Preceden

Chickasaw History Timeline

(c. 1000–Present)

Chickasaw history traces the development, resilience, and sovereignty of the Chickasaw people from their Indigenous origins in the Southeastern United States through colonization, forced removal, rebuilding in Indian Territory, and the present day. Less

Go to: Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Origins and early contact

Moundville chiefdom collapses

1400 - 1499

After the collapse of the Moundville chiefdom, proto-Chickasaw people left the Tombigbee Valley. This movement formed part of the longer process through which Chickasaw identity developed in the Southeast.

De Soto records the Chicaza

1540

Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto recorded the people as Chicaza when his expedition encountered them in 1540. The Spanish were the first known Europeans to explore the North American Southeast.

First European contact with the Chickasaw

1540

Hernando de Soto encountered the Chickasaw and stayed in one of their towns, most likely near present-day Starkville, Mississippi. This encounter is identified as the first European contact with the Chickasaw.

Conflict with de Soto's expedition

1540

In the winter of 1540, conflict broke out between Chickasaw warriors and the Spanish explorers during de Soto's expedition through the Southeast.

Chickasaw and Choctaw identities diverge

1600 - 1699

The origin of the Chickasaw remains uncertain. Twentieth-century scholars including archaeologist Patricia Galloway theorized that the Chickasaw and Choctaw split into distinct peoples during the 17th century from Plaquemine and other lower Mississippi Valley groups.

Image source: Chickasaw

Chickasaw and Choctaw identities diverge

The name Chickasaw is recorded

1890

An extra census bulletin on the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole included a history of the Choctaw and Chickasaw written by R. W. McAdam. The English spelling Chickasaw derives from Chikashsha, meaning “comes from Chicsa.”

Colonial and military history

First formal British contact

1670

Shortly after Charles Town was founded in 1670, Dr. Woordward of Carolina attempted to establish trade ties with the Chickasaw while traveling toward Alabama. This became the Chickasaw's first formal contact with the British.

Image source: Province of Carolina

First formal British contact

Chickasaw trade with Carolina colonists

1670

After the Province of Carolina was established, the Chickasaw began developing trading relationships with English colonists. These ties later contributed to an alliance against French and Choctaw interests.

Chickasaw alliance with the British

1700 - 1799

Allied with British colonists in the Southern Colonies, the Chickasaw were frequently at war with the French and the Choctaw during the 18th century.

The Colbert family provides Chickasaw leadership

1700 - 1899

Because Chickasaw kinship status followed the mother, the Colbert-Chickasaw sons and their descendants provided critical leadership for nearly a century during major challenges faced by the nation.

James Logan Colbert settles at Muscle Shoals

1700 - 1799

In the mid-18th century, James Logan Colbert, an American-born trader of Scots and Chickasaw ancestry, settled in the Muscle Shoals area of Alabama.

Battle of Ackia

May 26, 1736

The Battle of Ackia was one of the conflicts involving the Chickasaw, French, and Choctaw during the 18th-century struggle for influence in the Southeast.

Chickasaw serve as U.S. allies in the Northwest

1793 - 1794

Following the American Revolutionary War, Chickasaw forces under Chief Piomingo fought as allies of the new United States under General Anthony Wayne against Indians of the old Northwest Territory.

Battle of Fallen Timbers

Aug 20, 1794

The Shawnee and other allied Northwest Indians were defeated at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. Chickasaw forces had supported the United States during the surrounding Northwest conflict.

Image source: Battle of Fallen Timbers

Battle of Fallen Timbers

William Chooshemataha Colbert serves with Jackson

1813 - 1814

William “Chooshemataha” Colbert served with General Andrew Jackson during the Creek Wars of 1813–1814. He was named after his grandfather, Chief and Major William d'Blainville “Piomingo” Colbert.

Image source: Creek War

William Chooshemataha Colbert serves with Jackson

Fort Washita is abandoned

1861

As sectional tensions rose, the U.S. Army abandoned Fort Washita, leaving the Chickasaw Nation defenseless against Plains tribes.

Chickasaw ally with the Confederacy

May 25, 1861

The Chickasaw passed a resolution allying with the Confederacy. Governor Cyrus Harris signed the resolution on May 25, 1861.

Image source: Chickasaw Nation

Chickasaw ally with the Confederacy

Treaty with Choctaws and Chickasaws

Jul 1861

In his capacity as a Confederate representative, Cyrus Harris negotiated several treaties, including the Treaty with Choctaws and Chickasaws in July 1861.

Image source: Treaty with Choctaws and Chickasaws

Treaty with Choctaws and Chickasaws

Modern nation and population

Chickasaw population recorded by Hennepin

1687

Louis Hennepin estimated that the Chickasaw population included at least 4,000 warriors, implying a total population of at least 20,000 people.

Iberville reports Chickasaw population

1702

In 1702, Iberville reported a Chickasaw population figure, although the supplied historical account does not preserve the complete number.

Chickasaw population is reported in 1836

1836

Indian Affairs reported the 1836 Chickasaw population at approximately 5,400 people. Another source gave a pre-removal figure of 4,914 Chickasaws and 1,156 enslaved Black people.

Chickasaw population is reported in Oklahoma

Nov 25, 1841

A Commissioner of Indian Affairs report stated that approximately 4,600 Chickasaws already lived in Oklahoma, then called Indian Territory, while about 400 remained in the East.

Chickasaw population reaches about 6,000

1875

The Office of Indian Affairs reported approximately 6,000 Chickasaws in 1875. The same figure continued to appear in reports through 1886 and subsequent reports until 1897.

