A few examples of appraisal values for
PROMISED LAND

• CIVIL WAR ARCHIVE, INCL. GEN. BATE ON
  CIVIL WAR ARCHIVE, INCL. GEN. BATE ON DEATH OF POLK, CA...Confederate Civil War archive of twenty-two (22) items, pertaining to the Fulton brothers of Fayetteville, Tennessee, specifically Colonel John S. Fulton, 44th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Johnson's Division; Colonel Alfred S. Fulton, 8th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry; Robert Fulton, 41st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry, Company C; and James Fulton, Pay Director in the United States Navy. The documents include autographed signed letters (ALS) from General William Brimage Bate (1826-1905), CSA Congressman James McCallum (1806-1889), and others. Subjects include the death of Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (1806-1864), the Battle of Fort Henry, the Battle of Fort Donelson, the capture of Nashville, the Overland Campaign, the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign, the Atlanta campaign, and more. 1st item: ALS. Double-sided one-page handwritten letter from General William Brimage Bate, front lines of the Atlanta Campaign, to Colonel John S. Fulton, undated, written circa June 14, 1864 in regards to the death of Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk. The brief letter states that "Lt Gen'l Polk was killed yesterday on my front line--", en verso, while the main body of the letter urges Fulton to "...have it filed in...[the] War's Office at once--& get some friend to take it to the President--I have an interview with him..." he also writes that "...Gen'l Johnson is the man...". He explains that the letter has been delayed due to his frequent movements along the front lines of the Atlanta Campaign. 2nd item: ALS. Three page bifolium handwritten letter from General Bate, from his headquarters to Colonel John S. Fulton, dated April 28, 1864. He begins his letter by stating that he has not heard from Fulton for some time, writing "...I do not know now whether you are in Va. or near Bristol East Tenn. We did hear that your Brigade was with Longstreet...". Bate also mentions that if Fulton was to receive a promotion that he would like to be kept informed and that he "...regrets very much that [Fulton] is not in [Bate's] command...". Bate also reflects upon the state of the Confederate army and the importance of taking back Tennessee from the Union army, writing, "...it is the 'promised land' now in sack cloth and ashes 'mourning for the loss of her children'...". He also mentions his interest in the career of Captain M.W. Cluskey of Preston Smith Brigade, who fought in the Battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862; that his division has now absorbed the Kentucky Brigade and Finley's (Florida) Brigade; and that a soldier by the name of McWinchester, who was the author to the reply of Ed Erwin's Amnesty letter, is still in prison. 3rd item: ALS. Double-sided bifolium handwritten letter from John R. Bright, Fayetteville, TN, writing to his cousin Colonel Alfred S. Fulton, dated February 21, 1862. The letter describes the Battle of Fort Henry, fought February 6, 1862; the Battle of Fort Donelson, fought from February 11-16, 1862; and the capture of Nashville on February 25, 1862. Bright writes, "...the excitement here has been so great since the fight at Fort Donelson...you cannot realize the intense agony which pervades our community--Donelson has fallen--Nashville is doubtless in the hands of the enemy--Gen[eral John Buchanan] Floyd who was at Nashville after the surrender of has burnt the Rail Road & Wire bridges acro[s]s the Cumberland...". He mentions the Union gunboats, stating, "...the gunboats were at a considerable distance and done no damage..." while later stating, "...the Gun Boats came up to within 200 yds of the Fort and shelled the Fort with 50 rounds of cannister...". Bright also gives estimations of the number of casualties and the number of soldiers involved in the fighting, writing, "...the loss on our side was comparatively small--the best estimate of the enemy's loss in killed is from 4000 to 6000 whilst our loss in killed and wounded does not exceed 600--it seems the enemy was receiving reinforcements, and on Saturday night their reinforcements swelled their army up to about 80,000 whilst our army at no time exceeded 16,000...". Returning to his description of the Battle and ultimate surrender of Fort Donelson, Bright writes "...Saturday night the enemy's whole force moved up and surrounded the Fort--about 1 o'clock Sunday morning the fact became known that the Fort must surrender, and our Generals...