Freedman Caesar Bowlegs rose to prominence among the Seminole Indians and freedmen during the late 19th century.  Born around 1843 in the Seminole Nation (present day Oklahoma), he was a slave of Eliza Bowlegs, as were both his parents.  During the Civil War, Bowlegs rode north to Kansas with the Loyal Seminoles and maroons.  After the war, he returned to the nation and carried the mail from Fort Gibson to Wewoka when the post office opened there in 1867.  In the 1880s and 1890s, he operated a toll bridge over Wewoka Creek.  The Seminoles also employed him to bury criminals after they had been executed.  But Bowlegs acquired his reputation as an interpreter, and in that capacity he made his biggest contribution to Seminole and freedman history. In the early 1880s, Dr. C. P. Lynn became the first white physician to practice medicine among the Seminoles, and Dr. Virgil Berry succeeded him.  Before Lynn’s arrival only Indians and freedmen practiced medicine in the Seminole Nation.  As he was bilingual, known to both Seminoles and freedmen, and familiar with the country, Caesar Bowlegs was appointed the physicians’ interpreter and guide, a position of considerable importance.   After Dr. Berry began his duties … Continue reading Caesar Bowlegs (ca. 1843-1912)