the marker WAS there when they canvassed the cemetery. Thousands of important historical records are lost to today's researchers due to the fact that there are those who won't put them up on such sites as FAG - unless the marker can be found today; ignoring the fact that tornadoes, theft or removal, vandalism, damage from unrestrained farm animals, desecration due to agricultural development/usage/abuse and other such factors, (including re-internment at a different cemetery) may well have intervened over the years, and the marker the entry relied upon may indeed not be found today. Nevertheless, the value of submitting this memorial as a historical record is relevant and important to those who are tracing their ancestry.~
J. P. McNaughton, Pioneer Leader And First Man to Mine Zinc in This Section, Dies at Age of 79 Years________ Paralytic Stroke Ends Colorful Career of Man Who Had Major Role in Early History of This Vicinity and Whose Prospecting Decades Before Statehood Led Later to Development of Ottawa County Mining Field-—Funeral Services Held This Afternoon.
Scores of early Oklahoma pioneers and hundreds of their descendants went to the Kay McNaughton home in Rockdale this afternoon to attend the funeral of John Patrick McNaughton, 79- year-old father of one of Ottawa county's most distinguished families and the first lead and zinc miner in what is now Oklahoma.
The elder McNaughton's biography reads like exciting fiction woven into the history of early day Midwestern America, all the more entrancing because it is true—and some of the events therein have a direct bearing on the history and people of this section today.
Paralysis Caused Death
Mr. McNaughton died at the farm home of another son, Willis McNaughton, northeast of Miami, at 3:45 o'clock Sunday afternoon. Paralysis was the direct cause of death, the fatal stroke climaxing a two-year period of failing health.
The dean of all pioneers in this section, Mr. McNaughton came here 55 years ago on a tip from an Indian, and began prospecting in the old Spanish mines area near Peoria. Engrossed with the possibility of a big mineral development in the Peoria area, Mr. McNaughton settled and became closely identified with every major development from 1877 until the last few years, taking a leading part in educational advancement, securing of post- offices at Miami and at Max, the old McNaughton homestead northeast of Miami, developing the Lincolnville mineral district, aiding to build the old Friends ehurch in 1895, helping frame the first state government of Oklahoma and making numerous trips to Washington as the representative of Indians in the Quapaw Indian agency.
In 1881, Mr. McNaughton married Clara E. Peery, daughter of David L. Peery, a Kansas stockman, and Ella Peery. Mrs. McNaughton survives him, along with three distinguished sons, Ray McNaughton of the Ottawa county bar, Dr. G. P. McNaughton in the medical profession and Willis McNaughton, a leading farmer of the county.
Burial in Historic Plot
The Rev. J. C. Linton, former Presbyterian minister here and like Mr. McNaughton, a Scotchman by descent, presided at the funeral service. Burial was in Peery cemetery northeast of here at the old McNaughton homestead, the same place where other members of the McNaughton. family are buried. The spot is marked by 30 acres of trees planted in rows by the elder McNaughton 45 years ago, a grove which has become a lasting landmark in this section.
Pallbearers were Walter Williams, A. H. Seay, M. D. Coffee, Oscar LaFalier, Sherman Staton and Jeff McCleary. The Cooper Undertaking company was in charge.
Heredity Played Part
Like so many of the pioneering spirits whose adventurous wanderings culminated in the building of the new state of Oklahoma, McNaughton was molded by heredity and environment for the role he was to play in the new Southwest. Born in Tennessee in 1853, the son of- Scotch-Irish parents, he was nurtured in those stirring Civil war days which took the life of an elder brother, a captain in the Confederate army, and during which his father, Thomas McNaughton, was wounded in engagements at Shelbyville, Nashville, Dover and Fort Donelson, and incapacitated by six wounds received at the battle of Shiloh. The self-reliance instilled by those events led young McNaughton, a schoolboy in Petersburg, Term., to undertake a journey by boat to Fort Smith, Ark. There, when only 13 years old, he obtained work as a laborer and assisted in construction of the first brick building on Garrison avenue in that city. In 1867 he obtained a job as teamster hauling cotton to Springfield, Mo., then the terminus of the Atlantic & Pacific railroad, now the Frisco system.
J.P. McNaughton, Pioneer Leader And First Man to Mine Zinc in This Section, Dies at Age of 79 Years. Miami Daily News-Record, 14 Nov 1932, pg. 1, cols. 2-3.
J.P. McNaughton, Discoverer of Zinc Field, Dies
With Government Surveyors
For three years he held this job, driving a six-mule team across the country. By that time he had accumulated sufficient capital to enable him to purchase teams and engage in the business for himself. This undertaking brought him into Indian Territory for the first time, his services being engaged by a party of government surveyors who traveled throughout the territory. He then spent a year in Fort Worth, Tex., but still urged on by that nomadic impulse, he left Texas to go to Salt Lake City, Utah, as "bullwhacker" with a wagon caravan making the overland trip. From Utah he went to Arizona as "mule skinner" with another freighting crew and then made his way to Sherman, Tex., where he obtained the contract supplying timbers and railroad ties for building the Texas & Pacific railroad in that vicinity.
Picked Up Mineral Lore
During these apparently aimless wanderings, McNaughton acquired the knowledge of geological formations, familiarity with minerals, and a smattering of Indian language which were to help him in his more fruitful pioneering in what is now Ottawa county. One of his side trips in to Mexico, in particular, equipped him for the part he was to play in Oklahoma's early history.
Chance, in the guise of a Shawnee Indian from Indian territory, stepped in to prevent McNaughton from reaching the objective of his next long pilgrimage. In September, 1877, McNaughton decided to go to the Black Hills of South Dakota on a prospecting trip, planning to travel by way of Kansas City. As he set forth on this journey he encountered the Shawnee, a penniless derelict seeking a way back to his people. Touched by the Indian's plight, McNaughton invited the Shawnee to accompany him. In addition to paying the Indian's transportation to Vinita, McNaughton provided him with food on the journey.
Told of "Old Spanish Mines"
In the course of the confidences thus inspired, the Indian told his benefactor of the "old Spanish mines" on the Peoria Indians' lands in the extreme northeastern part of the territory. Intrigued by the Indian's description of these supposedly primitive mining operations, McNaughton decided to investigate them before proceeding on to his destination. From Vinita he went to Seneca, Mo., where he hired a buckboard and pushed into the wild and hilly region along Spring river west of the Missouri line.
