Osceola - Part Two

Continuing our series on the great Seminole leader Osceola, this vast and beautiful grassland just south of Gainesville, Florida, is Paynes Prairie.

Now a large state park, the prairie was a centerpiece of Seminole country during the years between the First and Second Seminole Wars (1819-1834). Believed to have been named for King Payne, a famed Seminole leader during the War of 1812, the prairie was surrounded by Seminole towns and settlements.

Following the destruction of the North Florida Seminole towns by Andrew Jackson in 1818, the survivors of McQueen's band fled south into this region of Florida. Osceola and his mother were among the refugees and he soon became associated with the groups living around Paynes Prairie.

It was in this area that the warrior grew to manhood, learning from the older members of his band how to hunt, fight and follow the traditional laws of the Creeks and Seminoles. Perhaps because he had spent much of his life as a refugee, he also developed a fierce attachment to the land and a determination to hold it for his people at all costs.

Osceola was not a chief, although he is often given this designation by modern writers. Instead he was a warrior, but because the Creeks and Seminoles recognized individual accomplishments as well as hereditary leadership, he grew to hold great influence among the people that had adopted his band. As such he became a powerful representative and leader for the Seminoles, although he was part of Micanopy's band.

Our series on Osceola will continue.

The Life of Osceola - Seminole Warrior

I've become interested recently in the story of the great Seminole warrior Osceola.

Osceola, of course, was a major leader of Native American forces during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). He is portrayed before hundreds of thousands of people each year by a mounted rider at Florida State University football games. Although he was not a hereditary chief, he rose to prominence through his ability and intellect.

I've always been curious about this charismatic Native American leader, but my renewed interest was sparked earlier this month while on a visit to Shands Medical Center at the University of Florida in Gainesville. To pass the time while waiting for appointments, I stopped by the visitor center at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park to check out the museum exhibits there. Among the displays in the park's excellent little museum was a bronze cast prepared using Osceola's "death mask."

For me it was a moving experience to look at the real face of the man that had such an impact on the history of Florida, the South and the United States. I had only known his appearance before from the famed portrait of Osceola (seen here) painted just a few days before his death by 19th century artist George Catlin.

The painting presents Osceola as he was best known, a brave and talented Seminole warrior that helped his people successfully defy the military might of the United States. The bronze cast, however, was a much more sober reminder of the tragic fate of this remarkable person (I'll show you a photo of it tomorrow).

Over the next few days, I will share the true story of Osceola with you along with some little known facts about his life and death. Be sure to check back!