[Gideon Johnson] Pillow & Floyd left on a Steamboat...[Simon Bolivar] Buckner was left in command and surrendered with about 8,000 men...". After describing the events of the surrender in additional detail, Bright then relays General Albert Sidney Johnston's part in the events, writing "...Johnson[sic] was at Nashville all the time of the fight but it seems that Pillow telegraphed him that they did not need re-enforcements--Johnson's[sic] army had left Bowlingreen[sic]...and was in the neighborhood of Nashville Saturday when the news reached Nashville on Sunday that Fort Donelson had fallen...Johnson[sic] marched his army through Nashville on Sunday evening falling back to Murfreesboro...". Bright then also describes the fear that overcame the citizens of Nashville, stating that the pandemonium was "...equal if not greater than the retreat from Manassas...". Bright ponders if the Generals or the citizens of Nashville are more to blame for the city's fall, stating that while Johnston did not have to troops to defend the city and that there were many Union sympathizers in Nashville, he finds that "...there are too many [men]...so panic-stricken that they have not the nerve to stand up or never were true Southern men...". He concludes his letter by stating that McDonald's Regiment was not in the fight, that Albert's brother Colonel John Fulton returned from a few day's visit home, and that "these are gloomy times for us...the army may fall back to Lookout Mountain, if so Tenne[s]see is overrun...". 4th item: ALS. Double-sided bifolium handwritten letter from one of the Fulton brothers, Drewrys Bluff, VA, writing to his brother, dated May 29, 1864. He writes of the Overland Campaign, a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, stating, "...Lee and Grant are now confronting each other. They may be fighting at anytime Lee has already killed wounded and captured between 50 & 7500 men--The Yankees...about 35 or 45,000...". He also mentions Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler's army, writing, "...Butler...has made a signal failure--He came up the Penisula & sought to take Richmond on the south side--but they have been repulsed. He now has his army between the James and Appomattox rivers--". Unsigned. 5th item: Confederate States Secretary of War James Seddon signed military commission document conferring on John S. Fulton, the position of Colonel in the 44th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, dated May 5, 1862. Includes envelope addressed to Fulton with one blue 10 cent Jefferson Davis stamp. 6th item: ALS. Three page bifolium handwritten letter, from Colonel John S. Fulton, Bean Station, Tennessee, to Colonel Alfred S. Fulton, Bibb City, AL, dated December 17, 1986. He mentions the movements of his division near Knoxville, TN, writing "...We attempted to take Fort Loudon at the edge of Knoxville in the morning of the 29th--but failed--it is one of the strongest forts I ever saw--I think Gen Longstreet acted on this rashly in attacking the fort--We lost some 150 men killed & saw some several hundred wounded-it was a very fatal little fight...". 7th item: ALS. Double-sided one page handwritten letter from James R. Bright, Quartermaster's Office, Granbury's Brigade, to his cousin Mrs. E. L. Rogers, dated May 31, 1864. He begins by referencing a letter that he received, quoting, "...'Some think that [Lt. Colonel John L. McEwen, Jr.] will die, Col Fulton will soon be able to be with the command'...". He also mentions the state of the Army and Nathan Bedford Forrest's movements, writing, "...I am pleased to see that in every encounter our men have nobly sustained our cause and inflicted heavy injury upon the enemy--we are very anxious to hear from Forrest who is believed to be in the enemy's [territory]--if he succeeds in destrying the enemy's stores &c. it will make our success certain...". 8th item: ALS. One page bifolium handwritten letter from E.D. Baker, Captain and A.Q.M., Pulaski, TN, to an unidentified recipient, possibly one of the Fulton Brothers, dated January 17, 1864. The letter mentions that two rooms are now available for occupation and includes an ink inscription by Union General Richard W. Johnson with his signature, dated January 7, 1865, with later pencil inscriptions, en verso. 