When the lone white man finally located the "mines" described to him by the Indians, he was amazed at the apparent magnitude of the operations that had been carried on there. Scattered over an area of 40 acres, crude shafts and tunnels indicated that intensive digging had been done there over an extensive period of time. From 500 to 1,000 men must have participated in that primitive burrowing he deduced from his knowledge of similar undertakings in Mexico. He found shafts 250 to 300 feet in depth, round in shape, similar to mining practices of the early Spaniards in other parts of the continent, and showing evidences of having been excavated largely by means of stone implements.
Explored Ancient Diggings
Rigging up ropes which enabled him to descend into these pits, McNaughton found drifts extending out from the sides of the shafts and felt drafts of fresh air which indicated that these tunnels extended for considerable distances with other openings to the outer air. Owing to fallen rock that had accumulated during the years since the mines were worked, the explorer was unable to penetrate far from the shafts.
Although he found no traces of mineral in these old diggings, McNaughton felt confident the men of DeSoto and Cortez, to whom he attributed the work because of knowledge obtained in his earlier travels, would not have expended so much time and energy in futile burrowing.
After this preliminary survey, McNaughton abandoned all thought of pushing on north and applied to Hiram Jones, agent at that time over Indians in this part of the territory, for permission to prospect. Jones, who did not know of McNaughton's already extensive investigations, refused even to grant permission for him to enter the region.
Special Permit Issued
Undaunted, McNaughton returned to Texas to interest others in the prospecting project and obtained the financial aid of George W. Newcombe, a wealthy resident of Sherman. They decided to go direct to the Department of the Interior for permission to carry on their investigations. A trip by McNaughton to the national capital resulted in the issuance of a special permit by Carl Shurz, secretary of the interior under President Grant, enabling the young prospector to search for mineral on the lands of the Peorias, but prohibiting him from mining or selling any ore discovered.
Despite this severe limitation on his activities, McNaughton returned to the Peorias and on further investigation learned that the Peorias had bought their land, a strip three miles wide and extending from the Neosho river on the west to the Missouri line on the east. For this approximately 50,000 acres they had paid $1.25 an acre when they moved to Indian Territory from their earlier reservation near Paola, Kas.
Leased From Indians
In 1878 he obtained leases from the Peorias on several sections of this land near Peoria. These documents, signed with the thumbmark of Jim Charley, chief of the Peorias, and the signature of Ed H. Black second chief, who was able to write, are said to be the first lease of land in Indian Territory. The action of the chiefs had been endorsed by the tribal council of the confederated Indian tribes.
Then He Struck Lead
Under this supposedly valid grant, McNaughton began intensive prospecting in the vicinity of Peoria, west of the Spanish mines and in an area whose geological formation led him to believe ore deposits might be found. And there he found it–not the gold which the Spaniards apparently had been seeking, but lead. The deposits lay close to the surface in a sheet and bunch formation, at a point more than 20 feet below the surface of the ground. Mixed with lead was another ore which was later found to be zinc, but which at that time was discarded as valueless. The electrical and mechanical age had not yet reached the zenith which was to make these zinc deposits of northeastern Indian Territory a source of much=sought after raw material for industry.
For a time it appeared that McNaughton would not be able to exploit his discoveries. The secretary of the interior refused to approve the tribal leasing agreement on the grounds that is might establish a harmful precedent and decreed that McNaughton confine his activities to prospecting.
Turned to Farming
Temporarily abandoning his mining work, McNaughton obtained a clerical position at Baxter Springs, Kas., to replenish his finances and to remain close to the scene of his strike and await future developments. While residing in Baxter Springs he married Miss Clara E. Peery, whose father, a native of Indiana, was the Peoria's purchasing agent. After this marriage he and his bride returned to Indian Territory and he engaged in farming an 80-acre tract.
In 1889, Congress passed legislation allotting to each member of the Peorias 200 acres of land. Maj. Spencer Hartwig, government representative in the allotting process, made his headquarters at the McNaughton farm and issued the allotment certificates to the 153 Peorias and 66 Miamis on the tribal roll. The patents contained a clause prohibiting the sale of these lands for 25 years, but no restrictions as to leasing.
Here was the opportunity the prospector - farmer had been awaiting and he proceeded to lease 8,000 acres for grazing purposes and several thousand acres for mining.. The former leases were five years and the latter for 10. The 8,000 acres were fenced with wire and became the first fenced tract of large extent in Indian Territory.
Mining Company Organized
McNaughton then went ahead with his plans for mining on a comprehensive scale. He brought a horsepower drill to the scene from Texas, transporting it on a wagon. Then he interested several men with capital and the Peoria Mining company was organized under the laws of Kansas with a capital stock of $1,000,000 to mine in Indian Territory. The incorporators were: W.C. Perry of Fort Scott, Kas., president; J. P. McNaughton, vice president and manager; W. H. Herner of Baxter Springs, secretary-treasurer, and J. C. Wilson of Topeka, Kas., and Col. J. R. Hallowell of Columbus, Kans. The incorporators were equal owners, each "chipping in" to furnish the capital.
Using the horsepower drill, prospecting was resumed in 1891 northwest of Peoria and the first shaft sunk soon afterward.
In the meantime, critics of the new enterprise had questioned the validity of the leases. McNaughton backed by his associates, again took the issue to Washington with the result that Congress passed a bill declaring the Peorias to citizens of the United States, which would serve to validate their leases further. The text of this action, said to have been unprecedented at that time, was as follows:
"And the confederated Peoria Indians residing in the Quapaw Indian agency who have heretofore or who may hereafter accept their lands in severalty under any of the allotment laws of the United States, from and after their allotment are entitled to all the rights, privileges and benefits as such and parents are hereby declared to have been and to be the legal guardians of their minor children without process of court."
The Peoria Mining company then began re-leasing for mining purposes on the basis of 25-year grants. These leases were approved by Congress in the same year.
Ore Prices Were Low
In the meantime, McNaughton's associates had become disheartened by the series of legal entanglements, which, coupled with the low prices of ore at that time – lead selling for less than $50 a ton and zinc $12 to $15–they decided to sell their holdings. The company suspended mining operations. McNaughton, however, still had faith in his project and took an option on his partners' holdings. He went to New York with this option, where he sold it for $100,000 retaining a third interest in the reorganized Peoria Mining, Construction & Lead company, which was organized in February, 1892, under the laws of New Jersey with $3,000,000 capital stock. McNaughton remained as vice president and manager of the new organization.
