Medal
- Object Name:
- Medal
- Object ID:
- 2014.016
- Creator:
- Ellis, Salathiel (1803-1879); Willson, Joseph (1825-1857)
- Place of Origin:
- New York, NY
- Date:
- 1853
- Description:
- Franklin Pierce Indian Peace Medal, 1853. Cast silver. Obverse: Bust of Franklin Pierce in profile; name on outer edge below bust: "S. ELLIS"; text around bust: "FRANKLIN PIERCE, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. / 1853"; designed by Salathiel Ellis (1803-1879). Reverse: Two figures facing each other against backdrop of an American flag; figure on left farmer in hat, long shirt/jacket/uniform and pants, has hand on a plow or cane; figure on right in Plains Indian feather headdress and wrapped in a blanket; plow and ax are between figures; text in three locking ovals above flag: "LABOR VIRTUE HONOR"; name below figures: "J. WILLSON"; designed by Joseph Willson (1825-1857). Hole drilled in top, with leather thong tied through it.
- Material:
- Metal
Silver
Leather - Dimensions:
- D-0.15 Dia-2.5 inches
- Provenance:
- This medal comes from the collection of Dr. Luther R. Zehner (1923-2013) and Frances T. Zehner (1920-2009), of Meadville, PA, a couple who moved to Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, near Fort Yates, in 1949. The couple learned to speak the Sioux language, and began to record oral histories from those they encountered, including veterans of Little Big Horn, and soon began collecting the cultural heritage of the Lakota people they lived among. This medal was purchased by the Zehners on May 10, 1950, from Leo Cadotte, the great-grandnephew of its original recipient, a Chief named Sicola or "Barefooted." Leo Cadotte reported his family history to Arthur B. Welch, who was the adopted son of Cadotte's uncle, Chief John Grass (1837-1918). While Cadotte had reported to the Zehners that this medal was received at the 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty, the medal was not struck until 1853. Family tradition holds that while Sicola, also known as Chief Barefoot, attended the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie, he did not sign it. This medal was given to him sometime soon after.
- Credit Line:
- New Hampshire Historical Society Purchase with funds provided by Q. David Bowers
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