October 4, 2007

In 1893, Arch McKennon of Clarksville (Johnson County), shown in the middle, was appointed as an original member of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes. Later named the Dawes Commission, in honor of its first chairman Senator Henry Dawes of Massachusetts (far left), it became one of the most controversial government agencies dealing with Native Americans. The commission policies were designed to “Americanize” the natives using individual land allotments, virtually destroying centuries of communal ownership and their tribal way of life.