First Real Mining Begun
Returning to the territory, he began the first real mining operations, taking out three million pounds of virtually free lead ore and also shipping 12 carloads of zinc ore and silicate during 1892 and 1893, smelting of zinc having been started by a company at Webb City, Mo.
Oklahoma's first mining boom followed and Peoria, at that time a mere cluster of miners' hits, began to attract new residents by the hundreds. Steam drills were brought in by the company and shafts sunk to a depth of more than 100 feet into still deeper deposits of ore. The town then was incorporated, which is the basis of Peoria's claim that it was the first incorporated town in what is now Oklahoma.
Boom Short-Lived
But the boom was short=lived. The drills that struck ore at lower levels after the shallower deposits had been gouged of their mineral also encountered underground streams which presented and engineering problem requiting costly financing. One after another of the companies quit in the face of this obstacle, dozen after dozen of the new residents drifted away from Peoria. Soon after mining in that vicinity was abandoned altogether and Peoria's star in the mining firmament immediately went into eclipse.
In the meantime McNaughton retired to his farm, which had grown to 800 acres through wise acquisitions. Turning the same energy that he had devoted to mining into agricultural pursuits, McNaughton began farming on a large scale, breeding Shorthorn and Angus cattle and Percheron and Clydesdale horses. These were the first purebred animals brought into the county and set a standard for the many fine herds of cattle in Ottawa county today. The former miner purchased a farm outright from Chief Jim Charley of the Peorias, obtaining the first deed to land in what is now Ottawa county.
Mail by Stage Coach
The old McNaughton homestead, known to postal authorities in the early days as Max, to which mail was sent by stage from Baxter Springs, lt was for several decades one of the few settlement nucleuses in this section.
Mr. McNaughton, influential because of his wide pioneering experience, close friendship with the Indians and leadership among the early day whites, once invited officials of the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf railroad to his farm for a prairie chicken shoot as the road was first built south of Baxter Springs. The railroad men accepted, and for many years thereafter the event was an annual affair. The road finally became the Frisco railroad of today.
McNaughton continued to remain a friend and adviser of the Indians even after his retirement from mining. He represented them several times in allotment proceedings at Washington. In the course of this work he obtained the first copyrighted map of the first survey of what is now Ottawa county.
In 1895 the McNaugtons, with the exception of one son, Willis, who remained to manage the Max Mirage View farm, moved to Miami. Here the elder McNaughton continued to be a force for progress, helping to build up the city, then only four years old. He was instrumental in obtaining a postoffice for Miami and in establishing the first rural route out of the city. In later years, the elder McNaughtons had the pleasure of seeing their sons rise prominent places in their separate spheres in Miami, Ray McNaughton becoming a leading attorney: Dr. Guy P. McNaughton acquiring distinction even outside his own community as a bacteriologist and recognized authority on that branch of medical science, and Willis McNaughton, a prominent farmer.
The words of his Indian friend not only brought McNaughton success in a material way, they also brought him a wealth of interesting experiences and the respect in his declining years that less venturesome individuals pay to those who have pioneered.
J.P. McNaughton, Discoverer of Zinc Field, Dies. Miami Daily News-Record, Monday, November 14, 1932, p. 2.
Courtesy of Contributor: Scott Edwards (49609769)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot number corresponds to the map as recorded in the canvass and survey from the American Indian Institute; "Our People And Where They Rest," (OPAWTR) James W. Tyner and Alice Tyner Timmons, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. 1971, Volume 4, p. 75, under Peery Family Cemetery. (Library of Congress No. QE99-C5-T97)
Their information (including any diagrams or maps) is given here as a historical reference and is presented "as is." Their book, like many such cemetery listing compilations, may contain errors. As with any genealogy information, this is merely a "source" and should be considered as such. It falls upon the end-user to verify the accuracy. See their map for use as a quick locator tool for graves here. Once freely available for online viewing, the OPAWTR volumes can now be accessed only at a LDS Family History Library, a partner library, or a Family History Center. (LDS)
Aug. 2021 update: I am informed that the set is now available on the Family Search website, but you have to be a member, and be signed in, to access it under "Books."
NOTE: Based upon a survey done in 1971, with a visual assessment at that time; i.e., the marker WAS there when they canvassed the cemetery. Thousands of important historical records are lost to today's researchers due to the fact that there are those who won't put them up on such sites as FAG - unless the marker can be found today; ignoring the fact that tornadoes, theft or removal, vandalism, damage from unrestrained farm animals, desecration due to agricultural development/usage/abuse and other such factors, (including re-internment at a different cemetery) may well have intervened over the years, and the marker the entry relied upon may indeed not be found today. Nevertheless, the value of submitting this memorial as a historical record is relevant and important to those who are tracing their ancestry.~
Obituary
J. P. McNaughton, Pioneer Leader And First Man to Mine Zinc in This Section, Dies at Age of 79 Years________ Paralytic Stroke Ends Colorful Career of Man Who Had Major Role in Early History of This Vicinity and Whose Prospecting Decades Before Statehood Led Later to Development of Ottawa County Mining Field-—Funeral Services Held This Afternoon.
Scores of early Oklahoma pioneers and hundreds of their descendants went to the Kay McNaughton home in Rockdale this afternoon to attend the funeral of John Patrick McNaughton, 79- year-old father of one of Ottawa county's most distinguished families and the first lead and zinc miner in what is now Oklahoma.
The elder McNaughton's biography reads like exciting fiction woven into the history of early day Midwestern America, all the more entrancing because it is true—and some of the events therein have a direct bearing on the history and people of this section today.
Paralysis Caused Death
Mr. McNaughton died at the farm home of another son, Willis McNaughton, northeast of Miami, at 3:45 o'clock Sunday afternoon. Paralysis was the direct cause of death, the fatal stroke climaxing a two-year period of failing health.
The dean of all pioneers in this section, Mr. McNaughton came here 55 years ago on a tip from an Indian, and began prospecting in the old Spanish mines area near Peoria. Engrossed with the possibility of a big mineral development in the Peoria area, Mr. McNaughton settled and became closely identified with every major development from 1877 until the last few years, taking a leading part in educational advancement, securing of post- offices at Miami and at Max, the old McNaughton homestead northeast of Miami, developing the Lincolnville mineral district, aiding to build the old Friends ehurch in 1895, helping frame the first state government of Oklahoma and making numerous trips to Washington as the representative of Indians in the Quapaw Indian agency.
