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- Collection: Photographs
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Chief Tallahassee, a late 19th Century Creek Seminole Leader, ca. 1890s
The influence that Florida Indian leaders, such as Chief Tallahassee, held in their local villages was sometimes misconstrued by white officials to suggest more political control over all South Florida Indians than they actually had. The independent…
Town of Everglades Celebrates the Opening of the Tamiami Trail, 1928
A Florida Indian tribal member greets American entrepreneur, Barron Collier, and Dr. Fons A. Hathaway, the Chairman of the State Road Department, during the opening of the Tamiami Trail. The road connected Tampa to Miami. It was built to provide…
Three Seminole Men Poling in a Canoe Down a River Near the Tamiami Trail, 1943
The expansion of American culture into the swamplands of Florida is evident in this postcard. More isolated regions of the Everglades were also being affected by comprehensive swamp drainage projects.
Josie Billie, Miccosukee/Seminole Baptist Minister, ca. 1930s
The story of Josie Billie––the older brother of medicine man Ingraham Billie––represents the choices that many Florida Indians were facing as their political and social structures were slowly being divided between reservation and off-reservation…
Seminoles in Florida Governor Spessard Holland's Inaugural Parade in Tallahassee, Florida, 1941
Seminole Indians often showcased their traditional dress and distinctive identity, even while participating in state events.
Rosalie Tommey in Camp Standing in Front of a Sign that Reads "Seminoles Are Not Subject to the White Man's Laws; They Have Their Own Council and Make Their Own Laws"
The sign was most likely posted for dramatic effect for the benefit of tourists. Whether posted by an individual or by the community, the message reflects the ongoing tension between "outsiders'" law and Indian sovereignty.
Francis J. Scott, Superintendent of the Seminole Agency, Dedicating the First School on the Brighton Reservation, 1938
While many Indians resisted BIA based educational programs, the opening of this school on the Brighton Reservation represents a shift in the Florida Indians’ attitude toward relations with the federal government. This was the first school actually…
Florida Governor David Sholtz Meeting with Seminole Indians Living in Camps Near the Florida Everglades, 1936
Concerned about steady encroachment––especially from the National Park Service as the U.S. prepared to create the new Everglades National Park––the Indian delegation living on the Tamiami Trail wanted assurances that they would not be moved from…
Seminole Men From the Three Reservations at a Business Meeting with Superintendent of the Seminole Agency Kenneth A. Marmon at the Dania (Hollywood) Seminole Indian Reservation, 1953.
This meeting at Dania to discuss tribal business includes two of the twelve tribal members who signed the 1949 Seminole petition for monetary compensation from the Indian Claims Commission: John Henry Gopher and Junior Cypress, along with the…