Sager Creek
Encyclopedia
Sager Creek is a 13.4 miles (21.6 km) creek which runs through downtown Siloam Springs, Arkansas
, in the United States. It is a tributary of Flint Creek, which flows to the Illinois River, which in turn flows to the Arkansas River
and thus is part of the Mississippi River
watershed. Sager Creek is named after the man largely thought to be the founder of Siloam Springs, Simon Sager.
Simon Sager was the eldest member of the Sager children. The Sager family was a family of farmers from Tennessee
that migrated into the Arkansas Territory
. They crossed the delta
into the Ozark Mountains
. It is uncertain as to whether the parents contracted illness and died along the way or if they were killed by Osage Indians
. Simon, the eldest of the children, continued on the journey westward guiding his siblings. Much of the trek was made on raft along the White River
and its tributaries and across land. Eventually the clan made its way towards the plains and rafted the then-uncharted Osage Creek into a tributary that was eventually named after its first white explorer, Simon Sager. The children stopped along the creek and built a cabin and farmed the area near the town of Hico that eventually became the town of Siloam
Springs, named after the healing pool of water in the Bible.
Siloam Springs was a health resort in the early 1900s with a number of healing waters; Downtown Springs, Indian Healing Springs and a few others. The present-day town is reminiscent of its Victorian
heritage. The original Sager Cabin is on the grounds of John Brown University
in Siloam Springs. The Sager children were first in a line of German and Scotch-Irish settlers to migrate into the Arkansas Territory from Tennessee.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, in the United States. It is a tributary of Flint Creek, which flows to the Illinois River, which in turn flows to the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
and thus is part of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
watershed. Sager Creek is named after the man largely thought to be the founder of Siloam Springs, Simon Sager.
Simon Sager was the eldest member of the Sager children. The Sager family was a family of farmers from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
that migrated into the Arkansas Territory
Arkansas Territory
The Territory of Arkansas, initially organized as the Territory of Arkansaw, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1819 until June 15, 1836, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas.-History:The...
. They crossed the delta
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
into the Ozark Mountains
The Ozarks
The Ozarks are a physiographic and geologic highland region of the central United States. It covers much of the southern half of Missouri and an extensive portion of northwestern and north central Arkansas...
. It is uncertain as to whether the parents contracted illness and died along the way or if they were killed by Osage Indians
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation is a Native American Siouan-language tribe in the United States that originated in the Ohio River valley in present-day Kentucky. After years of war with invading Iroquois, the Osage migrated west of the Mississippi River to their historic lands in present-day Arkansas, Missouri,...
. Simon, the eldest of the children, continued on the journey westward guiding his siblings. Much of the trek was made on raft along the White River
White River (Arkansas)
The White River is a 722-mile long river that flows through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri.-Course:The source of the White River is in the Boston Mountains of northwest Arkansas, in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest southeast of Fayetteville...
and its tributaries and across land. Eventually the clan made its way towards the plains and rafted the then-uncharted Osage Creek into a tributary that was eventually named after its first white explorer, Simon Sager. The children stopped along the creek and built a cabin and farmed the area near the town of Hico that eventually became the town of Siloam
Siloam
Siloam is an ancient Greek name derived from the more ancient Hebrew Shiloah. The Arabic, Silwan, was derived form the Greek, Siloam. It is an ancient site in Jerusalem, south of the Old City.-Antiquity:...
Springs, named after the healing pool of water in the Bible.
Siloam Springs was a health resort in the early 1900s with a number of healing waters; Downtown Springs, Indian Healing Springs and a few others. The present-day town is reminiscent of its Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
heritage. The original Sager Cabin is on the grounds of John Brown University
John Brown University
The main campus in Northwest Arkansas has been the site of the university since it was founded in 1919. JBU has 2,183 students as of the 2011-2012 school year, 1,279 of which are traditional undergraduates. Of these, 878 live on campus. The Graduate School has 468 students...
in Siloam Springs. The Sager children were first in a line of German and Scotch-Irish settlers to migrate into the Arkansas Territory from Tennessee.