In 1881, Mr. McNaughton married Clara E. Peery, daughter of David L. Peery, a Kansas stockman, and Ella Peery. Mrs. McNaughton survives him, along with three distinguished sons, Ray McNaughton of the Ottawa county bar, Dr. G. P. McNaughton in the medical profession and Willis McNaughton, a leading farmer of the county.
Burial in Historic Plot
The Rev. J. C. Linton, former Presbyterian minister here and like Mr. McNaughton, a Scotchman by descent, presided at the funeral service. Burial was in Peery cemetery northeast of here at the old McNaughton homestead, the same place where other members of the McNaughton. family are buried. The spot is marked by 30 acres of trees planted in rows by the elder McNaughton 45 years ago, a grove which has become a lasting landmark in this section.
Pallbearers were Walter Williams, A. H. Seay, M. D. Coffee, Oscar LaFalier, Sherman Staton and Jeff McCleary. The Cooper Undertaking company was in charge.
Heredity Played Part
Like so many of the pioneering spirits whose adventurous wanderings culminated in the building of the new state of Oklahoma, McNaughton was molded by heredity and environment for the role he was to play in the new Southwest. Born in Tennessee in 1853, the son of- Scotch-Irish parents, he was nurtured in those stirring Civil war days which took the life of an elder brother, a captain in the Confederate army, and during which his father, Thomas McNaughton, was wounded in engagements at Shelbyville, Nashville, Dover and Fort Donelson, and incapacitated by six wounds received at the battle of Shiloh. The self-reliance instilled by those events led young McNaughton, a schoolboy in Petersburg, Term., to undertake a journey by boat to Fort Smith, Ark. There, when only 13 years old, he obtained work as a laborer and assisted in construction of the first brick building on Garrison avenue in that city. In 1867 he obtained a job as teamster hauling cotton to Springfield, Mo., then the terminus of the Atlantic & Pacific railroad, now the Frisco system.
J.P. McNaughton, Pioneer Leader And First Man to Mine Zinc in This Section, Dies at Age of 79 Years. Miami Daily News-Record, 14 Nov 1932, pg. 1, cols. 2-3.
J.P. McNaughton, Discoverer of Zinc Field, Dies
With Government Surveyors
For three years he held this job, driving a six-mule team across the country. By that time he had accumulated sufficient capital to enable him to purchase teams and engage in the business for himself. This undertaking brought him into Indian Territory for the first time, his services being engaged by a party of government surveyors who traveled throughout the territory. He then spent a year in Fort Worth, Tex., but still urged on by that nomadic impulse, he left Texas to go to Salt Lake City, Utah, as "bullwhacker" with a wagon caravan making the overland trip. From Utah he went to Arizona as "mule skinner" with another freighting crew and then made his way to Sherman, Tex., where he obtained the contract supplying timbers and railroad ties for building the Texas & Pacific railroad in that vicinity.
Picked Up Mineral Lore
During these apparently aimless wanderings, McNaughton acquired the knowledge of geological formations, familiarity with minerals, and a smattering of Indian language which were to help him in his more fruitful pioneering in what is now Ottawa county. One of his side trips in to Mexico, in particular, equipped him for the part he was to play in Oklahoma's early history.
Chance, in the guise of a Shawnee Indian from Indian territory, stepped in to prevent McNaughton from reaching the objective of his next long pilgrimage. In September, 1877, McNaughton decided to go to the Black Hills of South Dakota on a prospecting trip, planning to travel by way of Kansas City. As he set forth on this journey he encountered the Shawnee, a penniless derelict seeking a way back to his people. Touched by the Indian's plight, McNaughton invited the Shawnee to accompany him. In addition to paying the Indian's transportation to Vinita, McNaughton provided him with food on the journey.
Told of "Old Spanish Mines"
In the course of the confidences thus inspired, the Indian told his benefactor of the "old Spanish mines" on the Peoria Indians' lands in the extreme northeastern part of the territory. Intrigued by the Indian's description of these supposedly primitive mining operations, McNaughton decided to investigate them before proceeding on to his destination. From Vinita he went to Seneca, Mo., where he hired a buckboard and pushed into the wild and hilly region along Spring river west of the Missouri line.
When the lone white man finally located the "mines" described to him by the Indians, he was amazed at the apparent magnitude of the operations that had been carried on there. Scattered over an area of 40 acres, crude shafts and tunnels indicated that intensive digging had been done there over an extensive period of time. From 500 to 1,000 men must have participated in that primitive burrowing he deduced from his knowledge of similar undertakings in Mexico. He found shafts 250 to 300 feet in depth, round in shape, similar to mining practices of the early Spaniards in other parts of the continent, and showing evidences of having been excavated largely by means of stone implements.
Explored Ancient Diggings
Rigging up ropes which enabled him to descend into these pits, McNaughton found drifts extending out from the sides of the shafts and felt drafts of fresh air which indicated that these tunnels extended for considerable distances with other openings to the outer air. Owing to fallen rock that had accumulated during the years since the mines were worked, the explorer was unable to penetrate far from the shafts.
Although he found no traces of mineral in these old diggings, McNaughton felt confident the men of DeSoto and Cortez, to whom he attributed the work because of knowledge obtained in his earlier travels, would not have expended so much time and energy in futile burrowing.
After this preliminary survey, McNaughton abandoned all thought of pushing on north and applied to Hiram Jones, agent at that time over Indians in this part of the territory, for permission to prospect. Jones, who did not know of McNaughton's already extensive investigations, refused even to grant permission for him to enter the region.
Special Permit Issued
Undaunted, McNaughton returned to Texas to interest others in the prospecting project and obtained the financial aid of George W. Newcombe, a wealthy resident of Sherman. They decided to go direct to the Department of the Interior for permission to carry on their investigations. A trip by McNaughton to the national capital resulted in the issuance of a special permit by Carl Shurz, secretary of the interior under President Grant, enabling the young prospector to search for mineral on the lands of the Peorias, but prohibiting him from mining or selling any ore discovered.
Despite this severe limitation on his activities, McNaughton returned to the Peorias and on further investigation learned that the Peorias had bought their land, a strip three miles wide and extending from the Neosho river on the west to the Missouri line on the east. For this approximately 50,000 acres they had paid $1.25 an acre when they moved to Indian Territory from their earlier reservation near Paola, Kas.
Leased From Indians
In 1878 he obtained leases from the Peorias on several sections of this land near Peoria. These documents, signed with the thumbmark of Jim Charley, chief of the Peorias, and the signature of Ed H. Black second chief, who was able to write, are said to be the first lease of land in Indian Territory. The action of the chiefs had been endorsed by the tribal council of the confederated Indian tribes.
