Bumgarner

Lou Bumgarner and her children applied for enrollment as Choctaw Nation citizens in 1905, citing their 1897 enrollment by the Choctaw revisory board. The Dawes Commission denied their application, referencing a notation on the 1896 tribal roll that their enrollment had been “without authority of law.” Appeals were rejected, and later applications under the 1906 Congressional Act were also refused. Despite Bumgarner’s claims of Choctaw ancestry and continuous residence, federal authorities ruled that no timely application had been made. Legal counsel argued for reinstatement based on improper record alterations.