his immedi-
ate connection continued to reside on a -mall reservation in the same
neighborhood, while the rest of the Cherokee retired to the west of
the Nantahala mountains, though still visiting and trading on Soco.
After several shiftings Thomas finally, soon after the removal in l s ".s.
bought a farm on the northern hank of Tuckasegee, just above the
present town of Whittier in Swain county, and built there a home-
stead which he called Stekoa, after an Indian town destroyed by
Rutherford which had occupied the same site. At the time of the
removal he was the proprietor of five trading stores in or adjoining the
Cherokee country, viz. at Qualla town, near the mouth of Soco creek;
on Scott's creek, near Webster; on Cheowa, near the present Robbins
ville; at the junction of Valley river andHiwassee, now Murphy; and
at the Cherokee agency at Calhoun (now Charleston). Tennessee.
Besides carrying on a successful trading business he was also studying
law and taking an active interest in local politics.
In his capacity as agent for the eastern Cherokee he laid off the.
lands purchased for them into five districts or "towns," which he
named Bird town. Paint town. Wolf town, Yellow hill, and Big cove,
the name- which they -till retain, the first three beingthose of Chero-
kee clans. 1 He also drew up for them a simple form of government,
the execution of which was in his own and Ybnaguska's hands until the
death of the latter, after which the hand knew no other chief than
Thomas until his retirement from active life. In 1848 he was elected
to the state senate and continued to