9th item: ALS. Two and one half-page bifolium handwritten letter from Congressman James McCallum, Richmond, VA, to Colonel John S. Fulton, dated June 6, 1864. The letter acknowledges Fulton's previous letter in which Fulton recommended a Colonel Keeble, possibly Colonel Richard H. Keeble, 23rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment, for an undisclosed appointment. McCallum mentions that Colonel Abram Fulkerson, 63rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment, is also up for consideration. 10th-11th items: Two (2) ALS. Double-sided bifolium and double-sided one-page handwritten letters, including one (1) from Colonel John S. Fulton, Headquarters of Johnson's Brigade near Petersberg, VA, to Captain R. E. Foote, dated June 28, 1864, and one (1) from the Head Quarters of the 44th and 25th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, possibly to a Captain Wein(?), dated June 21, 1864. The letters serve as reports regarding the movements of Johnson's Brigade from June 15, and 17-18, 1864, during the Richmond-Petersburg campaign, a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865. 12th item: ALS. One page handwritten letter from Colonel John S. Fulton, Drewry's Bluff, VA, to the Editors of the "Atlanta Register", dated May 20, 1864, prior to the closure of the newspaper office in response to General Sherman's impending Atlanta Campaign. Fulton writes in regards to an article written by a reporter named Giles in the "Atlanta Register", in which the performance of Johnson's Brigade during that Battle of Chickamauga was mentioned. 13th item: ALS. Double-sided bifolium letter from Robert Fulton, 41st Regiment, Tennessee Infantry, Company C, Enterprise, MS, writing to his brother Colonel John S. Fulton, dated August 27, 1863. He begins his letter by expressing regret about the deaths of two family members, mentions that they have moved the position of their camps, and also indicates that they have been having nice weather. He also references several officers, including Captain Tierney, Colonel Ferguson, Adjutant Anthony, and others. 14th-15th items: Two (2) ALS. Double-sided bifolium handwritten letters, including one (1) from Mrs. E. L. Rogers, a sister of the Fultons, written near Jacksonville, AL, and one (1) written by an unidentified source, written from a Camp near Chattanooga, TN, both written to one of the Fulton brothers to inform them of the injury and subsequent death of their brother Robert Fulton, dated October 9-12, 1863. Both letters include handwritten or typed transcriptions. 16th item: ALS. Two and one half bifolium handwritten letter from James R. Bright, Quartermaster's Office, Smith's Brigade, Near Atlanta, GA, to his cousin Mrs. E. L. Rogers, dated July 20, 1864. Writing during the Atlanta Campaign, he begins the letter by expressing his condolences for the death of Colonel John S. Fulton, who died on July 4, 1864 during the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign. He also mentions other soldiers who have been wounded, including Edwin Drake and John Drake, and Tobe Edmondson and Tom Miller, whom he states have been captured by the Yankees who he thinks "...will probably execute them...". 17th-20th items: Four (4) ALS. Double-sided bifolium and double-sided one-page handwritten letters written between Colonel Alfred S. Fulton, Bibb County, AL, to R. G. Cross, Adjutant, 44th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, dated July 18, September 3 and 23, and November 17, 1864. The letters were written in response to the recent death of Colonel John S. Fulton, including discussions pertaining to the disposal of his remains and financial matters. 21st item: ALS. One handwritten page from John Frizzell, Transportation Office, Atlanta, GA to Captain Jim C. Francis, Augusta, GA, dated February 22, 1864. The letter introduces Colonel John S. Fulton to Francis. Includes one envelope. 22nd item: Piece of Confederate-made letter paper with ink inscription dated 1862 and pencil inscription of two lines of verse titled "The Conquered Banner". Property of the Lincoln County Museum, Fayetteville, TN; Bequest of Mary Bright Wilson (1909-2004), formerly of Fayetteville, and descended in her family. Condition: All items in overall good, legible condition with toning/acid burn, tears, staining, foxing spots, areas of loss, including to sections of letters, to be expected from age and manner of use.
