The members of the Osage Indian tribe became rich when the oil was discovered under their reservation in Oklahoma in the early 20th century. The Osage tribe became dominant in the region in the early 19th century, and the majority of their descendants live in Oklahoma. After the discovery of oil, their members suffered manipulation and numerous murders by whites eager to take over their newly discovered wealth. In 1923, when more than two dozen people of Osage tribe were murdered, the case was assigned to the FBI. It was among the first major homicide investigation for the FBI.
The killings started in May 1921, and the first victim of the massacre was 25-year-old women Anna Brown. Her decaying body was discovered in a ravine by the hunters. She had been shot between the eyes. The same day Anna’s cousin Charles Whitehorn’s dead body was found, and two months later, her mother, Lizzie Kyle, was also murdered. These killings were not confined to family, and another woman was found dead on her lawn. A sympathetic local lawyer was also thrown from a speeding train. The estimated death toll of Osage member was over a hundred, but some of these killings were not reported or covered up. The FBI estimated 60 Osage Indians died violent or suspicious deaths. The FBI found several murders in one family, committed by a gang led by William “King of Osage Hills” Hale. His goal was to gain the oil royalty rights and wealth of several tribe members, including his nephew’s Osage wife, the last survivor of her family. Most of the murders remained unresolved.
To prevent further crimes and to protect the members of the Osage tribe, congress passed a law prohibiting non-Osage from inheriting headrights from Osage, who had half or more Native American ancestry in 1925. In 2011, the US government settled with the Osage for $380 million, which was the largest settlement with a tribe in US history.
Here below are some photos of the members of the Osage Indian tribe members.
#1 Mollie Burkhart, right, with her sisters Anna and Minnie. They were part of the Osage Native American tribe, who were killed one by one in a murder mystery.
#2 Mollie became a prime target after it was revealed her people were living on land where there was oil underneath.
#3 Chief Bigheart ensured that the wealth of the Osage would stay only among tribe members.
#4 Anna Brown was one of the first victims of the Osage killing spree.
#5 The Osage tribe were among the richest people in the world and often rode in chauffeur-driven cars.
#6 The fourth sister Rita with servant.
#7 Another woman of Osage tribe who killed in 1921.
#8 The Osage nation native Americans were among the richest in the world but were eventually forced into a new reservation.
#9 The ravine where Anna Brown’s body was found.
#10 The Al Spencer Gang jokingly hold up others in their crew. All gangsters in the local area were under suspicion of carrying out the murders.
#11 Lawmen seize illegal moonshine in Osage County in 1923 at the time of the murders.
#12 William Hale competing in a roping contest when he was a cowboy.
#13 A pair of Osage women in 1921.
#14 The Osage Council and tribal representatives in Washington D.C.
#15 Rita Smith whose death triggered a federal investigation.
#16 A trial document connecting the various murders back to the ringleader of the murder spree.
#17 FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover, right, brought in Tom White, left, a stetson-wearing, Texan lawman to solve the case.
#18 The FBI team included a former Texas Ranger who was said to be sutied for ‘any element of danger’.
#19 Killer Bill Hale.
#20 Eventually, Detective Tom White traced the start of the crimewave to Anna Brown’s brother-in-law, a white man called Ernest Burkhart and his domineering uncle Bill Hale.
#21 Devil in the detail.Part of a panoramic 1924 photo of the Osage tribe before this left-hand section with evil Bill Hale, circled, was removed.
Anyone living in Osage county Oklahoma knows who the Drummond family is… Have you ever wondered how they own so much land in that county?
Currently, I’m listening to a podcast about this.
That’s right. Tracing it shouldn’t be too difficult. The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve outside Pawhuska has been a pleasant stop for me. Sitting quietly in your car at the right place, you can smell them walking to their bedding ground. Watching the sunset among the juvenile herd as they drift home with a beer is a wonderful experience.
I learned about this a few weeks ago. This needs to be all kinds of films, movies, documentaries, plays, musicals, operas, ballets, songs, childrens books, novels etc.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann is a great book that tells this story.
An actual Osage tribal member, Charles Redcorn, wrote a book called ‘A Pipe for February’ that provides a less FBI-centric perspective. Also, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is being adapted into a movie directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Martin Scorsese is making a movie of this
Killers of the Flower Moon (2021), no wonder keep seeing the osage murders lately, these are probably correlated with a movie promo,
David Grann’s book, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,’ garnered positive reviews and caught Martin Scorsese’s attention, leading to its adaptation into a movie. Although it is unsettling and sorrowful, the book is quite good. Its release a few years ago is likely what generated the current momentum and interest in the Osage murders.
book popularity + movie promo
There isn’t even a movie trailer yet so I dunno how there could be movie promo at this point
movie promotion begin well before trailers are made.
Even though Martin Scorsese has a stellar reputation, he still needs to attract investors to fund his projects. The budget for his adaptation of ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is reportedly his highest yet. Although production has been delayed, and it has moved from Paramount to Apple, it’s unclear how much impact this has had on the final picture. While promotion for the movie has not yet begun, Scorsese’s fans are already showing interest in it. Once the movie’s marketing campaign starts, it is likely to generate more buzz and attract even more attention to the Osage murders. I do not have any promotional links to share at this time.
bro I’m not reading all that you win what ever mate
What do you mean? What do I win?
what ever you wrote that wall of text for.
Shit son next time I’ll make smoke signals, I didn’t know you have a hard time reading.
northeast woodlands indigenous descent i dont think we used smoke signals
Martin Scorsese’s reputation precedes him, and he is likely to attract funding for his movies regardless of any pre-production promotion. Despite the lack of pre-production effort, videos related to ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ have generated around 50k views because the topic is worth discussing on its own. Once the trailer is released, which is the actual promotional effort from the production team, these videos are likely to see more views.
A bit long but he simply long winded a response that I already said I don’t agree with.
What don’t you agree with?
Another hideous tragedy brought to you by the fine folks at Unethical White People!
Honestly, I’m surprised all minorities haven’t risen up to murder all of us in our beds.
Please stop with your white guilt venting. Find another place to deal with your emotional baggage. You aren’t going to get any validation here.