Then He Struck Lead
Under this supposedly valid grant, McNaughton began intensive prospecting in the vicinity of Peoria, west of the Spanish mines and in an area whose geological formation led him to believe ore deposits might be found. And there he found it–not the gold which the Spaniards apparently had been seeking, but lead. The deposits lay close to the surface in a sheet and bunch formation, at a point more than 20 feet below the surface of the ground. Mixed with lead was another ore which was later found to be zinc, but which at that time was discarded as valueless. The electrical and mechanical age had not yet reached the zenith which was to make these zinc deposits of northeastern Indian Territory a source of much=sought after raw material for industry.
For a time it appeared that McNaughton would not be able to exploit his discoveries. The secretary of the interior refused to approve the tribal leasing agreement on the grounds that is might establish a harmful precedent and decreed that McNaughton confine his activities to prospecting.
Turned to Farming
Temporarily abandoning his mining work, McNaughton obtained a clerical position at Baxter Springs, Kas., to replenish his finances and to remain close to the scene of his strike and await future developments. While residing in Baxter Springs he married Miss Clara E. Peery, whose father, a native of Indiana, was the Peoria's purchasing agent. After this marriage he and his bride returned to Indian Territory and he engaged in farming an 80-acre tract.
In 1889, Congress passed legislation allotting to each member of the Peorias 200 acres of land. Maj. Spencer Hartwig, government representative in the allotting process, made his headquarters at the McNaughton farm and issued the allotment certificates to the 153 Peorias and 66 Miamis on the tribal roll. The patents contained a clause prohibiting the sale of these lands for 25 years, but no restrictions as to leasing.
Here was the opportunity the prospector - farmer had been awaiting and he proceeded to lease 8,000 acres for grazing purposes and several thousand acres for mining.. The former leases were five years and the latter for 10. The 8,000 acres were fenced with wire and became the first fenced tract of large extent in Indian Territory.
Mining Company Organized
McNaughton then went ahead with his plans for mining on a comprehensive scale. He brought a horsepower drill to the scene from Texas, transporting it on a wagon. Then he interested several men with capital and the Peoria Mining company was organized under the laws of Kansas with a capital stock of $1,000,000 to mine in Indian Territory. The incorporators were: W.C. Perry of Fort Scott, Kas., president; J. P. McNaughton, vice president and manager; W. H. Herner of Baxter Springs, secretary-treasurer, and J. C. Wilson of Topeka, Kas., and Col. J. R. Hallowell of Columbus, Kans. The incorporators were equal owners, each "chipping in" to furnish the capital.
Using the horsepower drill, prospecting was resumed in 1891 northwest of Peoria and the first shaft sunk soon afterward.
In the meantime, critics of the new enterprise had questioned the validity of the leases. McNaughton backed by his associates, again took the issue to Washington with the result that Congress passed a bill declaring the Peorias to citizens of the United States, which would serve to validate their leases further. The text of this action, said to have been unprecedented at that time, was as follows:
"And the confederated Peoria Indians residing in the Quapaw Indian agency who have heretofore or who may hereafter accept their lands in severalty under any of the allotment laws of the United States, from and after their allotment are entitled to all the rights, privileges and benefits as such and parents are hereby declared to have been and to be the legal guardians of their minor children without process of court."
The Peoria Mining company then began re-leasing for mining purposes on the basis of 25-year grants. These leases were approved by Congress in the same year.
Ore Prices Were Low
In the meantime, McNaughton's associates had become disheartened by the series of legal entanglements, which, coupled with the low prices of ore at that time – lead selling for less than $50 a ton and zinc $12 to $15–they decided to sell their holdings. The company suspended mining operations. McNaughton, however, still had faith in his project and took an option on his partners' holdings. He went to New York with this option, where he sold it for $100,000 retaining a third interest in the reorganized Peoria Mining, Construction & Lead company, which was organized in February, 1892, under the laws of New Jersey with $3,000,000 capital stock. McNaughton remained as vice president and manager of the new organization.
First Real Mining Begun
Returning to the territory, he began the first real mining operations, taking out three million pounds of virtually free lead ore and also shipping 12 carloads of zinc ore and silicate during 1892 and 1893, smelting of zinc having been started by a company at Webb City, Mo.
Oklahoma's first mining boom followed and Peoria, at that time a mere cluster of miners' hits, began to attract new residents by the hundreds. Steam drills were brought in by the company and shafts sunk to a depth of more than 100 feet into still deeper deposits of ore. The town then was incorporated, which is the basis of Peoria's claim that it was the first incorporated town in what is now Oklahoma.
Boom Short-Lived
But the boom was short=lived. The drills that struck ore at lower levels after the shallower deposits had been gouged of their mineral also encountered underground streams which presented and engineering problem requiting costly financing. One after another of the companies quit in the face of this obstacle, dozen after dozen of the new residents drifted away from Peoria. Soon after mining in that vicinity was abandoned altogether and Peoria's star in the mining firmament immediately went into eclipse.
In the meantime McNaughton retired to his farm, which had grown to 800 acres through wise acquisitions. Turning the same energy that he had devoted to mining into agricultural pursuits, McNaughton began farming on a large scale, breeding Shorthorn and Angus cattle and Percheron and Clydesdale horses. These were the first purebred animals brought into the county and set a standard for the many fine herds of cattle in Ottawa county today. The former miner purchased a farm outright from Chief Jim Charley of the Peorias, obtaining the first deed to land in what is now Ottawa county.
Mail by Stage Coach
The old McNaughton homestead, known to postal authorities in the early days as Max, to which mail was sent by stage from Baxter Springs, lt was for several decades one of the few settlement nucleuses in this section.
Mr. McNaughton, influential because of his wide pioneering experience, close friendship with the Indians and leadership among the early day whites, once invited officials of the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf railroad to his farm for a prairie chicken shoot as the road was first built south of Baxter Springs. The railroad men accepted, and for many years thereafter the event was an annual affair. The road finally became the Frisco railroad of today.
McNaughton continued to remain a friend and adviser of the Indians even after his retirement from mining. He represented them several times in allotment proceedings at Washington. In the course of this work he obtained the first copyrighted map of the first survey of what is now Ottawa county.