• CANAANITE LEADED BRONZE / COPPER DUCKBILL
  CANAANITE LEADED BRONZE / COPPER DUCKBILL AXE HEADS (2)...Ancient Near East, the Levant, Canaan, Middle Bronze Age, ca. 1950 to 1539 BCE. A fine pair of cast leaded-bronze and copper axe heads with a characteristic 'duckbill' shape and openwork hafting slots behind a stocky blade. The two ovoid perforations increase the aerodynamic efficiency of these axes when swung, and add a zoomorphic appearance of nostrils, hence the type's name. The socket, thick spine, and ribbed center also create a hefty, lethal weight that one does not want to be on the receiving end of! These weapons resemble a type of axe head from Hazor, which is described in the Book of Joshua as the head of the Canaanite city-states, and the site of one of Joshua's most important victories in the Israelites' conquest of the Promised Land. Archaeological expeditions from 1955 to 1958 CE revealed Middle and Late Bronze age temples, palaces, and fortifications, as well as a range of artifacts including cuneiform tablets, ivory objects, a basalt statue of a god, and metal weaponry like these examples. Size of largest: 3.75" L x 2.25" W (9.5 cm x 5.7 cm) Provenance: private East Coast collection, New York, USA; ex-East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm. Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #136967 Condition: Chips to the blade on the green head and surface abrasions, otherwise intact and very good. Chip and stable fissure radiating from this area on the socket of the large brown head, otherwise intact and very good with only minor surface abrasions and nicks. Rich patina on both and mineral earthen deposits within the sockets!
• DAVID MANUEL BRONZE SCULPTUREDAVID MANUEL
  DAVID MANUEL BRONZE SCULPTUREDAVID MANUEL (Oregon, b. 1940) bronze sculpture, "The Promised Land, Oregon Trail," pioneer family looking into the distance, mounted to marble and wood plinth. Signed and titled, dated 1992, edition 25/149, 23.5"H x 15"W x 13"D.
• DAVID MANUEL BRONZE SCULPTUREDAVID MANUEL
  DAVID MANUEL BRONZE SCULPTUREDAVID MANUEL (Oregon, b. 1940) bronze sculpture, "The Promised Land," a pioneer family at the end of their Oregon Trail journey. Signed and titled, dated 1992, edition number 80/249. The bronze measures 21" high x 13" wide x 10" deep; mounted to a marble and wood rotating plinth, 24"high overall.
• DAVID MANUEL BRONZE SCULPTUREDAVID MANUEL
  DAVID MANUEL BRONZE SCULPTUREDAVID MANUEL (Oregon, b.1940) bronze sculpture, "The Promised Land," a pioneer family at the end of their Oregon Trail journey. Signed and titled, dated 1992, edition number 99/999. The bronze measures 21" high x 13" wide x 10" deep; mounted to a marble and wood plinth, 24" high overall.
• GROUP OF BOOKS ON CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
  GROUP OF BOOKS ON CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTIONGROUP OF BOOKS ON CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, titles include: It's Up to Us: A Recipe for Leveling the Playing Field (signed); The Affirmative Action Debate (signed); The Michigan Affirmative Action Cases (signed); In Defense of Affirmative Action; Not All Black and White: Affirmative Action and American Values (signed); Ending Affirmative Action: The Case for Colorblind Justice; Inequality in the Promised Land: Race, Resources, and Suburban Schooling (signed); The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions; The Value of One: The Power of All; Affirmative Action in Medicine: Improving Health Care for Everyone (signed); Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Males; Outstanding Young Men of America 1973; Principles for Success (signed); I Miss Daddy (signed); The African American Data Book: Volume II; Who's Who Among American High School Students 1981-1982; The African American Education: Volume III (16) Provenance: Estate of General Colin L. Powell, to benefit America's Promise Alliance and the Colin Powell School at City College of New York.
