OUR STORY
160 acres. 121 years. 5 generations of one family dedicated to preserving this land. Welcome to the remarkable story of Neosho Parthenia Brown and the Euchee Butterfly Farm.
In 1899, a 16-year-old Native American girl named Neosho Parthenia Brown received a 160-acre land allotment from the United States government. However, this land was no gift. As the daughter of a Muscogee (Creek) woman and a Euchee man, the allotment was compensation to her people for the millions of acres of land that had been taken away from them, first by the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and later by the Dawes Act of 1887. Her father, Samuel W. Brown, had been born on the Trail of Tears and later became the chief of his people, the Euchee Tribe. The 160-acre parcel that he selected for his daughter’s allotment reminded him of his tribe's ancestral homelands in Alabama -- rich soil, towering pecan trees and stunning natural beauty. Although the great nation of his ancestors was gone, their spirit could live on in this quiet corner of Oklahoma.
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The spirit of Neosho and her people is still alive at the Euchee Butterfly Farm, located on her original 160-acre allotment In Tulsa County on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation. She tenderly cared for her land for over 72 years, using it to help others in need, produce life-giving food, and protect the hundreds of species of native plants and animals that made the land their home, too. Today, her great-granddaughter and other descendants are honoring her memory by using this land to create sustainable economic development for Native people through butterfly farming, and by using the land to educate about the need for habitat conservation and cultural preservation.
CONSERVATION. CULTURAL PRESERVATION. SUSTAINABILITY.
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Conservation. Cultural preservation. Sustainability. These are the three core values that the Euchee Butterfly Farm was founded on. We’re honored to have you join us as we uphold Neosho's legacy and we are truly grateful for your support of our mission.
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All butterflies at the Euchee Butterfly Farm are raised by the Natives Raising Natives Project, which provides tribal members from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation with the necessary training, supplies and technical support to become butterfly farmers.
The Natives Raising Natives Project has three goals:
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Create sustainable economic development for Native people in rural Oklahoma
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Provide a hands-on science learning opportunity for Native youth
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Raise awareness of the need to conserve ecosystems of native butterflies and other threatened pollinators.
For more details about our work supporting monarch conservation, youth education and habitat restoration on tribal land and to find out how your help can make a difference, please go to the website of our sister organization, The Learning Center at the Euchee Butterfly Farm, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of Native people, plants and pollinators since 2013 through innovative community-based programs.
DISCOVERING THE MAGIC OF THE PRAIRIE
Euchee Butterfly Farm is fortunate to have one of the last true prairie remnants in Tulsa County, a 12-acre natural grassland ecosystem which has never been plowed and is preserved in its original condition. It contains over 200 species of native plants, animals, birds and insects, including several species not found elsewhere in Oklahoma.
This living canvas of unparalleled beauty is alive with color, life, sounds and fragrance. The Euchee Butterfly Farm staff use this gem as a living classroom to teach people of all ages how to restore grasslands and how they can create sustainable butterfly habitat at their home, school, church or place of work.