Soon after the establishment of their capital at Tahlequah, the Cherokee felt the need of some means of communication between the officials and the members of the tribe, and in 1811 the Cherokee Advocate was established as their official newspaper. It was the successor of the Cherokee Phoenix, which had been their official paper back in Georgia ever since 1822. The invention of the Cherokee alphabet by Sequoyah, in 1821, enabled them to publish their news in their own language which enabled the full-bloods who could not speak nor read the English language to keep posted upon the events and progress of their tribal affairs. Many of the mixed bloods, however, never mastered the Sequoyah alphabet and could not read their own language, hence, the Advocate was published one-half in the Cherokee and the other half in the English language. William P. Ross, an educated Cherokee, a graduate of Princeton College, and who afterward became chief of the nation, was the first editor of the Advocate. This paper was published weekly and continued to be the official paper of the Cherokee for about sixty years.
In November, 1843, another convention was held in Tahlequah in which a compact was entered into between the Cherokee, Creek and Osage, by the terms of which it was agreed that neither tribe would thereafter convey to the United States any part of their present possessions without the consent of the other two tribes. It was further agreed that either tribe might punish any member of either of the other two tribes for murder or other crime ; that any citizen of one nation might become a citizen of either of the other two nations by consent of such nation; and that no citizen of either nation should introduce any ardent spirits into either of the other nations.
Tahlequah Arrow
The old Cherokee Advocate was succeeded by the Tahlequah Arrow, a good weekly newspaper which, for many years was edited by Mr. Waddie Hudson, one of the substantial citizens of the town for many years. Mr. Hudson retired from the newspaper business a few years ago and is now conducting a bank at the town of Park Hill, just a few miles south of Tahlequah. The Sentinel, also a weekly newspaper, was edited years ago by Mr. F. P. Shields.
Source: Benedict, John D. Muskogee and northeastern Oklahoma, including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa. 3 v. illus., ports., facsims. 28 cm. Chicago, S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922.