• GROUP OF AFRICAN AMERICAN BOOKS ON THE
  GROUP OF AFRICAN AMERICAN BOOKS ON THE HISTORY OF SLAVERYGROUP OF AFRICAN AMERICAN BOOKS ON THE HISTORY OF SLAVERY, titles include: An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and The British Caribbean; The Impact of Slave Trades in Africa Today: Mega Holocaust in Africa (signed); Frederick Douglas; Slavery in Florida: Territorial Days to Emancipation (signed); Free at Last: A Documentary History of Slavery, Freedom, and the Civil War; Capitalism and Slavery; Sons of Providence: The Brown Brothers, The Slave Trade, and the American Revolution; The Problem of Slavery in The Age of Emancipation (signed); The Invisibles: the Untold Story of African American Slaves in the White House (signed); The Hidden Veracity Behind The Evil of Slavery (signed); The Trials of Phillis Wheatley; America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with The Founding Fathers; The Black Mayflower (signed); Black Loyalists: Southern Settlers of Nova Scotia's First Free Black Communities; The Hills Farm: The Forgotten History of Slavery In The North; The Slaves Gamble: Choosing Side in The War of 1812; Slave Nation: How Slavery United the Colonies and Sparked the American Revolution (signed); Soldiers of the Cross (signed); The African American Journey from Slavery to the Promised Land (17) Provenance: Estate of General Colin L. Powell, to benefit America's Promise Alliance and the Colin Powell School at City College of New York.
• JACOB LAWRENCE, HARRIET AND THE PROMISED
  JACOB LAWRENCE, HARRIET AND THE PROMISED LAND, PUBLISHED BY SIMON & SCHUSTER, 1968, 1993, TWO VOLUMESJacob Lawrence, Harriet and The Promised Land, Published by Simon & Schuster, 1968, 1993, Two Volumes, From the Estate of Dr. James K. Hill
• DAVID MANUEL FIGURAL BRONZE SCULPTUREDAVID
  DAVID MANUEL FIGURAL BRONZE SCULPTUREDAVID MANUEL (Oregon, b. 1940) figural bronze sculpture, "The Promised Land, Oregon Trail," artist titled, signed and dated 1992, limited edition #25/149, 23.5"H.
• RARE CHINESE EXPORT BIBLICAL SUBJECT
  RARE CHINESE EXPORT BIBLICAL SUBJECT DISH A very rare Chinese Export biblical subject dish for the European market, Early Qianlong Era, Circa 1740 of quatre lobe form, executed in en grisaille enamels depicting Moses, striking the rock, with his brother Aaron, the rim with a gilt scroll border. Most likely from a private commissioned service. The subject matter comes from the Old Testament, specifically Numbers 20:8, which describes how God instructed Moses to speak to the rock to bring forth water for the Israelites; instead, Moses struck the rock with his staff, displeasing God greatly. For his disobedience, Moses was forbidden by God from entering the promised land. 6 1/2 in. Long, 5 1/4 in. Wide. Reference: For another example, see F. Hervouet & Y. Bruneau, La Porcelaine des Compagnie des Indes a Decor Occidental, p. 260, fig. 11.6.
