CHIEF CHIPCO (1805–1881)
- Chipco Preserve
- Jul 7
- 3 min read
Maeve Kiley
Chief Chipco was a Seminole leader and warrior whose life was defined by resistance, resilience, and survival. Born Echo Emathla Chopco in 1805, he hailed from the Red Stick Upper Creek Tribe. As conflict escalated during the War of 1812, Chipco and his family fled Alabama, becoming refugees who found sanctuary among his Seminole relatives in Florida.
During the First Seminole War (1817–1818), General Andrew Jackson launched a brutal invasion of Florida, leaving destruction in his wake. On April 16, 1818, Jackson's forces destroyed the Seminole camp at the Suwannee River, where young Chipco lived. His father was among those killed in the attack. The surviving family fled south to the Tampa Bay area, where Chipco would later engage in trade with White settlers at Fort Brooke.
When the Second Seminole War (1835–1858) erupted, Chipco became chief of the Muscogee-speaking Seminoles. Now President, Jackson had signed the Indian Removal Act, intent on ethnically cleansing all Indians from Florida and relocating them to what is now Oklahoma. Chipco joined other leaders, including Chief Abiaka, Osceola, and Micanopy, in resisting this forced removal.
Jackson appointed Indian Agent Wiley Thompson to carry out the removal, but resistance was fierce. In 1835, Chipco's village lay in the path of Major Francis Dade, whose U.S. Army forces were mobilizing for war. In retaliation for the attempted removal, Chipco, alongside Chief Micanopy, Chief Alligator, and approximately 180 Seminoles and Black Seminoles, ambushed 103 U.S. troops en route to Fort King. The battle became known as the infamous Dade's Battle of 1835.
Throughout the long and brutal Second Seminole War, Chief Chipco never surrendered, was never captured, and survived while constantly evading U.S. soldiers and bounty hunters. His band of Cow Creek Seminoles moved strategically across Florida, refusing to remain in one place for too long. Their resistance helped ensure that a remnant of Seminoles would remain in their ancestral lands.
By the war's end, fewer than 500 Seminoles remained in Florida. Chipco was among them.
When the Third Seminole War (1855–1858) broke out, Chipco chose not to engage. His band focused on survival through trade, offering deerskins, furs, bird plumes, jerked venison, and beadwork in and around Tampa and Fort Dade. Around 75 people strong, they lived in the cypress swamps north of Lake Okeechobee until 1866, when they relocated to the Kissimmee River Valley and Lake Pierce by the mid-1870s.
Chief Chipco passed away on October 16, 1881, leaving a legacy of courage and persistence. Leadership of his band passed to his adopted son and nephew, Chief Tallahassee, who continued guiding the Creek Seminoles.
Chipco's legacy lives on through his enduring fight for his people's homeland, strategic brilliance, and the family he left behind. His daughter, Sally Tommie Chupco, would later become instrumental in establishing the Fort Pierce Seminole Reservation.
Today, Chipco Preserve honors his name and legacy. The preserve commemorates the Central Florida townships where Chief Chipco and his people once lived. It was created after years of historical and archaeological research conducted by Dr. Eric Hannel and Dr. Karen Hannel in collaboration with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. For an in-depth read about Chief Chipco, check out their article in The Florida Historical Quarterly (2019): https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq/vol98/iss2/5/
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