Columbus, Georgia: Hear Us Talking

The Europeans saw the Muscogee people as having populations concentrated in two areas. Those living in the towns on the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers were called "Upper Creeks," and those on the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers were called the "Lower Creeks." The naming distinction was purely geographical [1].

The Coweta people were regarded as leaders of the Lower Creek people and eventually the entire Creek Nation. As the Creek capital of Coweta drew traders and permanent settlers over the years, the frontier town of Columbus would come to be [2]. Eventually, the prospering town of Columbus would become a magnet for Lower Creek people looking for work or trade.

When the French General Lafayette toured the country in 1825, he made plans to visit Coweta and the Creek people. In this same year, the Indian Springs Treaty of 1825 would be signed by Chief McIntosh, leader of the Lower Creek peoples. The treaty gave away the last of the Creek lands in Georgia - what lay between the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers. The Lower Creek people executed Chief McIntosh for treason for signing the Indian Springs Treaty [2]. 

In June of 1825, the Georgia General Assembly would sign Governor Troup’s Georgia Land Lottery Act. This act redistributed lands that had been taken from forcibly removed Creek peoples [2]. Over one million acres would eventually be redistributed, including in the Columbus area [3].  Shortly thereafter, the Indian Removal Act of 1826 would affect the Muscogee people for generations. 

In 1827, the Georgia Legislature laid out an act to create a trading town on the Chattahoochee River; this act also allowed the governor to appoint commissioners who would select the spot and approve 1,200 acres for the area, which was to be called Columbus. Over 1,000 people gathered for the sale of lots which began on July 10, 1828, and lasted for two weeks. Approximately three-quarters of the available lots were sold for over $130,000 total. All manner of people bought lots, from the very wealthy looking to establish a business to the working-class looking to provide labor. 

The town of Columbus was officially incorporated in December of 1828. By 1834, Columbus was a prosperous town, having banks, churches, stores, and regular mail delivery and steamboat services. A bridge was in construction across the Chattahoochee, the cotton mill industry was taking off, and the Creek Treaty of 1832 had just passed, meaning more settlers were establishing homes [6].

It is widely assumed that Columbus is named after Christopher Columbus; with its founders being inspired by the writings of Washington Irving, though no proper documentation could be found. Other sources reference Coloomas, a Creek town where Columbus now is, as the naming inspiration [7].

Today, the Muscogee (Creek) people are in the process of asserting the rights and responsibilities of a sovereign nation. At the Tribal Headquarters in Oklahoma, the National Council Offices and Judicial Offices are housed. There are also a number of annual events to showcase the Muscogee culture. The Mvskoke Art Market and the Mvskoke Creek Festival are two great examples. These events “celebrate not only our people, but our heritage and life”. The Muscogee people also have many national landmarks, and in Georgia the Ocmulgee National Monument is revered. Ocmulgee National Monument Superintendent Jim David would like to expand the Macon, Georgia park to almost 3,000 acres. “’The plateau here where the mounds are located this is where the leaders of the society lived, but the worker bees, the folks growing the corn, making the pottery, making the baskets, etc. They all lived down around the river in the flat land and that is what we are trying to preserve and protect,’ David said" [9].