Cupid’s Arrow Replaced by Bullets
February 13, 2002
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Almanac Transcript
Cupid’s arrow replaced by bullets this week on the Oklahoma Audio Almanac.
Hello, I’m Steven Knoche Kite.
Hildebrand’s Mill in Delaware County, Oklahoma played an important part in the local economy of the
region. Located in the Cherokee Nation near the town of Flint the gristmill began operations in 1845.
Powered by water, the mill utilized two sets of grinding stones or burs one to grind wheat and the other
corn. The mill was not a shabby fly by night operation. Constructed by expert mill operators from Arkansas,
the mill’s grindstones were four feet in diameter and made of marble quarried and shaped in France. The
stones were then shipped to New Orleans and up the Mississippi and finally by wagon and oxen carried to
the mill site.
The mill operated for nearly fifty years in its original location before fire destroyed much of the
structure in 1892. The mill was quickly rebuilt but this time sixty feet closer to Flint Creek, its power
source. The mill was an integral feature of the economy for the Cherokee Nation and many people depended
on it for their food and livelihood, but those factors aren't what most people recall when they think
of the old Hildebrand mill. Valentine’s Day is associated usually with hearts, candy and love, but this
was not the case at Hildebrand’s Mill in 1872.
It was in this week of 1872 at the mill on Valentine’s Day that a deadly gunfight occurred. Enraged
that free-range cattle were destroying his crops, Ezekiel Proctor approached the owner of the livestock
one James Kesterson. Guns were drawn and angry words shouted. Proctor fired several rounds at Kesterson
but missing his target he killed instead Kesterson’s wife who was running to break up the fight. This
event known as "The Gunfight at Hildebrand's Mill," lasted physically only a few seconds but
proved to have long lasting effects for the citizens of the Cherokee Nation. Proctor, the murderer, turned
himself in to the Cherokee officials and was held in a local jail. Afraid that the murderer of his wife
would be acquitted, Kesterson along with enraged family members attacked the jailhouse causing a gun battle
eventually resulting in eleven deaths and numerous severe injuries.
Officials blamed the original and subsequent gunfights on confusion between tribal and federal law
and the absence of a federal court in the area. The gunfight at Hildebrand’s Mill took place in this week
of 1872, and as a direct result of that action a US District Court was established in Muskogee forever
changing the nature of law enforcement in the Cherokee Nation. Valentine’s Day vindication and its long-term
results this week on the Almanac.
I'm Steven Knoche Kite.
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