Our Arklahoma Heritage: Lewis Ross was a pioneering force of Cherokee industry over three decades from 1832 to 1870
- Dennis McCaslin
- May 6
- 4 min read
Born into one of the most prominent Cherokee families in the early 19th century, Lewis Ross was a pivotal figure in the Cherokee Nation’s economic and civic life during a time of profound upheaval.
As the younger brother of Principal Chief John Ross, Lewis carved his own path as a merchant, treasurer, and philanthropist, leaving an enduring mark on the landscapes of Indian Territory, now Mayes County.
Lewis Ross was born around 1796 in the Cherokee Nation (East), the fifth of nine children of Daniel Ross, a Scottish trader, and Mollie McDonald, a Cherokee of the Bird Clan. Growing up near Lookout Mountain in present-day Tennessee, Lewis was immersed in a family that blended Cherokee traditions with Western commerce.
His brother John, born in 1790, became the Cherokee Nation’s Principal Chief from 1828 to 1866, while Lewis pursued economic ventures that complemented John’s political leadership.
Lewis married Fannie Holt, a Cherokee woman, and together they raised several children, including daughters Minerva and Amanda, who later married into the influential Murrell family.
Unlike John’s public-facing role, Lewis operated as a steady force behind the scenes. He established himself as a successful merchant, operating trading posts with John and Timothy Meigs in Georgia during the 1810s.
By the 1830s, as the Cherokee faced forced removal under the Indian Removal Act, Lewis’s wealth and business acumen positioned him as a stabilizing figure.
After the Trail of Tears, during which he served as the Cherokee Nation’s paymaster, Lewis settled in Indian Territory near Salina in current Mayes County where he continued to build his enterprises.
His investments included merchant operations and early banking ventures, symbolized by the Farmers and Merchants Bank in Salina.
This institution, though modest, represented Cherokee aspirations for economic sovereignty amid encroaching American systems.
Lewis Ross’s legacy extends beyond commerce to his deep commitment to Cherokee welfare, particularly for the most vulnerable. Following the devastation of the Civil War and widespread disease, many Cherokee children were orphaned.
In the 1870s, Lewis supported the establishment of the Cherokee Orphan Asylum near Salina, contributing resources to ensure its success.
The Lewis Ross/Cherokee Orphan Asylum Springhouse, a preserved structure near the original orphanage site, provided clean water to the children—a quiet but essential act of care.
Today, the springhouse stands as a testament to Lewis’s compassion, offering a tangible link to his efforts to rebuild Cherokee society after immense loss.
His family’s influence continued through his descendants. Lewis’s daughters, Minerva and Amanda, married George Murrell, a merchant who built Hunter’s Home (also known as the cs the Murrell House) near Park Hill.
This plantation, located just half a mile from John Ross’s Rose Cottage, became a hub of Cherokee elite society and is now a historic site managed by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Lewis’s descendants, including those who attended Ross family reunions in Park Hill as recently as 2024, continue to honor his contributions to Cherokee resilience.
Lewis Ross’s life intersected with pivotal moments in Cherokee history, including early missionary efforts and the Civil War’s fracturing impact.
The Union Mission, established in 1820 near present-day Chouteau, Oklahoma, predated Lewis’s prominence but set the stage for Cherokee educational and religious integration.
The Ross family, including Lewis, supported such missions, recognizing their role in equipping the Cherokee for a rapidly changing world. Lewis’s own children benefited from mission schools, and his descendants, like Shorey W. Ross, born in 1871 to Lewis’s son Lewis Anderson Ross, became noted Cherokee scholars and writers.
The Civil War brought new challenges. The Cabin Creek Battlefield in Mayes County, site of skirmishes in 1863 and 1864, reflects the era’s turmoil. While Lewis was not a combatant, his economic interests and family were deeply affected.
Like John, Lewis aligned with the Union, navigating the Cherokee Nation’s internal divisions between Union and Confederate factions. The war disrupted Cherokee governance and scattered communities, amplifying the need for institutions like the orphan asylum.
Lewis’s role as treasurer during the Trail of Tears and his continued financial leadership during the war underscored his ability to steer the Nation through crises.
Lewis Ross died in 1870 in Salina and was laid to rest in the Ross Cemetery in Park Hill, alongside his brother John. Though he did not live to see Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907, his vision for a prosperous Cherokee future endured.
The Pensacola Dam, completed in 1940 near Langley and forming Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees, echoes the economic development Lewis championed. While not directly tied to him, the dam’s transformation of the region aligns with his dreams of a modernized
Today, historic sites across Mayes County--Union Mission, Cabin Creek Battlefield, the Lewis Ross/Cherokee Orphan Asylum Springhouse, Farmers and Merchants Bank, and Hunter’s Home--stand as enduring markers of Lewis Ross’s legacy.
His descendants, gathering at reunions in Park Hill, continue to celebrate his contributions, with family members like Jeff Davis noting the growing pride in their heritage. Lewis Ross was not a warrior or orator but a builder whose quiet leadership in commerce, philanthropy, and community laid the foundation for Cherokee endurance.
The land of Mayes County still whispers his story, a testament to a man who shaped a nation through vision and care.
