Iuka Park in Columbus
Whenever we move to somewhere new, I like to "ground" myself by looking into the history of wherever it is I find myself. This is a perfect example of my curiosity delving into the past of Columbus. Iuka Park is named after an Indian that lived here once upon a time, Chief Iuka, which is short for Ish-ta-ki-yu-ka-tubbe. He was a chief in the Chickasaw Indians’ nation. In 1832, the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek was signed. Among other things, the treaty called for the Chickasaw nation to cede land east of the Mississippi and obtain new land in the west. A Chickasaw named Chief Ish-ta-ki-yu-ka-tubbe endorsed and helped ratify the treaty, but it is not for his diplomatic skills that he is remembered today. Instead, it is his name or, rather, a contraction of it: Chief Iuka. Other than supporting the treaty and having a recognizable nickname, Chief Iuka is known for suffering a terrible illness. So severe was his sickness that he was literally carried to a spot in what is no
