John Rollin Ridge
TAHLEQUAH â The creation of the Cherokee Phoenix blazed a trail for Native journalism, and in the mid-1800s a Cherokee was a trailblazer for journalism in California.
On June 22, 1839, John Rollin Ridge had witnessed the murder of his father, John Ridge, a prominent leader in the Cherokee Nation. On the same day, his grandfather, Major Ridge, and his cousin, Elias Boudinot, the former editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, were assassinated as well. The three men were members of the Treaty Party, which had taken part in signing away what remained of Cherokee lands in the east and opposed Principal Chief John Ross.