In 1895 the McNaugtons, with the exception of one son, Willis, who remained to manage the Max Mirage View farm, moved to Miami. Here the elder McNaughton continued to be a force for progress, helping to build up the city, then only four years old. He was instrumental in obtaining a postoffice for Miami and in establishing the first rural route out of the city. In later years, the elder McNaughtons had the pleasure of seeing their sons rise prominent places in their separate spheres in Miami, Ray McNaughton becoming a leading attorney: Dr. Guy P. McNaughton acquiring distinction even outside his own community as a bacteriologist and recognized authority on that branch of medical science, and Willis McNaughton, a prominent farmer.
The words of his Indian friend not only brought McNaughton success in a material way, they also brought him a wealth of interesting experiences and the respect in his declining years that less venturesome individuals pay to those who have pioneered.
J.P. McNaughton, Discoverer of Zinc Field, Dies. Miami Daily News-Record, Monday, November 14, 1932, p. 2.
Courtesy of Contributor: Scott Edwards (49609769)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot number corresponds to the map as recorded in the canvass and survey from the American Indian Institute; "Our People And Where They Rest," (OPAWTR) James W. Tyner and Alice Tyner Timmons, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. 1971, Volume 4, p. 75, under Peery Family Cemetery. (Library of Congress No. QE99-C5-T97)
Their information (including any diagrams or maps) is given here as a historical reference and is presented "as is." Their book, like many such cemetery listing compilations, may contain errors. As with any genealogy information, this is merely a "source" and should be considered as such. It falls upon the end-user to verify the accuracy. See their map for use as a quick locator tool for graves here. Once freely available for online viewing, the OPAWTR volumes can now be accessed only at a LDS Family History Library, a partner library, or a Family History Center. (LDS)
Aug. 2021 update: I am informed that the set is now available on the Family Search website, but you have to be a member, and be signed in, to access it under "Books."
NOTE: Based upon a survey done in 1971, with a visual assessment at that time; i.e., the marker WAS there when they canvassed the cemetery. Thousands of important historical records are lost to today's researchers due to the fact that there are those who won't put them up on such sites as FAG - unless the marker can be found today; ignoring the fact that tornadoes, theft or removal, vandalism, damage from unrestrained farm animals, desecration due to agricultural development/usage/abuse and other such factors, (including re-internment at a different cemetery) may well have intervened over the years, and the marker the entry relied upon may indeed not be found today. Nevertheless, the value of submitting this memorial as a historical record is relevant and important to those who are tracing their ancestry.~
J. P. McNaughton, Pioneer Leader And First Man to Mine Zinc in This Section, Dies at Age of 79 Years________ Paralytic Stroke Ends Colorful Career of Man Who Had Major Role in Early History of This Vicinity and Whose Prospecting Decades Before Statehood Led Later to Development of Ottawa County Mining Field-—Funeral Services Held This Afternoon.
Scores of early Oklahoma pioneers and hundreds of their descendants went to the Kay McNaughton home in Rockdale this afternoon to attend the funeral of John Patrick McNaughton, 79- year-old father of one of Ottawa county's most distinguished families and the first lead and zinc miner in what is now Oklahoma.
The elder McNaughton's biography reads like exciting fiction woven into the history of early day Midwestern America, all the more entrancing because it is true—and some of the events therein have a direct bearing on the history and people of this section today.
Paralysis Caused Death
Mr. McNaughton died at the farm home of another son, Willis McNaughton, northeast of Miami, at 3:45 o'clock Sunday afternoon. Paralysis was the direct cause of death, the fatal stroke climaxing a two-year period of failing health.
The dean of all pioneers in this section, Mr. McNaughton came here 55 years ago on a tip from an Indian, and began prospecting in the old Spanish mines area near Peoria. Engrossed with the possibility of a big mineral development in the Peoria area, Mr. McNaughton settled and became closely identified with every major development from 1877 until the last few years, taking a leading part in educational advancement, securing of post- offices at Miami and at Max, the old McNaughton homestead northeast of Miami, developing the Lincolnville mineral district, aiding to build the old Friends ehurch in 1895, helping frame the first state government of Oklahoma and making numerous trips to Washington as the representative of Indians in the Quapaw Indian agency.
In 1881, Mr. McNaughton married Clara E. Peery, daughter of David L. Peery, a Kansas stockman, and Ella Peery. Mrs. McNaughton survives him, along with three distinguished sons, Ray McNaughton of the Ottawa county bar, Dr. G. P. McNaughton in the medical profession and Willis McNaughton, a leading farmer of the county.
Burial in Historic Plot
The Rev. J. C. Linton, former Presbyterian minister here and like Mr. McNaughton, a Scotchman by descent, presided at the funeral service. Burial was in Peery cemetery northeast of here at the old McNaughton homestead, the same place where other members of the McNaughton. family are buried. The spot is marked by 30 acres of trees planted in rows by the elder McNaughton 45 years ago, a grove which has become a lasting landmark in this section.
Pallbearers were Walter Williams, A. H. Seay, M. D. Coffee, Oscar LaFalier, Sherman Staton and Jeff McCleary. The Cooper Undertaking company was in charge.
Heredity Played Part
Like so many of the pioneering spirits whose adventurous wanderings culminated in the building of the new state of Oklahoma, McNaughton was molded by heredity and environment for the role he was to play in the new Southwest. Born in Tennessee in 1853, the son of- Scotch-Irish parents, he was nurtured in those stirring Civil war days which took the life of an elder brother, a captain in the Confederate army, and during which his father, Thomas McNaughton, was wounded in engagements at Shelbyville, Nashville, Dover and Fort Donelson, and incapacitated by six wounds received at the battle of Shiloh. The self-reliance instilled by those events led young McNaughton, a schoolboy in Petersburg, Term., to undertake a journey by boat to Fort Smith, Ark. There, when only 13 years old, he obtained work as a laborer and assisted in construction of the first brick building on Garrison avenue in that city. In 1867 he obtained a job as teamster hauling cotton to Springfield, Mo., then the terminus of the Atlantic & Pacific railroad, now the Frisco system.
J.P. McNaughton, Pioneer Leader And First Man to Mine Zinc in This Section, Dies at Age of 79 Years. Miami Daily News-Record, 14 Nov 1932, pg. 1, cols. 2-3.
