April 16, 1829

Sam Houston resigned his office as governor of Tennessee after his marriage to eighteen-year-old Eliza Allen fell apart under mysterious circumstances. Three weeks later, he traveled in disguise on the steam packet Red Rover, by flatboat, and by steamship into Arkansas Territory on his way to live in the “wigwam” of the chief of the Cherokee in Arkansas, John Jolly. (Jolly’s “wigwam” was in fact a plantation house.) Six months later, Houston received citizenship in the Cherokee Nation and served as Jolly’s representative between tribes. Ultimately, he decided not to settle permanently in Arkansas because of the many factions and the poor prospects for prosperity.