Chickasaw restore an independent government

1900 - 1999

After decades of mistrust between the Chickasaw and Choctaw, the Chickasaw re-established their independent government during the 20th century.

Chickasaw population rebounds

1900 - 2099

The Chickasaw population rebounded during the 20th and 21st centuries after major losses during the 18th and early 19th centuries, including the Trail of Tears.

1910 Chickasaw population is enumerated

1910

Indian Affairs reported 5,688 Chickasaws by blood, 645 by intermarriage, and 4,651 freedmen in 1910. The census itself counted 4,204 Chickasaws.

Chalokolowa petition for federal recognition

2003

The Chalokolowa organization unsuccessfully petitioned the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs for federal recognition as an Indian tribe.

Chalokolowa Chickasaw gain South Carolina recognition

2005

The Chalokolowa Chickasaw Indian People, an organization claiming descent from Chickasaws who did not leave the Southeast, were recognized by South Carolina as a state-recognized group in 2005.

Chalokolowa ancestry claim is reviewed

Oct 2005

After complaints concerning the Chalokolowa Chickasaw Indian People's petition for state recognition, the Commission of Minority Affairs review committee found upon rereview that the Indigenous ancestry originally claimed by the organization was incorrect.

Chickasaw Cultural Center opens

2010

The Chickasaw Nation opened the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur, Oklahoma, in 2010 to present Chickasaw history, culture, and traditions.

Chickasaw population reaches 70,096

2020

In 2020, the Chickasaw population was reported as 70,096, including 32,579 people in Oklahoma.

Stephanie Byers is elected to a state legislature

Nov 2020

Retired music educator Stephanie Byers became the first transgender Native American elected to a state legislature anywhere in the United States in November 2020.

MDAH repatriates Chickasaw ancestors

2021

In 2021, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History repatriated 403 Chickasaw ancestors to the Chickasaw tribe.

Image source: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

MDAH repatriates Chickasaw ancestors

Chalokolowa remains state-recognized

2023

The Chalokolowa Chickasaw Indian People remained recognized as a group as of 2023, despite the organization's unsuccessful effort to obtain federal tribal recognition.

Treaties and removal

Chickasaw sign the Treaty of Hopewell

1786

The Chickasaw signed the Treaty of Hopewell in 1786, formalizing a treaty relationship with the United States.

Image source: Treaty of Hopewell

Chickasaw sign the Treaty of Hopewell

The Chickasaw adopt European-American practices

1800 - 1899

During the 19th century, the Chickasaw increasingly adopted European-American practices. They established schools, practiced yeoman farming, converted to Christianity, and built homes in styles resembling those of their neighbors.

Fort Hampton is constructed

1810

As settlers encroached on Chickasaw territory, the United States constructed Fort Hampton in present-day Limestone County, Alabama.

Treaty of Tuscaloosa cedes northern claims

1818

In 1818, Chickasaw leaders signed several treaties, including the Treaty of Tuscaloosa, ceding claims to land north of Tennessee's southern border up to the Ohio River.

Chickasaw removal negotiations continue

1832 - 1837

Between 1832 and 1837, the Chickasaw conducted further negotiations and arrangements for removal from their traditional lands in the Southeast.

Treaty of Pontotoc Creek is signed

Oct 20, 1832

After Mississippi declared jurisdiction over the Chickasaw and outlawed tribal self-government, Chickasaw chiefs assembled at the national council house and signed the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek. They ceded their remaining Mississippi territory and agreed to relocate west of the Mississippi River.

Levi Colbert's council letter

Nov 1832

More than 40 chiefs representing Chickasaw clans and villages signed a letter written by Levi Colbert to President Andrew Jackson. The letter complained about treaty negotiations conducted by Jackson's appointee, General John Coffee.

Levi Colbert dies and removal is enforced

1834

After Levi Colbert's death in 1834, the Chickasaw were forced onto the Trail of Tears and removed from their traditional homeland.

Image source: Trail of Tears

Levi Colbert dies and removal is enforced

Chickasaw agree to buy Choctaw land

1836

After a bitter five-year debate within the tribe, the Chickasaw reached an agreement in 1836 to purchase land in Indian Territory from the previously removed Choctaw.

First Chickasaw group moves west

1837

The first group of Chickasaw moved to Indian Territory in 1837 as part of the nation's forced relocation from Mississippi and the Southeast.

Chickasaw gather at Memphis for removal

Jul 4, 1837

The Chickasaw gathered at Memphis, Tennessee, on July 4, 1837, bringing their portable assets, livestock, belongings, and enslaved African Americans for the move west.

Postwar treaty is required from the Chickasaw

1866

Because the Chickasaw had allied with the Confederacy, the United States required the nation to make a new peace treaty after the Civil War in 1866.

Key Facts

  1. The Chickasaw are a Southeastern Indigenous people whose traditional homelands included present-day northern Mississippi, western Tennessee, and parts of Alabama.
  2. Chickasaw traditions connect their origins with the migration of the Chickasaw and Choctaw peoples from the west to the Southeast.
  3. The Chickasaw developed extensive trade and diplomatic relationships with European powers, especially the British, while defending their independence from colonial rivals.
  4. Under the Indian Removal Act, most Chickasaw people were forced to relocate west of the Mississippi River in the 1830s, eventually settling in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.
  5. The Chickasaw Nation remains a federally recognized sovereign government that supports cultural preservation, education, health care, and economic development.

Source

This Chickasaw History timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

Want a timeline like this one?

Generate yours with AI or build it from scratch, for free.

Try It for Free