• Historic Guthrie Oklahoma/Chickamauga
  Historic Guthrie Oklahoma/Chickamauga Presentation Gavel to First Major D.B. Dyer With associated newspaper clipping and printed pamphlet relating to the opening of the Oklahoma Territory in 1889. The symbolic gavel measures 10? long made from a piece of souvenir wood embedded with a lead minie ball from the Chickamauga battlefield. The front of the simple mallet head bears a jeweler inscribed gold plate (not tested) that reads: ?PRESENTED TO/Hon D.B. Dyer/ FIRST MAYOR OF/Guthrie I.T./BY HIS FRIEND C.C.S./June 4 1889.? The presentation is flanked by CHICKAMAUGA and TENNESSEE on either side. The identity of ?C.C.S ? presumably a local Indian Territory inhabitant and former soldier-friend of Dyer is unknown. Additionally the lot includes a small archive of nine files containing Dyer manuscript correspondence to/from the Quapaw Indian Agency in the O.T. 1880-1884. Also three sundry files the first being a printed inventory booklet with annotations of ?Colonel Dyers Collection of Indian Curiosities? exhibited at the 1893 Columbia Exposition with a later article discussing the same collection then on loan to the Kansas City Public Library. The other files contain a typed letter dated February 1911 acknowledging Dyer??Ts the newspaper man cancellation of his Associated Press Membership. Last is a damaged manuscript letter to Dyer dated March 1911 on the letterhead of ?Pawnee??Ts Bill??Ts Buffalo Ranch.? D. B. Dyer??Ts time as Indian Agent ??" documented by Mrs. Dyer in the ?Frontier Classic Series? Fort Reno ??" came to a sudden end in July 1885 when the visiting government inspector concluded that ?his conflict with the Cheyenne prevented him from effectively carrying out his duties.? Mr. and Mrs. Dyer then moved to Kansas City Missouri where he engaged in the real estate business for the next few years with a partner from the Indian Agency days. In 1887 the Dyers also organized an exhibition of their ?large collection of Indian artifacts and relics? from the Quapaw Agency and this served as a catalyst for their lifelong friendship with ?Buffalo Bill? Cody. Dyer then found himself at the forefront of one of the most noteworthy events of the later 19th century. Leaders of Kansas City requested that D.B. Dyer go to Washington to lobby Congress to obtain support for what would become the two million acre ''Land Run'' of 1889. With the help of friendly Congressmen after a lengthy and sometimes factious debate President Harrison was pressured to open the Oklahoma District to a wave of homesteaders--Boomers--on April 22 1889. On that one frenzied day thousands of would-be settlers from across the country poured into the District staking claims and erecting tent cities. Overnight the small way station previously known as Deer Creek on the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe line mushroomed into a boomtown of 10 000 people soon to be renamed Guthrie Oklahoma. When the Oklahoma Territory was formally organized on May 2 1889 Guthrie became the first capital quickly transforming itself into the ?Queen of the Prairie? complete with modern brick and stone structures in the Victorian style a municipal water and electrical works underwritten with bonds a horse drawn mass transit system and underground carriage parking in the central business district. At the forefront of this unprecedented development were ?hundreds of men who contributed time and money to bring about this result ? including D. B. Dyer who was elected first Mayor of Guthrie. Recalling those bygone days in 1904 Dyer wrote ?Everything was confusion and bedlam but on the morning of the 23rd a mass meeting was called where thousands assembled on the highest point of land in the town and proceeded to organize a regular old fashioned town meeting.? Of immediate concern was the multitude of conflicting and haphazard claims in and around Guthrie coupled with the fact that there was ?no law or precedent? for organizing the city policing the newcomers or arbitrating their claims. Dyer added that ?having been stationed in the territory for many years previous to this time and having represented Kansas City before Congress to secure the opening of this Territory I was probably at that time better known than any other individual on the ground.? An executive committee was formed and from this exercise ?of starting a government by the people ? D.B. Dyer was nominated to be Mayor. At first Dyer wrote that he ?steadfastly refused??|as I did not expect to remain in the territory permanently.? Dyer soon availed himself persuaded by his close friends and associates ?to accept the responsibility? as ?I could no longer decline??