J.P. McNaughton, Discoverer of Zinc Field, Dies
With Government Surveyors
For three years he held this job, driving a six-mule team across the country. By that time he had accumulated sufficient capital to enable him to purchase teams and engage in the business for himself. This undertaking brought him into Indian Territory for the first time, his services being engaged by a party of government surveyors who traveled throughout the territory. He then spent a year in Fort Worth, Tex., but still urged on by that nomadic impulse, he left Texas to go to Salt Lake City, Utah, as "bullwhacker" with a wagon caravan making the overland trip. From Utah he went to Arizona as "mule skinner" with another freighting crew and then made his way to Sherman, Tex., where he obtained the contract supplying timbers and railroad ties for building the Texas & Pacific railroad in that vicinity.
Picked Up Mineral Lore
During these apparently aimless wanderings, McNaughton acquired the knowledge of geological formations, familiarity with minerals, and a smattering of Indian language which were to help him in his more fruitful pioneering in what is now Ottawa county. One of his side trips in to Mexico, in particular, equipped him for the part he was to play in Oklahoma's early history.
Chance, in the guise of a Shawnee Indian from Indian territory, stepped in to prevent McNaughton from reaching the objective of his next long pilgrimage. In September, 1877, McNaughton decided to go to the Black Hills of South Dakota on a prospecting trip, planning to travel by way of Kansas City. As he set forth on this journey he encountered the Shawnee, a penniless derelict seeking a way back to his people. Touched by the Indian's plight, McNaughton invited the Shawnee to accompany him. In addition to paying the Indian's transportation to Vinita, McNaughton provided him with food on the journey.
Told of "Old Spanish Mines"
In the course of the confidences thus inspired, the Indian told his benefactor of the "old Spanish mines" on the Peoria Indians' lands in the extreme northeastern part of the territory. Intrigued by the Indian's description of these supposedly primitive mining operations, McNaughton decided to investigate them before proceeding on to his destination. From Vinita he went to Seneca, Mo., where he hired a buckboard and pushed into the wild and hilly region along Spring river west of the Missouri line.
When the lone white man finally located the "mines" described to him by the Indians, he was amazed at the apparent magnitude of the operations that had been carried on there. Scattered over an area of 40 acres, crude shafts and tunnels indicated that intensive digging had been done there over an extensive period of time. From 500 to 1,000 men must have participated in that primitive burrowing he deduced from his knowledge of similar undertakings in Mexico. He found shafts 250 to 300 feet in depth, round in shape, similar to mining practices of the early Spaniards in other parts of the continent, and showing evidences of having been excavated largely by means of stone implements.
Explored Ancient Diggings
Rigging up ropes which enabled him to descend into these pits, McNaughton found drifts extending out from the sides of the shafts and felt drafts of fresh air which indicated that these tunnels extended for considerable distances with other openings to the outer air. Owing to fallen rock that had accumulated during the years since the mines were worked, the explorer was unable to penetrate far from the shafts.
Although he found no traces of mineral in these old diggings, McNaughton felt confident the men of DeSoto and Cortez, to whom he attributed the work because of knowledge obtained in his earlier travels, would not have expended so much time and energy in futile burrowing.
After this preliminary survey, McNaughton abandoned all thought of pushing on north and applied to Hiram Jones, agent at that time over Indians in this part of the territory, for permission to prospect. Jones, who did not know of McNaughton's already extensive investigations, refused even to grant permission for him to enter the region.
Special Permit Issued
Undaunted, McNaughton returned to Texas to interest others in the prospecting project and obtained the financial aid of George W. Newcombe, a wealthy resident of Sherman. They decided to go direct to the Department of the Interior for permission to carry on their investigations. A trip by McNaughton to the national capital resulted in the issuance of a special permit by Carl Shurz, secretary of the interior under President Grant, enabling the young prospector to search for mineral on the lands of the Peorias, but prohibiting him from mining or selling any ore discovered.
Despite this severe limitation on his activities, McNaughton returned to the Peorias and on further investigation learned that the Peorias had bought their land, a strip three miles wide and extending from the Neosho river on the west to the Missouri line on the east. For this approximately 50,000 acres they had paid $1.25 an acre when they moved to Indian Territory from their earlier reservation near Paola, Kas.
Leased From Indians
In 1878 he obtained leases from the Peorias on several sections of this land near Peoria. These documents, signed with the thumbmark of Jim Charley, chief of the Peorias, and the signature of Ed H. Black second chief, who was able to write, are said to be the first lease of land in Indian Territory. The action of the chiefs had been endorsed by the tribal council of the confederated Indian tribes.
Then He Struck Lead
Under this supposedly valid grant, McNaughton began intensive prospecting in the vicinity of Peoria, west of the Spanish mines and in an area whose geological formation led him to believe ore deposits might be found. And there he found it–not the gold which the Spaniards apparently had been seeking, but lead. The deposits lay close to the surface in a sheet and bunch formation, at a point more than 20 feet below the surface of the ground. Mixed with lead was another ore which was later found to be zinc, but which at that time was discarded as valueless. The electrical and mechanical age had not yet reached the zenith which was to make these zinc deposits of northeastern Indian Territory a source of much=sought after raw material for industry.
For a time it appeared that McNaughton would not be able to exploit his discoveries. The secretary of the interior refused to approve the tribal leasing agreement on the grounds that is might establish a harmful precedent and decreed that McNaughton confine his activities to prospecting.
Turned to Farming
Temporarily abandoning his mining work, McNaughton obtained a clerical position at Baxter Springs, Kas., to replenish his finances and to remain close to the scene of his strike and await future developments. While residing in Baxter Springs he married Miss Clara E. Peery, whose father, a native of Indiana, was the Peoria's purchasing agent. After this marriage he and his bride returned to Indian Territory and he engaged in farming an 80-acre tract.
In 1889, Congress passed legislation allotting to each member of the Peorias 200 acres of land. Maj. Spencer Hartwig, government representative in the allotting process, made his headquarters at the McNaughton farm and issued the allotment certificates to the 153 Peorias and 66 Miamis on the tribal roll. The patents contained a clause prohibiting the sale of these lands for 25 years, but no restrictions as to leasing.
Here was the opportunity the prospector - farmer had been awaiting and he proceeded to lease 8,000 acres for grazing purposes and several thousand acres for mining.. The former leases were five years and the latter for 10. The 8,000 acres were fenced with wire and became the first fenced tract of large extent in Indian Territory.
Mining Company Organized
McNaughton then went ahead with his plans for mining on a comprehensive scale. He brought a horsepower drill to the scene from Texas, transporting it on a wagon. Then he interested several men with capital and the Peoria Mining company was organized under the laws of Kansas with a capital stock of $1,000,000 to mine in Indian Territory. The incorporators were: W.C. Perry of Fort Scott, Kas., president; J. P. McNaughton, vice president and manager; W. H. Herner of Baxter Springs, secretary-treasurer, and J. C. Wilson of Topeka, Kas., and Col. J. R. Hallowell of Columbus, Kans. The incorporators were equal owners, each "chipping in" to furnish the capital.
