SEPTEMBER 21, 1898

KAW TRANSLATOR JOSEPH JAMES “JOE JIM”, JR—OLDEST OF THE KAWS–DIED

Joe Jim, born circa 1820 along the Kansas River, was likely of Kaw/Osage heritage. In 1846-47, he drove drive cattle to New Mexico to feed American soldiers. He was a teamster during the military campaign against the Navajo. In 1858, as an interpreter, he was the main point of contact with the Kaw. He is credited with naming Topeka, Kansas (KS). While “Topeka” means “a place to grow potatoes,” he likely meant the prairie turnips. In 1867, Joe Jim was part of a Kaw delegation to Washington seeking a new reservation in Indian Territory. On June 1, 1868, after Cheyenne warriors descended upon the Kaw reservation near Council Grove, KS, staging a “battle royal, Joe Jim and his 8-year-old nephew rode 60 miles to inform the governor of the attack and to request assistance. His nephew, Charles Curtis, was later a Congressman and U.S. Vice President. Joe Jim and his wife remained in Kansas when the Kaw moved to a reservation in Indian Territory. He died the oldest of the Kaw.

Source:

Wikipedia

Photo:  Hiram Warner Farnsworth, 1867. Public Domain.