|given what seemed an impending crisis.? The committee made its report to the ?assembled mass? and ?when my name was presented to the people I was unanimously elected.? A city council was then elected and the two United States Marshals on the scene together with deputies and a small military detachment temporarily provided public safety. The burden of the early administrative work dealt with arbitrating overlapping claims and establishing property boundaries. The public right of way took precedence over individual claims and mayor himself was forced to cede at least one potentially valuable property to make way for a city street. The symbolic gavel offered here was presented to D.B. Dyer on June 4 1889 ??" the occasion is not recorded ??" and it clearly reflects a sense of steady fair-mindedness that he demonstrated to the citizens of Guthrie. Faced with the overwhelming task of constructing a city from the prairie Dyer wrote humbly ?Thousands of arbitrary decisions for the want of any law were forced upon those in authority??|? The mayor recalled that his ?own personal work was unremitting ? but after just three months on the job during which time Guthrie??Ts ?streets had been laid out ? he suddenly returned to his wife in Kansas City in July 1889 to pursue a more grandiose business scheme back east in Augusta Georgia. Dyer??Ts 1904 pamphlet recounting Early Oklahoma Days ??" published by his Augusta Chronicle newspaper ??" is fondly imbued with the lofty principle of Manifest Destiny. Oklahoma he waxes was the ?promised land and it is the same spirit that has reclaimed the vast solitude to civilization.? The popular American ethos of inevitability ??" our national self image on late 19th century stage ??" had already crystallized into a retrospective: ?They were genuine pioneers full of push and enterprise not satisfied with any half-hearted efforts to achieve their ambition and realize their dreams.? In 1910 Dyer reminisced about ?the cruel days of the opening of Oklahoma and rejoiced that the city of Guthrie itself was established without bloodshed through the cooperation of its brand new but stalwart citizens.? The small archive of letters that accompany the presentation gavel contain nothing of extraordinary significance but offer some interesting insight into the day-to-day workings of the Quapaw Indian Agency. In March 1880 D.B. Dyer wrote his parents (three lengthy letters) suggesting that they come to teach the Indian children at the agency school. Dyer matter-of-factly describes the arrangement as an ideal business opportunity as the teacher tends the agency farm rent free and is compensated ?$3.75 per month on each pupil? while the Indian children labor in exchange for food and lodging. Two more deeply personal letters from March 1881 from Daniel to his wife Ida are extremely revealing given their often rocky relationship documented in the forward of Mrs. Dyer??Ts Fort Reno account. In these letters Daniel writes passionately his words driven by a hitherto unknown religious zeal. Opting for the third person he engages Ida by invoking God: ???|and today he (meaning Daniel) is striving to repay his Lord with good deeds by working in the vineyard as a Missionary among the Indians ??" trying faithfully to atone for past offences??|? The letter pleads for reconciliation without begging. Written the next year an indenture in long-hand from August 1882 stipulating the division of real estate and property in advance of George and Ida??Ts ultimate divorce. Another exchange of letters dating from March 1884 between Dyer and Henry M. Lawson of Texas discusses the details of the Lawson??Ts transition ?as my successor to this Agency!? Lawson explains that he is unable to secure legal signatures for the required bond required by the government and until the matter is resolved he can only offer ?that I will be with you at or before the time indicated.? Still another file contains a typed copy of an 1886 lawsuit brought by one Rachael Silverheels in defense of her property in the Indian Territory illustrating the extent to which Indians were manipulated and ??~legally??T cheated out of land ostensibly deeded by right of treaty. The file containing the inventory booklet of D.B. Dyers collection of Indian artifacts from the 1893 Columbia Exposition includes a description of Captain Jack's coat: ?Modoc. Buckskin beaded made by Princess Mary sister of Captain Jack of Lava Bed fame and who was hung by the Government. Mary made this coat the same as the one Captain Jack had on when he was hung and presented it to Col Dyer at that time agent of the Modocs.? Collectively a fine historic artifact together with supporting archive relating to the early territorial history of Oklahoma of immeasurable importance to the Shangra-la-like city of Guthrie. Finally there are 67 empty covers with stamps dating to the 1880's mostly addressed to Col. Dyer at the Quapaw and Darlington Indian Agencies. The majority of the envelopes have printed return addresses such as ''House of Representatives '' ''Senate Chamber '' or ''Department of the Interior.'' Sadly the whereabout of the letters are unknown presumed lost. Descended Directly in the Dyer Family Condition: Gavel is complete and undamaged; all letters/paper complete and intact showing age with usual folds etc.