Using the horsepower drill, prospecting was resumed in 1891 northwest of Peoria and the first shaft sunk soon afterward.
In the meantime, critics of the new enterprise had questioned the validity of the leases. McNaughton backed by his associates, again took the issue to Washington with the result that Congress passed a bill declaring the Peorias to citizens of the United States, which would serve to validate their leases further. The text of this action, said to have been unprecedented at that time, was as follows:
"And the confederated Peoria Indians residing in the Quapaw Indian agency who have heretofore or who may hereafter accept their lands in severalty under any of the allotment laws of the United States, from and after their allotment are entitled to all the rights, privileges and benefits as such and parents are hereby declared to have been and to be the legal guardians of their minor children without process of court."
The Peoria Mining company then began re-leasing for mining purposes on the basis of 25-year grants. These leases were approved by Congress in the same year.
Ore Prices Were Low
In the meantime, McNaughton's associates had become disheartened by the series of legal entanglements, which, coupled with the low prices of ore at that time – lead selling for less than $50 a ton and zinc $12 to $15–they decided to sell their holdings. The company suspended mining operations. McNaughton, however, still had faith in his project and took an option on his partners' holdings. He went to New York with this option, where he sold it for $100,000 retaining a third interest in the reorganized Peoria Mining, Construction & Lead company, which was organized in February, 1892, under the laws of New Jersey with $3,000,000 capital stock. McNaughton remained as vice president and manager of the new organization.
First Real Mining Begun
Returning to the territory, he began the first real mining operations, taking out three million pounds of virtually free lead ore and also shipping 12 carloads of zinc ore and silicate during 1892 and 1893, smelting of zinc having been started by a company at Webb City, Mo.
Oklahoma's first mining boom followed and Peoria, at that time a mere cluster of miners' hits, began to attract new residents by the hundreds. Steam drills were brought in by the company and shafts sunk to a depth of more than 100 feet into still deeper deposits of ore. The town then was incorporated, which is the basis of Peoria's claim that it was the first incorporated town in what is now Oklahoma.
Boom Short-Lived
But the boom was short=lived. The drills that struck ore at lower levels after the shallower deposits had been gouged of their mineral also encountered underground streams which presented and engineering problem requiting costly financing. One after another of the companies quit in the face of this obstacle, dozen after dozen of the new residents drifted away from Peoria. Soon after mining in that vicinity was abandoned altogether and Peoria's star in the mining firmament immediately went into eclipse.
In the meantime McNaughton retired to his farm, which had grown to 800 acres through wise acquisitions. Turning the same energy that he had devoted to mining into agricultural pursuits, McNaughton began farming on a large scale, breeding Shorthorn and Angus cattle and Percheron and Clydesdale horses. These were the first purebred animals brought into the county and set a standard for the many fine herds of cattle in Ottawa county today. The former miner purchased a farm outright from Chief Jim Charley of the Peorias, obtaining the first deed to land in what is now Ottawa county.
Mail by Stage Coach
The old McNaughton homestead, known to postal authorities in the early days as Max, to which mail was sent by stage from Baxter Springs, lt was for several decades one of the few settlement nucleuses in this section.
Mr. McNaughton, influential because of his wide pioneering experience, close friendship with the Indians and leadership among the early day whites, once invited officials of the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf railroad to his farm for a prairie chicken shoot as the road was first built south of Baxter Springs. The railroad men accepted, and for many years thereafter the event was an annual affair. The road finally became the Frisco railroad of today.
McNaughton continued to remain a friend and adviser of the Indians even after his retirement from mining. He represented them several times in allotment proceedings at Washington. In the course of this work he obtained the first copyrighted map of the first survey of what is now Ottawa county.
In 1895 the McNaugtons, with the exception of one son, Willis, who remained to manage the Max Mirage View farm, moved to Miami. Here the elder McNaughton continued to be a force for progress, helping to build up the city, then only four years old. He was instrumental in obtaining a postoffice for Miami and in establishing the first rural route out of the city. In later years, the elder McNaughtons had the pleasure of seeing their sons rise prominent places in their separate spheres in Miami, Ray McNaughton becoming a leading attorney: Dr. Guy P. McNaughton acquiring distinction even outside his own community as a bacteriologist and recognized authority on that branch of medical science, and Willis McNaughton, a prominent farmer.
The words of his Indian friend not only brought McNaughton success in a material way, they also brought him a wealth of interesting experiences and the respect in his declining years that less venturesome individuals pay to those who have pioneered.
J.P. McNaughton, Discoverer of Zinc Field, Dies. Miami Daily News-Record, Monday, November 14, 1932, p. 2.
Courtesy of Contributor: Scott Edwards (49609769)
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Plot number corresponds to the map as recorded in the canvass and survey from the American Indian Institute; "Our People And Where They Rest," (OPAWTR) James W. Tyner and Alice Tyner Timmons, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. 1971, Volume 4, p. 75, under Peery Family Cemetery. (Library of Congress No. QE99-C5-T97)
Their information (including any diagrams or maps) is given here as a historical reference and is presented "as is." Their book, like many such cemetery listing compilations, may contain errors. As with any genealogy information, this is merely a "source" and should be considered as such. It falls upon the end-user to verify the accuracy. See their map for use as a quick locator tool for graves here. Once freely available for online viewing, the OPAWTR volumes can now be accessed only at a LDS Family History Library, a partner library, or a Family History Center. (LDS)
Aug. 2021 update: I am informed that the set is now available on the Family Search website, but you have to be a member, and be signed in, to access it under "Books."
NOTE: Based upon a survey done in 1971, with a visual assessment at that time; i.e., the marker WAS there when they canvassed the cemetery. Thousands of important historical records are lost to today's researchers due to the fact that there are those who won't put them up on such sites as FAG - unless the marker can be found today; ignoring the fact that tornadoes, theft or removal, vandalism, damage from unrestrained farm animals, desecration due to agricultural development/usage/abuse and other such factors, (including re-internment at a different cemetery) may well have intervened over the years, and the marker the entry relied upon may indeed not be found today. Nevertheless, the value of submitting this memorial as a historical record is relevant and important to those who are tracing their ancestry.~
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